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Seattle Mariners All-Dipoto Acquisition Team: Bench

By Ty Gonzalez

BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 20: Omar Narvaez #22 of the Seattle Mariners throws to second base during a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 20, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 20: Omar Narvaez #22 of the Seattle Mariners throws to second base during a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 20, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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SEATTLE, WA – AUGUST 12: Jarrod Dyson #1 of the Seattle Mariners takes a swing during an at-bat in game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Safeco Field on August 12, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. The Angels won the game 6-3. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA – AUGUST 12: Jarrod Dyson #1 of the Seattle Mariners takes a swing during an at-bat in game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Safeco Field on August 12, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. The Angels won the game 6-3. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /

JARROD DYSON

This was probably our biggest hangup in finalizing the roster. Deciding who would be our backup outfielder was one that brought many names to the table, such as Domingo Santana, Leonys Martín, Norichika Aoki, Julio Rodriguez, and Denard Span. The name we finally landed on was someone we felt could bring the most electricity off the bench, as well as be able to field all three outfield positions at an above-average mark.

That would be Jarrod Dyson, who spent just a year with the Mariners after Jerry Dipoto acquired him from the Royals for Nathan Karns. Dyson posted the third-best fWAR of his career at 2.1 that year, earning a 9.2 defensive WAR from FanGraphs with a 5.4 UZR in his primary home in center field. He also swiped 28 bags in 35 attempts, and while he’s never been known for his bat, he quietly had one of his better offensive seasons, slashing .251/.324/.350 with a career-high 30 RBIs.

For our roster, we wanted a quality defensive outfielder with veteran leadership to essentially backup the young Jarred Kelenic in center. And with Nola, Narváez, and Encarnación, we weren’t getting a whole lot of speed off of the bench. Dyson and Martín fit that criteria the most, but it was Dyson who ended up pulling through in the end.

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