Now I am going to look at grading
the catcher’s position and the infielders for the Mariners. There will be a #3
that will cover the outfielder and designated hitter.
Catcher: This position is hard to grade because Mike
Zunino had an inconsistent season however I will grade for the whole. Mike had
a terrible April hitting so far below the Mendoza line (under .200) that the
Mariners sent him down to triple A Tacoma where he played in twelve games with
five home runs and a batting average of .293. In return he had a really good
June however he was inconsistent in July and August but had a good month in
September as well. For the Mariners he played in 124 games with a batting
average of .251 for the season and twenty-five home runs and sixty-four runs
batted in. Also he had the same amount of doubles. Carlos Ruiz was the primary
backup catcher over the season though he started more games when Zunino was at
Tacoma. He played in a total of 54 games with a .216 batting average. Though he
had a low batting average he did have his moments during the season. He will
become a free agent and is not expected to return next season. My grade for the
catcher’s position I will go with C plus however if Zunino can have a season
like he did from June through September over a whole season next year the grade
will be higher for sure next time.
First Baseman: This is
another interesting position where Danny Valencia was the primary first baseman
until the Mariners acquired his best friend Yonder Alonso in August from the
Oakland A’s for outfielder Boog Powell who had played most of the year at
Tacoma when the trade happened. Valencia
had a poor start to the season in April however it was on high side the rest of
the way until Alonso was acquired. Not only did Valencia hit well he played a
pretty good first baseman something special for a player who had played only a little
in his career before 2017. The Mariners
expected that Valencia would platoon with left handed hitter Daniel Vogelbach
in spring training however he was sent to Tacoma instead where he spent the whole
season until call ups in September. Valencia had a decent season hitting for
batting sixth or seventh in the lineup most of the year. When Haniger was out
he batted second in the lineup often against lefties. His batting average could
have been a little higher he batted .256 along with fifteen home runs and
sixty-six runs batted in. His batting average was lower than in 2016 however he
drove in more runs and probably the reason that was those who were ahead of him
in the lineup with the Mariners over the A’s. The Mariners started platooning at first base
when Yonder Alonso came over from the A’s in August. In forty-two games with
the Mariners his batting average was the same as with the A’s but his home runs
were down more like in his previous seasons. I am sure some of that had to do
with the ballparks and becoming adjusted to a new team. Both Valencia and
Alonso will now be free agents going into 2018 whether both will be back or one
or neither we will see. The cost of signing Valencia I am sure will be less than
that for Alonso but it will depend on Dipoto’s thinking. Most likely if one of
them is signed by the Mariners they will be the everyday first basemen. If both
of them return they will probably be platooned or Valencia will play more
outfield. More of that in report card #3 and I will give a grade of b minus at
first base.
Second base: Since 2014
when the Mariners signed Robinson Cano as a free agent he has played almost
every game without missing much action. This is how it went in 2017 that he
played in one hundred and fifty games only missing action in May when he went
on the ten day disabled list. He had a solid first half being named to the
all-star team in which he was MVP. His second half wasn’t as spectacular as the
first half. The Mariners showed how important it was to have him in the lineup
since they didn’t do well when he was on the disabled list. Utility player
Taylor Motter played when Cano was out. Cano had a solid .280 batting average
though it was low for him and he drove in nearly one hundred runs for the
season though his home run numbers were down. He had twenty-three homers for
the season which is pretty good for second basemen. In fact in September he
became only the third second basemen to hit three hundred home runs for a career.
Most likely when his career is over he will be the all-time second basemen in
home runs. His defense was not at the same caliber we are used to seeing either
however that could be because of injury or age. We won’t truly know until we
see him play in 2018. Since he did play in the all-star game my grade for him
is a B.
Third Base: This is
another position where the Mariners have a player that misses very few games in
a season. I would call him reliable in Kyle Seager. His statistics look good
for 2017 however I am not sure if he had that good of a season. Again he
started out slow in April though his hitting was better than it was the year
before in April. His fielding I am not sure was that good as in past years
though he still made a lot of outstanding plays but made mistakes in crucial
times. He wasn’t playing at all-star caliber that is for sure. What we hope for
that it was a down year in a successful career. Seager had twenty-seven home runs and
thirty-three doubles but his batting average was .249. His home runs total was
the second highest of his career but I think it is when you hit them and what
meaning do they have when it comes to winning baseball. I am sure hitting
behind Nelson Cruz is much different than it would be if he were hitting in
front of him like Cano does. I hope he rebounds for a better season in 2018. I
am sure if he does the Mariners should make the playoffs unless the pitching is
worse than it was this year. Being the senior player on the Mariners that is
under 30 years old it is time that he shows more leadership and not leave it to
Cruz and Cano. That is what I believe anyway. So my grade for Seager is C.
Shortstop: Jean
Segura was the primary shortstop on the Mariners playing in one hundred
twenty-five games. I am sure the Mariners hope in 2018 he will be closer to
playing in one hundred and fifty games. Segura went on the disabled list twice
to miss most of the games he didn’t play in. The first time he was placed on
the disabled list was early April and returned after a rehab assignment two
weeks later and then the second time was in June. He went on another rehab
assignment again missing out almost three weeks. Utility player Taylor Motter
whose natural position is shortstop filled in for Segura. The first time around
he hit well but not so much on the second occasion however his defense was
good. The Mariners were so happy with Segura that in May they signed him to a
seven-year contract extension. He not only plays good defense and hits well he
is the best leadoff hitter the Mariners have had in some time. He can bat
second pretty well to if the Mariners were able to find even a better leadoff
batter. For the season he ended up batting .300 after leading the National
League in hits in 2016. It is quite the accomplishment because the Mariners
have had history of players coming over from the National League who have not
played well at all. I give Segura and the shortstop positon an A minus for the
season. Next report card will be on the designated hitter and the outfielders. Go
M’s.
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