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The Seattle Mariners‘ outfield was a big question mark going into the offseason. Under former manager Lloyd McClendon, the Mariners had so many infielders trying to play outfield it started to become almost comical. Unfortunately, as a Mariners fan, it became blatantly obvious that it was a major problem. McClendon might have even lost his job trying to fix this problem.
It seems as though new manager Scott Servais has inherited an outfield that will succeed on the field and in the batter’s box. With at least five outfielders expected to be on the 25-man roster, it might seem like they have a bit of a jam. It’s the exact opposite though, creating flexibility for Servais. Each player has a specific skill set to complement one another, creating one of the best outfields the Mariners have had in years.
Jerry Dipoto added two new faces to the group, Nori Aoki and Leonys Martin. Aoki has had an interesting career since joining MLB in 2012 from Japan. He is the epitome of a consist hitter, having a batting average between .285 to .288 and an OBP between .349 to .356 in all four of his MLB seasons. His defense is a bit unorthodox, known for swerving left and right before getting in line with a simple fly ball, but fans will soon grow to love the highlight reel or bust type play Aoki brings. The Mariners will be Aoki’s fourth team. Two of those teams won the World Series within the last two years, but without Aoki on their roster. He wants to win, which is a mentality the Mariners need.
Martin is a more interesting piece and an exact opposite of Aoki. Martin has been inconsistent at the plate, with last year being by far the worst results (.219 BA/.264 OBP). His defense in center field though is some of the best in baseball. That heart dropping into your stomach feeling you get watching Aoki won’t be there with Martin, but the highlight reel plays will equal if not surpass Aoki. Martin’s inconsistency at the plate increases against left-handed pitchers, so Aoki will slide to CF occasionally with the other outfielders filling in LF.
The backbone of the outfield is Nelson Cruz, essentially the best power hitter on the Mariners. It became clear that a move to the DH spot was inevitable for Cruz, but he has expressed that he still wants to play outfield. Cruz’s stats actually show he hits better in games that he is in the field and not just a designated hitter as well. With Seth Smith able to be flexible now that the Mariners acquired Aoki to man LF, Cruz can finally start the transition of becoming a DH with the occasional opportunity to still play in the outfield. Smith will still play in a majority of the games against right-handed pitchers, with Franklin Gutierrez able to absolutely crush left-handed pitching as a nice platoon option for the outfield and DH spot.
Starting pitching and the bullpen still have question marks, but one thing Mariners fans can stop worrying about is the outfield.
