Seattle Mariners defensive preview: Part 2 – Infield
Daniel Vogelbach, Seattle Mariners. (Photo by Dinur, via Flickr)
First Base
Big swinging power hitters occupied first base last season for the Mariners last year. Servais was willing to sacrifice defense at first to get more pop in the lineup. Edwin Encarnacion, Jay Bruce, and Daniel Vogelbach all spent time there. To be honest, all three are better suited to a designated hitter role. First Bruce, then Encarnacion were traded away for prospects. By default, the job went to Vogelbach.
When the big man was hitting the way he did during the first half of 2019, it was worth it to play Vogelbach in the field. However, his prowess at the plate took a sharp decline. Vogelbach hit .162 in the second half, which is enough to get him pulled from the lineup by itself. Combine that with a horrendous -1.5 dWAR, and it’s easy to see why he spent more and more time on the bench as the season wound down. Voglebach should spend much of this season as a platoon DH.
In 2020, the revolving door of sub-par fielding at first base is over. Seattle Mariners 2017 first-round pick Evan White is expected to make the jump from Double-A to the Majors. Not only has he shown nice power in the minors, but White’s defense is also better than anything the M’s have had in several years.
The 6-3, 220-pounder from the University of Kentucky may be Seattle’s best fielding first baseman since John Olerud. He has the range to both guard the line as well as cut down the second basemen’s area of coverage. Additionally, White’s athleticism should help prevent errant throws from becoming two-base errors.
Depth Chart
The starting infield most games (from right to left) will be Seager, Crawford, Long, and White. Vogelbach, when not the DH, backs up White at first. Second-string catcher Aaron Nola will also play first. As mentioned above, Gordon will see plenty of time at second and is also Crawford’s primary back up at shortstop. Seager’s understudy looks to be Dylan Moore, who is a versatile utility player.
As long as the Seattle Mariners young players develop as expected, infield defense should go from a team weakness to a strength.