FINAL GRADES: Jorge Polanco's Down Year Leaves Questions At Second Base
Since the Seattle Mariners traded Robinson Cano to the New York Mets in 2018, the team has been looking for an answer at second base.
There's been many stop-gaps. Several platoons have been tested. But nothing's stuck in the six seasons since Cano was sent to New York.
Seattle thought that it had found that answer when it traded for Jorge Polanco from the Minnesota Twins on Jan. 29, 2024.
Polanco was coming off a an injury-plagued 2023 season where he played just 80 games and hit .255 with 14 home runs and 48 RBIs, but he was respected as a solid bat and defender with a decade of experience.
Unfortunately, the injuries followed Polanco to the Pacific Northwest. And it seems like the questions at second base will continue in 2025.
Jorge Polanco by the numbers
Games played: 118
Hitting stats: .213 BA, 16 HRs, 45 RBIs, 43 Runs, 11 Doubles, 46 BB, 137 SOs, .296 OBP, .355 SLG, .651 OPS, 1.4 WAR
Defensive stats: 367 TC, 7 Errors, .981 Fielding
Base running stats: 4 SB, 2 CS, 27.5 MPH Sprint Speed
Advanced hitting stats: 92 wRC+, -3.9 BRAA, 8.9% Barrel, 37.4% Hard-Hit, 24% Chase, 28.1% Whiff
Advanced defensive stats: -10 Range (OAA), 75.6 MPH Arm Strength.
What I liked
I saw a lot of fan reactions over the course of the season saying that Polanco looked like he "didn't care." Most of those comments came after bad games or at-bats.
Polanco was playing through a nagging knee injury for almost the entire second half of the season and managed to have some of his best games of the season despite the ailment. That's the exact opposite of "not caring."
Even during games where Polanco was doing well at the plate, it wasn't uncommon in the last two months of the year for the former Twin to be pinch-ran for when he got on base.
The injury ended up being a damaged patellar tendon in his left knee, which he underwent surgery for on Thursday according to a report from ESPN's Jeff Passan.
News: Seattle 2B Jorge Polanco underwent surgery today to repair the patellar tendon in his left knee and is expected to be back for spring training, sources tell ESPN. The injury hampered him all season, particularly from the left side. Details at ESPN: https://t.co/mlR5w444p5
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 10, 2024
On top of his knee issue, Polanco was on the 10-day injured list for just under a month with a right hamstring strain from May 27-June 24.
Even while fighting through injury, the player the Mariners thought they were getting showed up in flashes.
Polanco's best month of the season came in July where he batted .241 with five home runs and 12 RBIs. He brought his batting average from .193 to .210 in that month alone.
Jorge Polanco hits his 2nd Home Run of the Game to extend the lead for #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/TJyF7h5YpT
— World Baseball Network (@WorldBaseball_) July 28, 2024
And that doubled on defense. Polanco was, by most metrics, a poor defender in 2024 (0.3 dWAR according to ESPN). He also ranked second-to-last in the MLB in sortable fielding among qualified second baseman, according to ESPN.
But there were plays where, again, he looked like the former All-Star Seattle thought it was getting.
On a real note, why has Jorge Polanco turned into a gold glove second baseman the past 5 games?🤣 pic.twitter.com/TWP4GHV0fq
— EastCoastM’s🔱 (@EastCoastMs_) August 11, 2024
Polanco's regression this season was likely was a result of his injuries. But there's clearly some gas left in the veteran's tank.
Best game
There's not much debate as to what Polanco's best game was.
There were several contests, especially during the last month-and-a-half of the season, that Polanco had crucial hits that mattered more to the Mariners' failed playoff push.
But his best individual game was July 27 in a 6-3 win against the lowly Chicago White Sox.
There's the caveat that his performance came against the White Sox, which has an argument as the worst single-season team in the history of baseball. But Polanco dominated against a solid pitcher in Erick Fedde.
Polanco went 3-for-5 with two home runs, three RBIs, scored twice and turned nine bases. The end-of-July series against Chicago was Polanco's best stretch of the year, period.
Polanco went 5-for-13 with three homers and five RBIs and scored five times in the three-game set against the White Sox.
Future prospects
Unfortunately, Polanco's time with Seattle is likely over. Several reports have indicated that the Mariners plan to decline Polanco's option, which will leave him as a free agent. He's expected to return by spring training from his patellar tendon surgery.
Seattle will once again have to look for an answer at secod base if it does end up declining Polanco's option.
Polanco has been dealing with injuries for the last two seasons. So there is a question of whether or not he can play a healthy.
A healthy Polanco will have value for a contender looking for a solid middle infielder or a rebuilding team looking for a veteran presence in the clubhouse. He won't have any problem finding a new home if he does end up a free agent.
Final grade: D-plus
D-plus: Knowing what we do now about the severity of Polanco's injury, it feels bad giving Polanco the first "fail" in the final grades. There's not many players in the league that can be good hitters and defenders while playing through a damaged patellar tendon.
But the grades are based on impact on how the players performed. And based on what Polanco was supposed to be when he came over the Pacific Northwest and how he ended up playing, it's a fail by all accounts.
With that being said, I think Polanco is still a much better player than what he showed in 2024. The injuries clearly plagued him and based on the flashes he showed, I think there's still a quality second baseman in Polanco while healthy.
If the Mariners decide to take the ailments into account and pick up Polanco's option for 2025, that would be a justifiable move.
But it seems more likely that Polanco will be looking to bounce back in 2025 with another team. And Seattle will again be looking for the answer at second base.
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