Mariners 2022 Report Cards: Grading the season for Dylan Moore

We continue on with our 2022 report cards by going to who might be my favorite Mariners player. I don’t know what it is, but Dylan Moore might just be the guy on the Mariners who I want to see succeed most. He hasn’t done anything incredible, doesn’t start a ton, and doesn’t have light-tower power, but I want him to play well and be a big part of this team. Every year, I have the same hope. If he can just hit a little better, he’s going to be a stud.

I’m going to feel the same feelings with him going into 2023 because when it comes down to it, Dylan Moore still had a pretty good 2022. You could argue it was even the best year of his career.

Dylan Moore gets a B+ for his Mariners grade on his 2022 report card

If you’re just gonna jump straight to his WAR numbers, you might be surprised to see that Moore had a -0.3 dWAR this season. It’s surprising because most people talk about Moore as a good defender. They’re correct. It’s just that he is a good defender when he is playing LF/RF or 2B. Not when he is forced into other positions. Yet, being the full-time utility guy for the Mariners, he was everywhere and anywhere this year for the Mariners. Check this out.

• 1B – 34.1 Innings
• 2B – 64 Innings
• 3B – 2 Innings
• SS – 174 Innings
• LF – 80 Innings
• CF – 58 Innings
• RF – 201.2 Innings

He also DH’d a couple of games. I wish the Mariners would’ve thrown him an inning and put him behind the plate for one as well, just so he could say he literally played every single position this season.

He was not good at SS or CF but had to play there to fill in when either Crawford or Julio were hurt or suspended. If you’re keeping him at 2B or a corner OF spot (or 1B, where he was surprisingly good), then you are looking at someone who is going to flirt with a 3.5 WAR during a full season. He was a 1.5 oWAR in just 104 games, but more importantly, just 205 AB. That’s only 35-40% of a season. Sure, he would need to keep up that pace for a full season, but I believe he can do it.

A big part of that thought process is that he keeps slowly improving from year to year. His K rate stayed the same in 2022, but his walk rate improved by 2.7%. When it was said and done, he tied a career-high with 21 SB, had a slash line of .224/.368/.385, and an OPS+ of 122.

When we look at a guy like Dylan Moore (gross, I sound like a first-take panelist or Collinsworth), He plays his part perfectly. Wherever the Mariners need him, he plays, and he plays his tail off. He produces, and even if he isn’t well suited for a spot like SS or CF, he still goes out there. It would be easy to have a guy just say no *cough Winker cough*, but Moore keeps grinding, and he makes the Mariners so much better because of it.

I’d love to see him get a chance to prove himself for a full season. With where the Mariners are headed, though, I’d rather see them sign a proven player and have Moore stay in this role.

I’m really happy that the Mariners have Dylan Moore, and I’ll be in his corner forever. Big Time Dylan Moore Stan, and I’m totally okay with it. He had a good, solid year in 2022, and I have no qualms with giving him a B for his grade this season.