Get Figgins Out of Seattle

Today, I snapped. Get Figgins off of this team. I do not care what we have to pay him or what we have to do. Get Figgins out of Seattle.

In the eighth inning of today’s game, the Mariners were trailing by one run. Eric Thames started the inning with a single and Figgins stepped to the plate. He was given the bunt sign in order to move the tying run into scoring position, but Figgins missed the sign, took a swing, and hit into a double play. Not only did he miss a sign, but he lacked the common sense to bunt on his own. It was an obvious bunt situation and Figgins decided to trust his .186 batting average and swing away instead of using his about average bunting abilities to advance the tying run into scoring position.

Following the double play, Brendan Ryan hit a single that should have tied the game had Figgins simply laid down a bunt.

This lone failure to do a job is not the sole reason that Figgins should be released; it is simply the event that caused me to no longer tolerate watching Figgins in a Mariner uniform.

Figgins has a higher K% than strikeout kings such as Alfonso Soriano, Paul Goldschmidt, Nelson Cruz, Josh Willingham, and even Justin Smoak.

Since coming to Seattle, Figgins has a wRC+ of 69 which is fourth worst in baseball in that time period. Only Brendan Ryan, Orlando Cabrera, and our friend Jose Lopez are worse since 2010. Even offensive catastrophies like Gordan Beckham, Juan Pierre, Ronny Cedeno, Clint Barmes, and even Miguel Olivo himself have been better in the statistic.

I could go on forever with enraging stats concerning Chone Figgins’ inability to produce on any level, but I don’t have the patience to track them all down.

The fact is, Figgins brings nothing to Seattle except a pinch runner, but Kawasaki can do the job just as well. He doesn’t even bring a good presence to the locker room. There is literally nothing of value that Figgins adds to the Mariners.

As I said, Figgins does not bring anything to Seattle, so why is he still here? I do not care about his price tag or any other factor, I want him gone.