How much of an impact can the Phillies expect from Jean Segura after being acquired from the Mariners earlier this month?
Jean Segura is joining the fifth team of his career and his fourth in four years after being traded to the Phillies by the Mariners earlier this month. Philadelphia gave up Carlos Santana and J.P. Crawford in the deal for Segura and relievers Juan Nicasio and James Pazos.
As the offseason slows to a crawl as we wait for the biggest names on the market to decide where they will sign, let’s take a look at how Segura impacts the team as it stands now.
Segura immediately becomes the best pure hitter on the team. He has a career .287 batting average and 13.7% strikeout rate, finishing 2018 with a .304 average and 10.9% strikeout rate. They were the second-best and best marks of his career, respectively. Both numbers were significantly better than any other Phillie this year.
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This hitting ability makes Segura an ideal top of the order bat next year. A healthy Cesar Hernandez is one of the better leadoff hitters in the league. Putting Segura right behind him would make the top of order even more dangerous. These two could put the team in good situations very quickly with back-to-back walks and/or hits.
Comparatively, Philadelphia shortstops finished 2018 with a .224/.280/.365 line, 74 wRC+, 6.1% walk rate and 26.2% strikeout rate.
Scott Kingery got most of the time at the position but will be relegated to a backup role with the addition of Segura.
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In addition, Segura provides a massive defensive upgrade at shortstop. His defensive numbers were decent in 2018 with five defensive runs saved and a 1.1 UZR/150. Compare that to -33 defensive runs saved and -3.8 UZR/150 for the team’s shortstops this year and there is a huge difference.
Altogether, Segura finished the season 3.8 Fangraphs wins above replacement compared to 0.7 from Philadelphia’s shortstops altogether. An addition of three wins is no small matter, given how close the team came to making the playoffs last year.
Another indirect impact of the trade to acquire was sending away Santana.
Now Rhys Hoskins can go back to his natural position at first base, improving the team’s outfield defense significantly. Plus, the remaining money saved on Santana’s deal can go to any future free agent signings.
Altogether, Segura is a huge improvement at the shortstop position, both offensively and defensively. The trade to acquire him also allows them to massively improve their outfield defense and free up some money for other players.