Seattle Mariners 2019 Position Preview: Third Basemen

The hot corner has been locked down on the Mariners roster by Kyle Seager for eight straight years, though that is set to slightly change in 2019.

After injuring a tendon in his left hand in a Cactus League game in mid-March, Kyle Seager will be placed on the injured list for the first time in his career. At the very least, Seager is expected to be out until June.

For Seager, the injury couldn’t have come at a worse time. The 31-year-old had made several physical and mechanical changes in the lead-up to Spring Training, looking to better position himself to bounce back from the worst season of his career last year. For the first time since his rookie season, Seager finished with a wRC+ south of 100, slashing .221/.273/.400.

This is a hard injury to come back from mid-season, as it inhibits Seager’s ability to participate in fundamental drills and activities over the course of his rehab. Occurring so early in the spring, the timing of Seager’s injury will have an affect on his conditioning for the upcoming season, and could result in another year full of struggles if he’s rushed back.

Ryon Healy will take on the majority of third base duties in Seager’s absence. While the two were fairly comparable from an offensive standpoint last season, there is a massive drop-off in defensive ability from Seager to Healy.

In 917.2 career innings at third, Healy has a -10.9 UZR and -4 DRS. Healy will struggle at the position this season, though you likely won’t see many mechanical or mental gaffes from him. You also won’t see him ranging to his left to stop a liner through the hole, get up, and make the out at first. Healy comes in at a lumbering 6-foot-5, 225-pound build; therefore, he isn’t the most physically gifted third baseman. He should be serviceable at best, and that’s all the Mariners can really hope for at this point.

Healy is off to a good start at the plate, putting up three extra base hits in nine at-bats in Japan, including a two-run home run in the series finale.

Over the next couple months, the Mariners will supplement Healy with rookie utility infielder Dylan Moore. The 26-year-old Moore spent his 2018 season in the Milwaukee Brewers’ system, playing most of his time at third base (56 games).

Arguably the best offensive option the Mariners have had from their utility spot in quite some time, Moore has shown an ability to work counts, get on base, and utilize his power and speed through all minor league levels. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Moore outperforms Healy at the plate and works himself into more consistent playing time with his bat.

The Mariners don’t have a whole lot behind Healy and Moore, though Kristopher Negrón would likely be the first to be called up in the event of injury. If Seager’s rehab extends past June, however, it’s possible that the Mariners would then turn to prospect Shed Long, who had an impressive spring.

This is a year full of transition for the Mariners, and the third base position is not exempt of this. As the time on Seager’s contract continues to dwindle, the likelihood of a potential trade goes up. It may not happen during this season, but it’s hard to imagine Seattle sticking with his deal for much longer.

The chances of finding a future starting third baseman this year are slim-to-none, though the Mariners will give ample opportunity to the likes of Moore and Long to impress. At the very least, there’s been a little bit of intrigue added to a position initially thought to go rather predictably.