Mariners All-Stars: Three players who inspired hope in the first half
By Ben Renner
Ben Gamel
My namesake has been raking ever since he was called up in late April. While you might hesitate in some fantasy baseball leagues because of his lack of counting stats (four home runs and two steals), that .323/.379/.449 slash probably should have earned him MLB All Star considerations.
Gamel has been a monster in the outfield as well, making home run-robbing catches and covering ground despite taking a few questionable routes to the ball at times. Gamel’s speed so far has allowed him to make up for a few weird angles. As the season progresses, however, the 25-year-old former Yankee will improve with more time in the outfield.
It’s easy to point to Gamel’s ridiculous .422 BABIP as proof he’ll regress in the second half, and that number will probably come down. But he’s also hitting line drives at a 24% clip, too. The balls he’s putting in play are often smoked.
Gamel joins Guillermo Heredia and Mitch Haniger as outfielders reaching or hitting their prime at the same time for the Mariners. All three have shown hot stretches at the plate and can play a mean outfield.
Jean Segura
New Mariners shortstop Jean Segura has been as advertised in the first half of 2017. Segura has missed time with injuries, but when healthy, he just can’t stop hitting. Segura is now slashing .349/.390/.482 in 255 2017 at-bats. Even with the missed time, it’s hard to keep Segura off the MLB All Star roster, but Mariners players don’t get much love from voters.
Segura’s line drive percentage is actually higher than last year, when he led the National League in hits for the Arizona Diamondbacks. His BABIP is .399, so again he could regress in the second half. It’s hard not to when you hit .349 for any stretch of time, but Segura has earned my trust as a contributor for the entire season.
Segura is not a man to take his walks, but he puts pressure on the opposing defense with his speed and his nine steals. His defense has been solid behind the struggling Mariners pitching staff this season as well.