As many of you know, Franklin Gutierrez is going to start the season again on the disabled list with a right pectoral injury. This is extremely disheartening news for Gutierrez, who arrived to camp healthier than last year and was looking to bounce back from an injury plagued year. But with each setback, an opportunity presents itself. I know Gutierrez has a great glove but I think his lack of offense cost us wins. If you look at his past years, using the Wins Above Replacement (WAR) model, Gutierrez peaked in 2009 with a 5.4 WAR but has been trailing off since then with 3.0 in 2010 and a dismal -.4 in 2011 (to compare, the WAR model indicates 8+ is an MVP, 5+ is an All Star, 2+ is a Starter, 0-2 is a Substitute, and < 0 means you are better off with a replacement player) . His ability with the glove is clearly evident, but his bat really brings down his overall value. This would be a great opportunity for the Mariners to get a good look at the outfielders of the future and see if they could provide a little more offense.
Trayvon Robinson, Michael Saunders, Casper Wells, and even Johermyn Chavez or Chih-Hsien Chiang can prove themselves in Spring Training and also the two months while Gutierrez is out. Trayvon was a decent prospect in the Dodgers organization and is projected by many scouts to be a productive lead-off type hitter. If he would not swing and miss so much, he could be a great candidate for leadoff spot once the resuscitation of Figgins has run its course. Casper Wells, although not a prototypical candidate in CF, has shown flashes of power in the past year. Saunders could finally start living up to his potential and become the five tool player he was projected to be. I have also been hearing great things about Chih-Hsien Chiang and Johermyn Chavez and maybe this is the perfect opportunity to take a giant leap forward. If any of these players show that they are capable of scoring runs, it forces Eric Wedge to justify swapping a glove for a bat when Gutierrez returns.
If none of these candidates work, the Mariners would have to get creative until Gutierrez gets back. Figgins played CF the day of Gutierrez’s injury in the inter-squad game and has also played 244 games there in his career. You could move Kyle Seager to third and he would be in line to take away Figgins’ job when Gutierrez comes back. You could even use Carlos Guillen at third, if he makes the team.
Overall, I feel that the situation is not all doom and gloom as fans may think. Gutierrez, statistically, is by no means a lock as the Mariners’ everyday center fielder. For the young prospects, this is a great opportunity to showcase their skills on the big stage and justify their case to be on a big league ball club. If none of these prospects show up or they reveal terrible weaknesses, then I think the only other option is addressing that position via the draft or trades.
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