Nelson Cruz and the Mariners Outfield

The Seattle Mariners figure to have five outfielders including Nelson Cruz on the opening day roster. A lot will depend upon who the utility player is and the first baseman that will platoon with Adam Lind.

Last year the Mariners figured that Cruz would spend most of his time at designated hitter however under the circumstances he played more right field than expected. I am sure they will try again to have him be the designated hitter most of the time again.

The starting outfield is expected to be Nori Aoki in left leading off in the batting order, Leonys Martin in center fielder, Seth Smith and Franklin Gutierrez platooning in right. How much Cruz plays in the field will depend on his health and that of Gutierrez specifically. There could be times where Cruz plays right field against left handed pitching.

One of the candidates in the outfield along with first base is Stefan Romero. Most likely he will play first base if he makes the club however he will be available to spend time in the outfield as well. Since he has played some infield in the minor leagues he gives the Mariners a lot of oppositions. Another candidate would be Sean O’Malley if he is on the opening roster as utility infielder he can play some outfield too. Both of them give the Mariners added depth if they start the season in triple A.

Another outfielder the Mariners may count on is Boog Powell who they got included in the first trade general manager Jerry Dipoto made in the off-season with the Tampa Bay Rays. He spent some of last season in double A as well as triple A. Though he likely won’t start the season with the Mariners he could come up sometime during the season if injuries happen. He definitely is in the plans of the future for the Mariners.

So we all hope that Nelson Cruz will spend a good part of the season as designated hitter however the shape he usually in I would not be surprised if he plays a lot of right field. A lot may depend on Martin in center field as well whether he struggles while hitting however the Mariners likely keep in most of the time because of his defense.

As far as offense goes this coming season for the Mariners will depend a lot on Cruz, Cano, and Seager along with the rest of the guys getting on base in front of them. Dipoto picked up guys who had more history of getting on base along with striking out less. It will be interesting this season where things go in the outfield. We can hope that Cruz and Gutierrez especially will stay healthy.  This is maybe true for Aoki too. Last year Aoki spent some time on the disabled list with the San Francisco Giants. 

This year with addition of Aoki and Martin the Mariners look to have upgraded the outfield especially on the defensive side. Dipoto I am sure will be looking to continue seeing if he can upgrade the outfield even further. Any of the five outfielders get hurt for a significant amount of time they will need to go out and get another experienced major league outfielder because those they have waiting in the wings have little major league time. Those things look good in the outfield right now they have to be prepared for anything. Go Mariners!