Who is the Seattle Mariners Second Baseman in 2021?

Seattle Mariners Option No. 1 – Dylan Moore

Dylan Moore’s Mariner career up this point has been nothing short of impressive. He was signed as a Minor League free agent in the offseason of 2018, then subsequently made the team out of spring training.

Unfortunately, his Major League career got off to a rocky start, spearheaded by errors on three straight plays in the ninth inning of a cold March ballgame. After witnessing that performance in-person, I was not sure how much longer Moore would be on an MLB roster.

However, the 28-year-old Moore has certainly been a revelation for the club since that night. Last season, Moore really began to hit his stride, particularly offensively. He started 2020 red-hot after going 5-for-13 in the brief month of July. Moore continued to swing a hot bat in August, with a 127 OPS+, .360 OBP, and six steals for the month.

His production dipped slightly in September, but he still stole six bases and had an OPS+ of 116, suggesting a bit of hard luck for the month. All-in-all, 2020 was a very productive year for Moore at the plate, finishing with a 139 wRC+ and an overall WAR of 1.4 in just 38 games.

Defensively, Dylan Moore was alright in the middle infield last year. He finished with +1 defensive runs saved and a +2 plus/minus runs saved. There is a serious cause for optimism surrounding improved defense for Moore at second base in 2021.

The M’s world-renowned infield coach Perry Hill worked remotely last year and Moore also appeared at six other positions. A full off-season and spring training devoted to one position working with Perry Hill should pay dividends.

After all, we’ve already seen what Hill has does with Moore’s Gold-Glove teammates Evan White and J.P. Crawford, as well as the next option.