Fansided

JB’s Fantasy Baseball Advice: Position battles to monitor

By Justin Buckhanan

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 18: Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs warms up on deck during the first inning of the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on September 18, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 18: Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs warms up on deck during the first inning of the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on September 18, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – APRIL 09: Jay Bruce #32 of the Seattle Mariners is congratulated by teammates after hitting a home run during the 1st inning of the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on April 09, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – APRIL 09: Jay Bruce #32 of the Seattle Mariners is congratulated by teammates after hitting a home run during the 1st inning of the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on April 09, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Is Dan the Man in Seattle?

The assumption last offseason is that Seattle was going into a full rebuild to resuscitate their minor league system. They checked off that box with trades to acquire the likes of Justus Sheffield, Jarred Kelenic, and Justin Dunn.

But the Mariners managed to rebuild their system and, so far, become competitive with the likes of Domingo Santana, Jay Bruce and Edwin Encarnacion. Bruce (9 HR, .208 BA, 15 runs, 16 RBI) and Encarnacion (8 HR, .240 BA, 15 runs, 15 RBI) are creating a logjam at the corner spot that’s only going to get worse when third baseman Kyle Seager returns from the injured list. With Dan Vogelbach (8 HR, .327 BA, 13 runs, 14 RBI) and Ryon Healy (5 HR, .233 BA), the Mariners are basically going to have five guys for three spots (first base, third base and DH).

Bruce can shift to the outfield, but his lack of speed out there at this point could be an issue. It’s up to manager Scott Servais has to figure out the timeshare there. While Seager, who is coming off a bad 2018 season, would seem to be the odd man out from this perspective, remember that Seager is also a superior defensive player at the hot corner, particularly when compared to Healy.

The other advantage to consider among them is that Bruce, Vogelbach and Seager all hit lefthanded. Encarnacion obviously has the best track record, but he is aging. If you’re betting on who will get the most time, they get an edge … at least as long as they can hit.

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