FINAL GRADES: Was Dylan Moore's Defense Enough to Outweigh His Offense?
The Seattle Mariners' offensive struggles were well documented this season. Their strikeout numbers were terrible (1,625 total) and they left an absurd number of runners on base (14.69 a game). there was no shortage of factors for the fans to complain about.
The Mariners were tinkering with the lineup most of the season to try and find one that worked. Injuries to players like Jorge Polanco, JP Crawford, Victor Robles and Julio Rodriguez didn't help.
Seattle eventually settled on a lineup that actually paid dividends soon after manager Dan Wilson was hired on Aug. 22.
But amidst the injuries and team struggles, it wasn't uncommon to see Dylan Moore in the lineup. Moore was dangerous on the base paths. The issue was his batting average didn't help reach base.
When it came on defense, that was a different story.
Moore's position on his MLB.com profile page is listed as "shortstop." But he made an appearance in nearly every spot this season.
In 2024 alone, Moore played second base, shortstop, first base, third base, center field and left field. His diversity on defense earned him a Gold Glove nomination. But was it enough to supersede his poor offense?
Dylan Moore by the numbers
Games played: 135
Hitting stats: .201 BA, 10 HRs, 42 RBIs, 53 Runs, 23 Doubles, 4 Triples, 53 BB, 123 SOs, .320 OBP, .367 SLG, .687 OPS, 2.2 WAR
Defensive stats: 401 TC, 5 Errors, .988 Fielding
Base running stats: 32 SB, 6 CS, 28.0 MPH Sprint Speed
Advanced hitting stats: 105 wRC+, 2.7 BRAA, 8.8% Barrel, 36.3% Hard-Hit, 17.7% Chase, 24.8% Whiff
Advanced defensive stats: 1 Range (OAA), 76.8 MPH Arm Strength
What I liked
Moore's Gold Glove nomination as a utility player was indicative of the Mariners' struggles in 2024. They needed a player who was malleable. Someone who could be shifted around and accept any role in the offense, especially in a pinch.
Moore was that player. He split his time relatively equally among second base, shortstop and third base. He played 226.2 innings at second, 358.1 innings at shortstop and 228.1 innings at third. He tacked on another 137.1 innings at left field. All five of his errors came at shortstop.
After a four-pitch walk to load the bases, Logan Gilbert induces an inning-ending double play to escape unscathed. A smooth and seamless exchange from Josh Rojas to Dylan Moore.
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) May 21, 2024
The Mariners keep this a 2-0 game heading to the 5th. pic.twitter.com/LnTavtPFvN
Even though Moore's batting average wasn't great, he still found other ways to get on base. He had a 12% walk rate, which ranked in the 94th percentile of all players in the league according to Baseball Savant.
When Moore got on-base, he was one of the most dangerous players Seattle had. He became one of less than 20 players in franchise history to reach at least 30 stolen bases.
Best game
Moore was seldom-used in the last month-and-a-half of the season.
Moore was mainly used as a pinch-runner, pinch-hitter or a defensive substitute in September. He received some starts as a third baseman against left-handed pitching and at second baseman as Jorge Polanco navigated a nagging knee issue.
Before Moore saw his play-time decrease, he had arguably his best game of the year near the end of July.
In a 10-6 win against the Boston Red Sox on July 30, Moore went 2-for-3. Both of his hits were doubles. He totaled three RBIs and was also walked.
Future prospects
Moore is under contract through 2025 and will be an unrestricted free agent by 2026, according to Spotrac.
Unless the Mariners find a solid package and the other team inquires about Moore, he likely isn't going anywhere. He'll make a very palatable $3.9 million in 2025. Definitely not the worst contract on the team.
Plus, despite Moore's low batting average, he's still a valuable player for Seattle. His diversity on defense is an incredible rarity by itself. He also has the ability to draw walks and snag extra bases, even when he's not hitting well.
Moore has enough tools to justify keeping him on the roster, especially for a relatively low price point.
Final Grade: C
C: Moore grades out as a solid "average" player.
Unlike Crawford, Leo Rivas and Josh Rojas, who all had solid defensive years but struggled offensively, Moore was the only one who's defense was recognized as Gold Glove-level. Even though there's an argument to be made that Rojas should have been a finalist, too.
Moore's ability to draw walks and get steals is also an ability that the aforementioned three players don't have. At least not on his level.
If More brought his average up to .240-.250 range, there would be a really good conversation to be had that he's the most complete player on the Seattle roster.
But that's unlikely to happen at this point in his career. Moore will be 33 on Aug. 2, 2025. And aside from the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, he's never hit above .224 in six-year career with the Mariners.
Moore is who he is at this point.
Even though "utility player" isn't always a flashy role, Moore does it well. And that will be a big help to Seattle, especially if it finds itself in an injury pinch again in 2025.
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