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Mariners Positional Preview: The Infield
The 2018 Seattle Mariners infielders will look very similar to the 2017 infielders. at third base, Kyle Seager will begin his 8th season at the Hot Corner. 2017 newcomer Jean Segura will once again be at shortstop, While perennial All Star Robinson Cano will once again be the second baseman.First base is where the change will be in 2018.
First Base
Ryon Healy is the new starting first baseman for the Mariners in 2018. Healy came over in a trade in the off-season from the Oakland Athletics for Emilio Pagan. Healy, in 2017, hit .271 with 25 Home runs and 78 runs batted in. The only downgrade on Healy is his walk rate. In 605 Plate appearances, Healy walked a dismal 23 times. He will need to work on plate discipline in 2018 to become more of a well-rounded hitter.
Second Base
Starting at second base is Robinson Cano. Cano, the 2017 All Star Game MVP, will be starting his 5th season for the Mariners. Robbie hit .280 in 2017. with 23 Home Runs and 97 runs batted in. He missed some time with a tight hamstring, which has already resurfaced in the 2018 Spring Training. The Mariners will definitely need him to stay healthy if they are going to contend in 2018.
Shortstop
Jean Segura is back in 2018 manning the shortstop position. Jean is projected to bat second in the 2018 lineup, behind Dee Gordon. Segura signed a 4 year, 60 million dollar contract with the M’s midseason in 2017, so he projects as the Shortstop of the future. Jean hit .300 last season in only 125 games. He spent 2 stints on the DL, so the Mariners will hope to keep him healthy in 2018. While Segura’s bat was elite last season, His defense didn’t go unnoticed. He did have 17 errors, but he also had countless gem plays as well. A healthy season should clean up some of the errors.
Third Base
Third base this season is the same as the past 7 seasons. The reliable Kyle Seager is back and had a great spring. There really isn’t much to say about Kyle, you know what you’re going to get from him. He is durable, having only missed 13 games the last 3 seasons. His batting average did take a 30 point dip in 2017, but that may be due to his .265 BABIP (Batting Average on Balls In Play). With a career BABIP of .285, Seager seemed to be a bit unlucky in 2017. His career average of .263 seems to be more of what to expect from Kyle.
The Bench
Backing up Ryon Healy will be Dan Vogelbach. Dan had one of the best Spring Trainings in all of baseball. He forced his way onto the 25 man roster, belting .407/.529/.926 with an OPS of 1.455. He also clubbed 7 doubles, 7 Home Runs with 15 RBI. Vogelbach also walked 13 times while only striking out 11 times.
Obviously, those numbers are next to impossible to repeat in the regular season, and say what you will about ST numbers, but Dan Vogelbach has shown confidence that Seattle has never seen in him before. Look for big things from Dan this season.
Next: Previewing the 2018 Mariners Outfield
Finally, the Utility man will be Andrew Romine. He was a bit banged up in Spring Training, and it really cooled off his hot start to the Spring. Andrew can play every infield spot, along with all three outfield positions. While he may not put up hug numbers this season, a guy with the defensive versatility he has is incredibly valuable to the franchise.
