Mariners Third Base: Bill Stein to Kyle Seager

2010-PRESENT

The Mariners moved Jose Lopez from second base, where he started for four years, to third base in 2010. Unfortunately, the team had another terrible season, going 61-101. That year, Lopez hit .239 with 10 home runs and 58 RBIs. He was one of the casualties of that season being traded to the Colorado Rockies in the offseason.

The 2011 season began with Chone Figgins at third base. It was the second of three years he spent as the consensus worst free agent signing in Mariners history. He played 80 games at third that season before the M’s turned it over to their current third baseman Kyle Seager.

It wasn’t a hard decision to give the position to Seager since Figgins was only hitting .188. Seager played 42 games at third base along with 10 at shortstop and 3 at second. He batted .258 in that limited time with the Mariners.

Seager has been the Mariners’ regular third baseman since 2012. He has played in almost every single game, hitting at least 20 home runs in seven seasons. The 2016 campaign was by far his best, hitting .278 with 30 home runs and 99 RBIs. In 2014 he won a Gold Glove for his defense at third base.

The last two years his batting average has declined to .249 in 2017 and .221 in 2018. He still hit over 20 home runs in both years, however. The Mariners did keep Seager after this last season, despite trading several key players like Mike Zunino, Robinson Cano, Jean Segura, and Edwin Diaz.

General manager Jerry Dipoto is hoping Seager can rebound in 2019 to boost his trade value. Right now, though, the Mariners don’t have a third base prospect to take his spot. Ryon Healy or newly-acquired Shed Long would likely fill the role in the event of Seager’s departure, though both would pose a massive drop-off in defensive productivity.