Seattle’s Future at Shortstop

The typical reaction to a

at bat. Credit: David Banks-US PRESSWIRE

The shortstop situation in Seattle is quite bizarre. We have the best defensive shortstop in baseball right now, yet the majority of fans would like to see him go due to the fact that he can’t hit. It’s true, Brendan Ryan is a miserable hitter right now, but I don’t think that that means we should just get rid of him as soon as we can.

I believe that Seattle has taken good defensive shortstops for granted in recent years. The Seattle pitching staff has been blessed him Brendan Ryan and Jack Wilson, who were two of the best defensive shortstop of the decade, play shortstop for the last few seasons. People don’t realize how important having that stud up the middle is until it’s gone. Just remember what it was like having Yuniesky Betancourt’s disastrous glove. I don’t want that.

My point is that we shouldn’t just throw away Brendan Ryan simply because he doesn’t have a great bat. Ryan should get the job out of spring training next year. If he can raise his average up to a semi-respectable .240, I see no reason to try to move him. His glove is too valuable. In a few years when this team is challenging for a playoff spot, Brendan Ryan’s glove is the kind of tool that makes a good team great.

At the same time, if Ryan continues to display Mendoza line production, the Mariners will have to start looking elsewhere. In this scenario, there are lots of good options in the farm system.

With the exception of starting pitching, the shortstop position has more farm system depth than any other spot.

Carlos Truinfel has been a prospect in this organization since 2007 when he was 17. He was considered an organizational top 10 prospect from 2007 to 2010 and was a MLB top 100 prospect in 2008 and 2009. Unfortunately, his bat has never been impactful above class high A. His frequent strikeouts and poor BB% have plagued him as well. At this point, he is no longer the heir to the throne due to the draft of Nick Franklin and Brad Miller.

These two new players are now the guys who are expected to be the future at shortstop, specifically Nick Franklin. While Franklin has been the front runner at shortstop and is currently the 29^th best prospect in baseball, I encouraged fans to pay attention to Miller in my 2^nd base article, and I will use the same argument here.

Here is a comparison between Franklin and Miller during their time in AA Jackson in 2012.

PA

HR

R

BB%

K%

AVG

OBP

SLG%

wOBA

wRC+

Franklin

239

4

25

10.0

15.9

.322

.394

.502

.413

155

Miller

170

4

21

12.9

15.3

.320

.406

.476

.409

152

Pretty similar huh?

As I discussed in the 2^nd base article, 2012 draft picks, Chris Taylor and Timothy Lopes have both moved swiftly through the farm system in their first years in professional baseball. Taylor has the glove to project pretty well at shortstop, while Lopes may be forced to stay at second.

Another name that has been tossed around on Mariner top prospect lists is Martin Peguero. Unfortunately, the 18 year old has spent his first two years in rookie ball and has little to show for it. In the Appellation League this year, he posted a triple slash of .231/.269/.294. Ouch.

If you ask me, if we want an 18 year old shortstop from the DR with no power and no ability to draw walks, then we should look at Ketel Marte. Who? Ketel Marte. That name is rarely used, but he spent this year in Everett and put up numbers very similar to the ones Peguero posted in rookie ball. Only a month separates these two international talents, but Marte is a bit more developed than Peguero.

I have little hope for either of these players in the long run, but if you are a Martin Peguero fanatic, I would recommend you start paying attention to Ketel Marte, because he is a nearly identical player who has progressed faster.

Although 2012 2^nd round draft pick Joe DeCarlo is listed as a shortstop on the AZL Mariners roster, he has little hope of sticking at short, so he is more relevant at third base than shortstop. If by some miracle he can trim down his 5’10” 205 pound frame, get quicker, and improve his glove, he would be an option at short. I don’t see that happening however.