Arizona Diamondbacks missing Jean Segura – and his bat

Jean Segura earned votes for Most Valuable Player during his lone season with the Diamondbacks. But that wasn’t enough to keep him around any longer. Now Arizona might regret trading him in 2016.

The Arizona Diamondbacks could have had a legitimate pitching staff accompanied by a stellar franchise shortstop. And they could have avoided their middle-infield troubles if they refrained from making a move in 2016.

But alas, it’s too late to dwell on the past – even if it’s frustrating to see Jean Segura play at such a high level. That goes without mentioning Mitch Haniger and his presence in Seattle.

Arizona’s front office moved on, remaining optimistic about Taijuan Walker and Ketel Marte. Walker pitched almost a full year in 2017 but underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Marte has a whopping .592 OPS this season, clocking one home run and contributing 10 RBIs. Nevertheless, a positive aspect of Marte’s game this year has been his discipline. He drew 14 walks and whiffed just 26 times up to this point.

The Diamondbacks will look at every silver lining at this point, no matter how minute.

Surely, the Mariners earned the better half of the deal, at least based on statistics from the previous two seasons. Arizona believed that pitching superseded hitting as the main focus.

It was unsure how Segura would handle the pressure of being involved in a larger deal. High expectations either lead to renowned success or complete failure. It is rare to see something in between those results.

However, Segura hit the ground running for the Mariners. He’s hit .304 for them across 733 at-bats with a combined 34 stolen bases and 115 runs scored across 174 games.

Although his 2017 numbers weren’t as impressive as what he achieved on the Diamondbacks, they were good enough to have Arizona realize what it lost.

Segura’s Career Season

It’s difficult to believe Jean Segura spent just one season in the desert. Though he didn’t earn a spot on the All-Star team that year, he posted career numbers.

And then Arizona shipped him to the Pacific Northwest.

Less than a handful of middle infielders own positions on the list of top-50 franchise players. The most famous are Craig Counsell, Jay Bell, Orlando Hudson and Stephen Drew.

Though nothing is ever guaranteed in baseball, Diamondbacks fans assumed Segura would be next on that list. His numbers proved his well-roundedness.

Segura ranked fifth in 2016 in batting average, while contributing in almost every offensive category. He notched 68 extra-base hits, swiped 33 bases and eclipsed the 100-run mark.

Arizona had offensive pieces around him that helped accentuate his multifaceted abilities at the dish and on the bases. The club was even better offensively in 2017 without him.

Nevertheless, the front office was concerned about its limited arms – with good reason.

The Diamondbacks ranked dead last in ERA. Robbie Ray was the team’s lone pitcher that qualified for any awards, and he boasted a shoddy 4.90 ERA. They expected Shelby Miller, who was acquired prior to the season, to lead the club to a new apex.

Everyone knows how that turned out.

It was too soon to let Segura go, even if Marte’s numbers were promising at the time. In a brief 57-game stint with the Mariners in 2015, the shortstop hit .283, stole eight bases and compiled an OPS+ of 112.

For the Arizona front office, Walker’s potential and Marte’s gleaming future seemed equal to – if not better than Segura’s expectations. While both had a limited impact for the D-backs this past season, there is still time to fulfill higher expectations.

Meanwhile, Segura will continue to put his skills on display in Seattle, winning over fans one inning at a time.