Mariners 2018 Half Season Report Card Part 2

Now my look at the position players for the Mariners during first half season; the catching position is first and my grade is a B. Mike Zunino has been playing great defense by the showing of the starting rotation. His hitting has been low par though he has hit twelve home runs but driving in runs he has only twenty-nine. Also he continues striking out a lot having eighty-four in one hundred ninety-seven at bats. The three players who have been his back up during the season haven’t done any better and they don’t have the power he does possess. Chris Herrmann who is his current backup has only fourteen at bats so can’t really judge his performance. I hope that he is able to get into more games especially if Zunino continues to struggle at the plate. In his last seven games Zunino is batting below one hundred. Hopefully he will be able to relax and rest during the upcoming all-star break. Chris Herrmann can play first base and the outfield as well if necessary.

Speaking of first base Ryon Healy has been a good surprise. Last year he hit twenty-five home runs for the Oakland A’s; right now he has sixteen for the Mariners. His batting average is .252 which is twenty points below last year’s but with a good second half he could bring that up though the power along with driving in runs what is important. The biggest surprise has been his defense. He has done a better job than most expected especially stretching out on throws to him by the other infielders. I give him a grade of B plus at this point.

Now looking at second base position for the Mariners which is interesting to say the least; Robinson Cano started the season playing almost every day until he fractured his right hand in May and then a couple days later was suspended 80 games for PED. He is currently rehabbing in Seattle to be ready to be reactivated on August 14. At the time of his injury he was batting .287 and his on base percentage was almost one hundred points higher because he was taking a lot of walks. Dee Gordon who moved to play second base when Cano went down has been playing stellar defense. He played second base with the Miami Marlins however the Mariners converted him to center field when they for him last December. He currently is batting .280 and leads the major leagues in stolen bases with twenty-one. He has struggled at the plate since returning from the disabled list because of a toe fracture at the end of May. Although he isn’t hitting as well he still has been dangerous on the base paths. Recently he scored from first base on a hit. Rest during the all-star break should help him out as well. When Cano returns in mid-August it is hard to know right now how much he will play at second base. He isn’t eligible for the playoffs so the Mariners will have to use Gordon the last couple weeks of September to be ready to go. Right now the coaching staff has no idea how much Cano will play. There is suggestions that Cano play some first base to give Healy some rest and dh as well to help give Cruz rest as well. Although he hasn’t played third base he does have experience at the position but the Mariners would have to give him opportunity to take grounders there. The purpose would be to give Seager some rest and allow Cano playing time. Of course we have no  idea how Cano will do at first base though being a good fielder he should do fine at first base as well. Gordon could be the super utility player when Cano returns. I give the position a grade of B plus.

Kyle Seager continues to be the everyday third baseman for the Mariners. He hasn’t had a good batting average this year so far being at .232. His power continues though where he has fifteen home runs and he has driven in forty-nine runs so he could still hit thirty home runs for the season and drive in or near one hundred runs. The value of Seager this year is he looks like he has been playing the best defense of his career including the year he won the gold glove. It is hard to calculate but he has looked like he has saved a lot of runs with his glove. Since his batting is below average I give him a grade of B because of his defense.

Jean Segura at shortstop has been doing a great job both hitting and fielding. His fielding hasn’t been stellar at times but still solid and he is number two hitter in the American League with an average of .335. He is second on the Mariners in stolen bases with fourteen and has driven in forty-five runs which is pretty good for a guy who has batted second in the limit most of the season or lead-off when Gordon was on the disabled list. Also he has had multiple hits in more than thirty games which lead the league. He has been one of the leader’s on the ball club as well. He should be playing in the All-Star game though he doesn’t have enough votes to start. I give him a solid A.

Now looking at the outfield; Ben Gamel who started the season on the disabled list is batting .300. Before he was activated Ichiro and Guillermo Heredia were sharing left field. Ichiro I would give an incomplete since he was deactivated a short time after Gamel returned. He isn’t officially retired so he could come back to play in spring training for the Mariners next year. The Mariners are starting next season in Japan and can have twenty-eight players activated instead of twenty-five so Ichiro will likely be activated for those two games. After that unless he is ready to go he will probably be deactivated but no one knows right now whether he would retire then. Gamel right now shares left field with Denard Span who they acquired on May 25 along with reliever Alex Colome from the Tampa Bay Rays has been hitting .292 in twenty-seven games. So those two have been a very good duo and Gamel has been playing a little right field when the have given Guillermo Heredia a day off in center field and Mitch Haniger has moved over. Haniger has had a day off as well during this time as well. Give left field a solid B especially with Gamel and Span playing.

Center Field belonged to Dee Gordon until Robinson Cano was injured then suspended and Gordon returned to his old position. Gordon was playing a solid center field before going back to second base. Guillermo Heredia who is the Mariners best defensive outfielder has been playing well there since becoming the regular center fielder in mid-May. His offense has been inconsistent batting .230 after being around three hundred when he was playing part time. When Cano returns in mid-August it will be hard to know how much Heredia will play since Gordon will play some center field once again. I like Heredia in center field not only for his defense but he is willing to take walks, do the little things like bunting and is in the middle of many Mariner rallies. We will have to see whether he will be an everyday player in the future. He is only in his second season in the major leagues so can’t answer that at this point. I give a grade of B plus in center field.

Right Field belongs Mitch Haniger who has played almost every game there except a few in center field. He not only has been a force at the plate he has thrown out several runs from right field. He is second on the Mariners in home runs with seventeen and leads them in runs batted in with sixty-two and has a batting average of .272. If he has a down fall he has struck out eighty times which is second to Mike Zunino. He does look like a super star in the making. He could be there in a couple years if not before. I give him a grade of A.

The last position is designated hitter. Nelson Cruz has been the primary designated hitter only not playing when he was on the disabled list. Dan Vogelbach was the dh early on along with playing first base. Looking at his defense he is more likely to be a designated hitter in the future but with the Mariners that is not likely. Though he did hit a few home runs he did struggle at the plate. He has been hitting very well at triple A so right now he is more than a triple A player but not a major league player. Cruz is batting .273 with twenty-one home runs. If he can stay healthy the rest of the season he could hit forty home runs once again. In the last thirty games Cruz has batted .345 with thirteen of his twenty-one home runs. That is sold effort for sure. I give him a grade of A minus. If he had been healthy all season than he would have an A or A plus.

The Mariners continue what they have done all season they should easily be over the ninety game winning mark and make the playoffs. It will be nice to see what the report card at the end of the season. As we hope for the Mariners will make the way into the playoffs and into the World Series for the first time. Go M’s.