Seattle Mariners: 2018 Player Review Dee Gordon

For the next several weeks, Emerald City Swagger will review the 2018 Seattle Mariners piece by piece. We start with the position players, then move on to the pitchers. Today is second baseman/centerfielder Dee Gordon.

From the moment Dee Gordon put on a Seattle Mariners jersey he immediately became a favorite of the hometown fans. His speed on the bases, all our effort on the field, and his every play smile are what the game of baseball is all about. Adding the 30-year-old was one of the best moves general manager Jerry Dipoto has made to this roster.

Gordon was brought in via trade from the Miami Marlins last offseason. He was an everyday infielder, with no previous outfield experience in his seven years as a major leaguer. Because of the team’s lack of outfield depth at the big league level, Dipoto had the idea of turning Gordon into the M’s every day starting center fielder. The Florida native played a total of 53 games an outfielder. His time there was shortened because of Robinson Cano‘s suspension. That forced Gordon back to his normal second base position, where he played 81 games.

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Hot Start/Cold finish

Gordon started the season as the Mariners leadoff hitter and was a huge part of the team’s early-season success. In the first half of 2018, he routinely got on first base and stole second. From there, Gordon would score often in the first inning behind a base hit by either Jean Segura, Mitch Haniger or Nelson Cruz. Then the slump came

His second half of 2018 was an unfortunate reversal, as Gordon’s numbers dipped all across the board. This downturn led to manager Scott Servais moving the struggling Gordon down to ninth in the batting order.

His stolen bases suffered as Gordon ended up with 30 for the season. While still a good total, they were only half of what he accomplished last season with 60 for the Marlins. Fans often saw Gordon swinging at pitches out of the strike zone only to hit a weak ground ball for an easy out. Additionally, his walk numbers were a career low. He only had nine for the entire season, which is bad for a leadoff hitter.

Defensively, Gordon looked shaky during his stints out in the outfield while learning his new position on the job. Once he took over at second base, he looked more comfortable and made some spectacular plays diving for the ball.

In 2019, it is still yet to be determined the direction Dipoto and Servais want to go defensively with the ball club. So we could see Gordon being the everyday starting centerfielder again or used mainly as an infielder, with Cano moving to first base or DH.

For Mariners fans, Gordon is exciting and fun to watch. He should have a big role on the team next season.