Who is the Seattle Mariners Second Baseman in 2021?

Who will be the Seattle Mariners starting second baseman on opening day?

Second base was a position of need for the Seattle Mariners heading into the offseason. Although they have not brought in any offseason acquisitions to fill that need, there is still more than enough time for the club to make an addition.

Given the position the organization is currently in, it is also very possible that the M’s feel that the hole can be filled in-house. In a recent appearance with the press, the Seattle Mariners sixth-year manager Scott Servais commented on the second base situation heading into the spring;

“They’ll both get chances in spring training to play a bunch and we’ll just have to wait and see how it plays out. But Dylan has earned the right to get more regular time at second base.”

Although his defensive prowess in the outfield will likely spot him a handful of starts in the corner outfield positions, Dylan Moore appears to be the frontrunner for the spot as of now. As the days without a free-agent addition go by, it appears more and more likely that the second base spot is Moore’s to lose.

But knowing the aggressive tendencies of GM Jerry Dipoto, I would absolutely not put it past him to make a free-agent addition to sure-up the middle infield.

Also with the news of Shed Long Jr. recovering from his right shin, it is possible that he sees a bounce-back season.

So, here is an analysis of those three possibilities for the Seattle Mariners at second base 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.

Seattle Mariners Option No. 2 – Shed Long Jr.

After a successful 42 game rookie campaign in 2019, Shed Long Jr. was given a clear path to everyday at-bats by Servais and Dipoto heading into spring training. Long struggled in the spring, but he later claimed his shin issue which plagued him since his time in Peoria in 2020. His struggles continued throughout the shortened regular season, hitting .171 and striking out nearly 30% of the time.

The stress fracture in his shin more than likely played a part in Long’s less-than-ideal 2020. After-all, the fracture occurred in his right shin, his front foot within his left-handed stroke. The abbreviated leg-kick is a major part of Long’s swing, allowing him to time-up pitchers and activate his hands from the left side.

An injury to that front leg likely caused a deal of pain and discomfort within every single swing he took last year. With a healthy shin, Long’s swing has the potential to get back to the explosive place that it was at in 2019.

Despite his struggles at the plate, Long showed considerable strides last year defensively, even with that stress fracture. His defensive runs saved jumped up 4 points from 2019, while he made eight more out of zone plays in only five more starts at the position last year.

One also must remember Shed Long Jr. is only 25-years-old and he was a highly-touted prospect. He has considerable potential for a bounce-back season in 2021, as he will be fully healthy and has an opportunity in spring to get hot and reclaim his starting role.

Now onto the final option.