Seattle Mariners: Predicting the Opening Day 30-man roster
J.P. Crawford, Seattle Mariners. (Photo by Dinur via Flickr)
Infield
Third baseman Kyle Seager is the longest-tenured member of the infield as well as the Seattle Mariners since Seattle didn’t re-sign “King” Felix Hernandez after last season. The previous three years have been disappointing for Seager after having his best season in 2016, where he hit .278 with 30 home runs and drove 99 runs. His batting average dwindled to .248 in 2017, followed by .221 and .239 the last two seasons. He still has hit over 20 home runs in each of those seasons. The seven-year extension Seager signed in 2015, runs through 2021, though there is a team option for 2022.
JP Crawford made his debut for the Mariners on May 10, after being recalled from Triple-A Tacoma. The shortstop had a solid month of May hitting .279 but went on the injured list at the end of the month through June 14. In 16 June games, he showed what he was capable of by batting .338. Unfortunately for Crawford, he went into a slump the rest of the way, hitting .167 in July, .198 in August, and .160 in September. The Mariners hope Crawford learned from last year’s experience and will become more steady at the plate.
The Seattle Mariners will start the year with rookie Evan White at first base. The M’s number four prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, will be making his major league debut. Shed Long, who made his debut on May 10 of last year, is listed as Seattle’s starting second baseman on the depth chart. The 24-year-old rode the Seattle-Tacoma shuttle several times. He finished 2019 with a slash line of .263/.333/.454/.787, which is an excellent place to start his 2020.
Dee Gordon is also in the mix at second. For now, he is the backup. This is the last season of Gordon’s guaranteed contract. However, Seattle holds an option for 2021. As the case has been for most of his career, Gordon once again posted low numbers in on-base percentage (.304) and OBP (.663) last year. He is running out of time to give the M’s a reason to keep him after this year. Dylan Moore and Tim Lopes round out the infielders.