Seattle Mariners best defensive player in 2019 – Ichiro Suzuki
Ichiro Suzuki may have retired after the Seattle Mariners two game series in Japan to open the season, but he is still their best defensive player this year.
It has been a difficult season for the Seattle Mariners. After beginning the season as one of the hottest teams in the game, and posting a 13-2 record through their first 15 games, regression has struck a mighty blow. Seattle has fallen rapidly down the standings, with a 23-28 record heading into Wednesday. They have fallen from first to last in the AL West, a rapid fall from grace.
There are many culprits and reasons as to why this plummet down the standings happened. The offense has been suspect, the back of the rotation has been in shambles, and the bullpen has been a work in progress. However, one overlooked aspect of these struggles has been the Mariners defense.
Seattle’s defensive struggles can really be summed up with one statistic. Of the 22 players to make an appearance for the Mariners this season, only one player has a positive dWAR. That player – Ichiro Suzuki.
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Yes, the Ichiro who retired after the Mariners two game set in Japan, has the best dWAR on the Mariners at 0.1. He had three chances in his ten innings in the field, fielding each of them cleanly. Sadly, that is enough to be the only player on to suit up for Seattle this year to be a positive in the field.
The biggest disasters defensively have been players that may not have much of a future in Seattle. Tim Beckham has never been known for his glove, but he has already cost the Mariners eight runs defensively. Behind him are Ryon Healy and Domingo Santana, each of which have cost Seattle seven runs. Only Braden Bishop (+2) and Mallex Smith (+1) have actually saved runs this year for the Mariners.
As the Mariners are in the midst of a rebuild, it is easy to look at the lineup or pitching staff for areas to improve. Defense, while important, tends to get overlooked by the casual fan. Yet, when a team cannot get out of the inning because of their defensive woes, it magnifies their issues in other areas.
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Ichiro Suzuki has been the Seattle Mariners best defensive player this season, at least according to dWAR. As the Mariners look to rebuild, they will need to pay attention to their defense.