Final Report Card #2
Catcher: Mike Zunino when it is comes to defense he is among
the best in the American League however his hitting still needs to improve for
the Mariners to get to the next step. We
see the potential in him offensively however the Mariners need help to go along
with him at catcher. None of the other catchers did any better than Zunino when
it came to hitting and their defense was OK but not as good as his. Chris
Herrmann was probably the best among the backup catchers the Mariners used
during the season. I hope if the Mariners keep him his defense will be better so he can catch more often. It would be nice if they
would use Zunino one game less per week so his whole game is good. Grade C+
First base: Most of
the season Ryon Healy was the first baseman. He played in 133 games with 27
home runs and 73 rbi’s. His defense was probably better than any of us
expected. I hope his batting average increases next season above .235 he had
this season. At this point though what is going on with Cano and Gordon it is
hard to know whether the Mariners will keep Healy or not. The Mariners could
get some good prospects for him or player to help out at another position.
Robinson Cano started ten games at first base on his return from suspension. He
didn’t look good fielding at first base so how much he will be playing there
will be anyone’s guess.
Dan Vogelbach played limited action at first base playing in
18 games. He had a low batting average but did show off his power when he spent
time on the major league club. He was the player of the year playing for the
Tacoma Rainiers. If he makes the ball
club in 2019 may spent time at dh well as first base. Dipoto may trade him as
well. Grade B-
2nd base:
Robinson Cano started out the season as the second baseman until late
May when he first was injured than suspended for 80 games. He was playing fine
ball before the suspension and did so on his return as well. While he was gone
Dee Gordon played second base doing a fine job defensively however an injury to
his toe cost him offensively. He had a batting average around .300 when he was
hurt and had to go on the disabled list but slumped when he returned ending up
with a batting average of .262. In the second half of the season the Mariners
moved him to the bottom of the batting order because of his slump. The work of
Haniger at the leadoff spot Gordon likely will continue in the bottom of the
batting order. The question going into next season will he continue playing
second base or return to center field. It is obvious he is a better second
baseman than centerfielder. Grade B-
3rd base: Kyle Seager again was the third baseman
who played there majority of the season. Although he played defensively very
good at times we could see he wasn’t the third baseman we were accustomed to
also his offensive wasn’t good all season. He hurt his toe in July which meant
that his hitting continued to suffer. He wasn’t hitting well at all during the
season. I believe the Mariners should have taken him out of the lineup at times
because we could see how much he struggled at the plate. Of course he wanted to
continue playing however Servais should have made the decision to bench him for
a short period of time instead of a couple games. The unfortunate thing though
the Mariners didn’t have anyone to replace him at third. Another thing they
could have dropped him in the batting order as well but they had really no one
to put him in the fifth spot either. We hope the Mariners are able to get back
the Seager we know and add depth at the position as well. His batting average
lowered to .221 and he had 22 home runs the lowest amount the last few years.
Grade D
Shortstop: Jean Segura
had another solid season far as playing the game. It sounds like his attitude
with other players has to improve. I am sure manager Scott Servais had a good
talk with him. Again he had a solid season at the plate batting over three
hundred. He does play solid shortstop though he does look erratic at times. He
makes the routine play majority of the time and has a strong arm allows him to
make some outstanding throws to. He does
a good job batting second in the lineup however I wonder how he would do if
Servais moved him to the fifth spot in the order and the Mariners can hit Kyle
Seager in a different spot in the order. Grade B+
Left Field: Here is a position having its ups and downs
during the season especially early on. The Mariners signed Ichiro late in
spring training because Ben Gamel was hurt and couldn’t start the season.
Ichiro was platooning with Guillermo Heredia at the beginning of the season
however he only played in 15 games getting nine hits in forty-seven at bats for
a batting average of .205. He looked like he was done for his career though he
will come back next spring training. He spent the rest of the season working
for the front office though he was at every game even taking batting practice
and later on throwing batting practice.
The big change in left field happened in May when the
Mariners traded for Denard Span along with setup reliever Alex Colome. Span had
a solid time playing primarily in left field. He played in 94 games for the
Mariners. He hit a solid .272 and was only among a few who didn’t have a bad
second half of the season. He started mainly against right handed pitchers then
pinch hit at some point in the game when a lefty started. Ben Gamel played some left field well as
right field. He spent most of August in triple A because the Mariners had
picked up Cameron Maybin from the Miami Marlins. Guillermo Heredia played some
in left field as well primarily when other team was starting a lefty. There was controversy when Heredia was sent down to Tacoma when Ichiro was on the team and Gamel was reactivate. Heredia was hitting well then however on his return he never was same at the plate. His defense continued to be solid though. With the presence of Span I give a grade of C+.
Center Field: the position started out with Dee Gordon doing
a fine job especially learning a new position however when Robinson Cano was
injured/suspended he was sent back to play second base. Guillermo Heredia for a
while played a lot of center field when Gordon went back to second base however
he ended up struggling at the plate. In August after acquiring him at the
trading deadline on July 31 the Mariners had him playing in center field
initially however he never really looked like he fit in to the team. He wasn’t
much better than Heredia at the plate. So when the Mariners were facing right
handers they put Mitch Haniger in center field with Span in left and Ben Gamel
in right. Heredia would come in the game late for defensive purposes. Though
Heredia did a fine job in center field the Mariners still feel right field is
his best position. Grade C+.
Right Field: Mitch Haniger was the primary right fielder for
the Mariners although he played some in center field later on in the season. He
had a solid season where he ended making the all-star team. Also he was named
the team’s MVP. He excelled wherever he
batted in the lineup. He started the season batting sixth however moved to
cleanup when Cruz was hurt for a short period.
Late in the season the Mariners
moved him to leadoff hitter where he really excelled batting near .333. So right now the Mariners see Haniger as the
leadoff hitter along with playing in right field when next season starts. He batted
.285 on the season with 26 home runs and 93 rbi’s. I see him becoming a
superstar. Ben Gamel played 40 games himself in right field when Haniger was
playing in center. He had a solid time playing the position as well. My grade
A.
Designated hitter: Nelson Cruz again was the Mariners primary
dh playing in 144 games on the season. His batting average .256 was below his
career average however at age 38 and not always healthy he still did a fine
job. Like most players he did a better job in the first half though he didn’t
play as well in second half he didn’t disappear like a lot of the other players
did. His home runs and rbi’s were a little bit lower but still excellent he led
the team once again in both categories with 37 home runs and 97 rbi’s. Not having Cano ahead of him half of the season
still showed a good sign. Having Cruz back next season would be very nice but I
can see why Dipoto isn’t looking for a full-time dh. I am not a fan of a
full-time dh either but the question is how much will the team lose in offense
and his present in the clubhouse if they don’t bring Cruz back. It would be
nice to have a better and stronger bench. How it will work though without Cruz
is a big question. The other thing without him they could use his salary to go
out and pick up a top pitcher whether a number one or two. My grade is an A.
The Mariners though they didn’t make the playoffs which is
the ultimate goal and at the end of June we thought the Mariners would be the
wildcard team at the very least then the A’s played the best ball in the second
half eliminating the Mariners 89 wins did give them the sixth highest win total
in the history of team. Also they would have made the playoffs the previous two
years as well. You the play of the team in the second half I have to give them
an overall grade of B+
Next time on the Mariners I will be looking at the 40-man
roster who should stay and those who should go. I know there are those who
believe the Mariners should rebuild the team. I am not sure of a total rebuild
on the major league roster because of the chore group whether you are talking
about the young guys or the veterans. I do believe Dipoto does need to rebuild
the minor league system further beginning with the triple A Tacoma. This will
come on my next Mariner report. Go M’s.
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