Seattle Mariners Spring Training Preview – Infield Position Players

Catcher:

Projected Starter: Mike Zunino

Projected Backup: John Hicks

Dark Horse: John Baker

Zunino is the future for the Seattle Mariners behind the plate.  Ranked by Baseball America as Seattle’s second best player under the age of 25, his spot is virtually assured.  Seattle fans would like to see him hit over .200 for a full season, though his 22 home runs last season are promising, especially as a right-handed hitter at Safeco Field.  It is not unreasonable to expect a .240 average with 20 home runs this season.

Hicks had a solid .277/.330/.376 line in 28 games for Triple-A Tacoma last season, even if Jesus Sucre has the major league experience on him.  Though if defensive specialist Baker proves to be working well with the pitching staff, he could easily take the spot as Zunino’s backup.

First Base:

Projected Starter: Logan Morrison

Projected Backup: Jesus Montero

Dark Horse: Ji-Man Choi

First base is an area of concern for the Mariners going into 2015, with Morrison hurt for much of last season.  He has never played 100 games in a single season, even if he had strong numbers down the stretch for Seattle.  That said, there is no one to really challenge him for his starting role.  Montero’s defensive metrics are an entirely new definition of the word awful, leaving him almost exclusively as a designated hitter.  Choi is a staggeringly patient hitter, drawing 38 walks against 42 strikeouts in 70 games last season at Tacoma.  His power is limited, but he is a consistent on-base threat.

Second Base:

Projected Starter: Robinson Cano

Projected Backup: Rickie Weeks

Dark Horse: NONE

Cano is firmly entrenched as the Mariners biggest offensive weapon.  He started slowly last season, but picked up speed and finished with a strong .314 average.  The drop off in power is worrying until you remember he went from the Bronx Blasting Station in New York to a pitcher’s paradise in Seattle.  That said, Seattle is not paying him all of that money to see him hit 14 home runs a year.  Seattle needs Cano to up that number by at least 10.

Weeks is expected to platoon in left field with Dustin Ackley, but can still be a good rest day substitute for Cano at second base.

Shortstop:

Projected Starter: Brad Miller

Projected Backup: Willie Bloomquist

Dark Horse: Ketel Marte

The biggest battle for positional supremacy is at shortstop, where defensive stopper Chris Taylor faces down against offensive showman Brad Miller.  Miller had a disappointing rookie season behind the plate, hitting just .220 with ten home runs, but Taylor has only 61 major-league at bats after tearing apart Triple-A pitching with a .328 batting average at Tacoma.  I would  expect Taylor will end up starting the season back in Tacoma, while the Mariners will give Miller a chance to iron out his swing.  Super utility man Bloomquist will stick around as long as his knees hold up.

Marte is an interesting case.  He ripped apart Double-A pitching with a .302 average in 109 games at Jackson last season, and continued the action with a .319 average and two home runs in 19 games at Tacoma.  He comes into the season as Seattle’s third highest rated prospect, and brings a high average with above-average speed and unfortunate defensive play.  His spring training will be something to watch.

Third Base:

Projected Starter: Kyle Seager

Projected Backup: Bloomquist

Dark Horse: D.J. Peterson

Seattle has an enviable amount of depth at third base.  Seager is coming off a fantastic season, and barring any unforeseen circumstances will start the season at third base.  Peterson is the second highest rated prospect in the Mariners system for the second straight year, as he combined to hit 31 home runs between Single-A High Desert and Double-A Jackson last season.  While he does not come into spring training with the same level of hype that a certain third base prospect in Chicago has, he has all of the makings of a solid hitter at the major league level.  All of this does not even count Patrick Kivlehan, who assisted Marte in torching Double-A pitching last season.  With Peterson almost ready, the question is what position will the Mariners switch him to?