Mariners: 3 reasons why Ty France should start at third base

Reason no. 2 – Mariners legend Kyle Seager isn’t the same player

I love Kyle, and always will. But there comes a time when the Mariners future becomes the priority, and that time is now. I am not suggesting that Seattle should just give up on him and trade him/release him/bench him, but I suggest slotting him in at DH. I want Ty France to take at least 80% of the reps at third, while Kyle takes the remaining 20%.

One big reason for me is Seager’s defense has continued to decline over the years. His defensive WAR reached a career-low in 2018 (-0.5) and he posted another negative WAR in 2020 (-0.4). When he won the Gold Glove in 2014, he posted a 2.2 dWAR.

Seager’s defensive runs saved have also been trending in the wrong direction. In 2018, he posted -10 defensive runs saved, minus one in 2019, and -13 in 2020. During his Gold Glove season, he saved 15 defensive runs.

I am sure much of this has to do with age so why not give him breaks? Playing 162 games is tough and if we want to see Kyle in a Mariners jersey for a longer time, we should take his health into more consideration.

The less time he spends on the infield grinding, the longer we might be able to extend his career. If Seager wants to be a part of the #SeaUsRise Mariners, he probably won’t be playing third anyways. So, he could practice being the future DH, beginning this year.

Who knows, if we let Kyle focus more on his hitting maybe it will help him get back to his All-Star season and hit .268 with 25 home runs. There have been plenty of veterans who have produced at Seager’s age and maybe it’s time he reverts to that veteran DH role like Nelson Cruz.

One last thing, I want Kyle Seager to start at third on Opening Day for celebratory reasons but after that, it should mostly be France at the hot corner.

Last but not least, reason number three.

Reason no. 3 – I want Dylan Moore to be the Mariners 2B, not Ty France

I know fans have talked about putting Ty France at second but I just cannot see Ty France doing that long term. He has the third baseman build. France isn’t terrible over at second base, but playing up the middle requires much more range and defensive ability in my opinion.

France has a career -13 total zone fielding runs above average per year at second base compared to minus eight over at third base. His fielding percentage at second is .989 and his defensive runs saved is at 0.

So instead, I want Dylan Moore to be the everyday second baseman. On top of that, I don’t want France cutting into D-Moore’s time at second, so that leads me to my point of keeping Ty France strictly at third base.

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Besides, similar to reason number one, we need to test whether Dylan can be the long-term Mariners second baseman. And we can only learn that by testing it. Generally speaking, you think of Dylan as a solid defender but the sabermetrics might disagree depending on the position.

Over at shortstop, he owns a career minus five defensive runs saved, which roughly equals a minus 23 defensive runs saved yearly. But over at second base, he has saved four defensive runs which average out to 25 runs saved in a year.

He also has a better fielding percentage at second compared to when he plays shorts and third base. With that being said, I want D-Moore to settle in at second, make it his home, and become an expert.

Obviously, we should utilize his versatility when necessary, but it’s about time that we let players find a long-term home and really work on their craft.

Based on the numbers I shared above, if D-Moore gets everyday playtime at second base, he and J.P. Crawford would make a spectacular combo up the middle. It might even be possible that Moore can win a Gold Glove at second if he continues to trend in the right direction.

All this to say, Ty France should be locked in as the third baseman in Seattle for a long time. That allows him to get comfortable there, leaves the DH spot open for Kyle Seager and others, and second base open for Dylan. I think it’s the perfect scenario for this year and the future.