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4 players who could fill in for Mariners Captain J.P. Crawford while he's out
With the news that J.P. Crawford, the Mariners Captain, will be out for a while, who could the Mariners turn to to replace Cap?
The Mariners got some brutal news regarding their Captain J.P. Crawford. While taking batting practice before Wednesday's game against the Texas Rangers, J.P. felt tightness in his Oblique muscle, and he was scratched from the game. He got an MRI the next day, and it revealed a "Grade 1 Oblique strain". While there is no real timetable yet, We can expect that he will miss a month or more.
While nobody can replace what J.P. Crawford means to the Seattle Mariners, the M's will have to find a way to replace his production on the field. J.P.'s overall numbers are down so far, but he has been heating up over the last 14 days. Over that span, he was hitting .278/.381/.361 with an OPS of .742.
This injury comes at a really tough time for the Mariners. The infield prospects are still far enough away that they won't get called up. Sure, they could trade for a vereran bat if they wanted to, but with J.P. only missing a month or two, I would not expect the front office to make a move like that. They still have some options down in Tacoma, or currently on the roster now. Dylan Moore figures to get the bulk of the playing time for now, but the Mariners really like him to be able to play around the field. So, who will play shortstop while J.P. is out?
Candidate #1: Leo Rivas
Leo Rivas has already been called up to the Mariners, as that move was made the day J.P. Crawford went on the injured list. Mariners fans may not know much about Rivas, but if you look into his numbers so far in 2024 and in 2023, you may get excited.
You won't find his name on. MLB Pipeline's top 30 Mariners prospects, but make no mistake: Rivas can play. He has the reputation of a "Glove first" shortstop, but his bat may have been the reason he gets the first shot at being called up.
So far in 2024 with AAA Tacoma, he is hitting .308/.422/.462/.883 with 2 home runs and 11 RBI. HE struck out 13 times so far and has walked 11 times. If it was not obvious by the on-base percentage, Rivas gets on base. A lot. He is a contact-first type hitter, one that could slot right into the 9-hole in the lineup, and play great defense. In 2023, Rivas stole 50 bases for AA Arkansas and has 5 so far in 2024 with Tacoma.
Mariners manager Scott Service was there the day he signed originally with the Los Angeles Angels. He said, "Leo's not a big guy in stature, and if you took probably 25-30 pounds off of him now, that's how skinny he was when we first signed him. My first thought was, he was really small". Rivas is listed at 5'8, 150 LBS currently. He is not going to blow you away with his tools, but his best tool may be "Baseball Player".
Candidate #2: Samad Taylor
Samad Taylor was who I thought would have been called up to replace J.P. Crawford. But he has some things working against him at the moment. Taylor was already called up this season when Ty France went on baby leave during the Milwaukee series, so the team may not have wanted to burn another option. Plus, Samad is struggling down in Tacoma this year.
Taylor's slash line is .219/.333/.238/.661. He has struck out 24 times in his 64 at-bats, for a strikeout percentage of 37.5%. That is a real problem that does not translate well to the Major League. He has walked 10 times so far down in AAA, which is boosting that on-base percentage. In AAA in 2023, when he was a Kansas City Royals farmhand, He struck out just 25.3% of the time. I expect Samad to get those strikeouts under control, and if he does, we could see him in the Majors again soon.
Candidate #3: Ryan Bliss
Ryan Bliss, like Leo Rivas, is not a big guy by any means. He is listed as 5'7, 165 LBS. But the kid can hit. The Mariners acquired Bliss in the Paul Sewald trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Bliss dominated AA ball in 2023, and that was a big reason the Mariners targeted him in that trade. He hit .358 with a .414 on-base percentage and a 1.008 OPS. He played well in the Arizona Fall League as well, but like Samad Taylor above, he struggles with the strikeout.
Taylor has struck out in 33.3% of his at-bats down in Tacoma this year. Like Taylor, that may have been the reason Leo Rivas was chosen over him. He has walked an impressive 17 times, which is why the on base percentage is so high. He is also quite the base stealer. In 2023, He stole 55 bases between AA and AAA. He has already stolen 12 bases this season down in Tacoma.
Bliss has yet to make his Major League debut, and he is still just 24 years old. He has time to cut down the strikeouts, and he has shown that he can. Even with a .226 average, his OPS is still .818. His speed is Elite, as his on-base skills. I still think Bliss will make his debut in 2024, and if he strikes out less, he will be up much sooner than people
Candidate #4: Dylan Moore
Dylan Moore is the last name on this list, but he is certainly not the least. Yes, I have written negative things about him in the past, but he has looked good this year, both with the stick and with the leather. He has made quite a few web-gem plays this year. He can play just about every position, and Scott is confident wherever he puts Moore.
The only downside with Moore playing every day at short would be the defensive versatility he brings. Scott can and has played him just about everywhere. He has cut his strikeouts down from 30% in his career to 25% in 2024. His walk rate is up about 4% from his career average of 9.7%, to 14.3%. His career OPS+ is 97, and so far in 2024 it is 120.
Sure, it is a relatively small sample size for Moore this year, but I have really liked what I've seen from him so far. He has played shortstop in both games that J.P. Crawford has missed so far, so obviously Scott agrees.
So, who will be the primary shortstop?
For now, at least, it'll be Dylan Moore. Scott Servais has said that's how it'll go for now, and for now, that will work. Josh Rojas figures to get the bulk of the leadoff at-bats, at least against righties for now. Julio will lead off against lefties, with Josh Rojas hitting the bench in favor of Luis Urias.
If Leo Rivas struggles, and Taylor or Bliss cut down on the strikeouts, I would think that one of those guys will come up. But for now, Scott and the front office seem fine with Moore and Rivas handling shortstop.
As always, Go Mariners!