The sun may be setting on Dylan Moore’s time with the Mariners, but what a time it has been.
It can be admittedly hard to come up with new words to say about a player that has been in the Mariner’s system so long, and at times been such a core part of the team identity. This year, perhaps, those words have been given to us by circumstance. This year, it would seem, is the time upon us to say good-byes and fond farewells to super-utility player Dylan Moore. The player affectionately known as “DMo” is entering the final year of his contract extension and age 32 season, after having been with the team since the 2019 season. Not just circumstance gives us the impression this is a goodbye, however, as Dylan Moore himself recently on his social media explicitly called it his last year in Seattle.
Last year was his best season in a Mariner’s uniform, reaching career highs in games and plate appearances. His 2.4 fWAR, 32 stolen bases, and 4.1 BsR were also career highs, and he staved off the feared over-exposure enough to settle into a 105 wRC+. The projection systems don’t see him quite reaching those heights this year, but almost. Most projection systems have him between 1.5-2 WAR, in spitting distance of 400 plate appearances, and nabbing ~25 stolen bases. They also have him with a double digit walk rate close to his 2024 12%, and just under his usual ~30% strikeout rate, a tick above his ‘24 27.9%.
Seattle may just be relying on Moore to post those prognostic numbers in not just a utility fashion, but in a starting role at second base. Season after season the Mariners have experimented with different options for those duties, and through it all Dylan Moore has been there as the back-up option, stepping in when needed (and when he wasn’t injured himself). Jerry Dipoto himself has made comments this off-season committing at least in part to the idea of DMo getting most of the keystone starts, but as spring training unfolds, the reality may be a little more complicated. The infield is starting to look like one big question mark across the board, if not this year then in the ones looming, and it will be important for Seattle to see what they have in many of their young players. Many of those young players are also turning heads this spring, and while Dipoto and Hollander have mostly promoted with a steady and cautious hand, it is not hard to see a world where this year they could become a little more daring.
This maybe final 40 in 40 piece for Moore will be his seventh, and I will be the seventh writer to say a piece on him in this form. I have a habit of dipping into grandiose and hyperbolic statements, and truthfully, that just doesn’t feel correct for a player whose tenure has been better identified by overcoming lowered expectations and moments of disappoint. No, to borrow some words from Lookout Landing alum Adrienne Leary I will not be making molehills out of mountains, because I think the precise and measured level of appreciation she delivered in DMo’s 2022 40 in 40 says best what my heart wants to, but my words cannot.
Dylan Moore is no mountain, no Mt. Rainier on the horizon, demanding our awe when the clouds part. But between us and the mountains also lay plenty of rolling hills, carrying the land just as sturdily, if not so pronounced. In whatever form Moore’s contribution to the Seattle Mariners comes this season, be it hill or valley, one last time let us enjoy the view. -B.E.
Projections:
FGDC: 406 PA, 105 wRC+, 1.7 fWAR, .208/.316/.371
PECOTA: 356 PA, 88 DRC+, 0.9 WARP, .195/.299/.331
Zach: Under
The Mariners have seen two versions of Dylan Moore. Version One is the excellent super-utility player who strikes out a bit much but gets into way more power than you’d think and provides Grade A value on the bases. Version Two is what happens when the Mariners are out of choices and have to play Dylan Moore as essentially an everyday player. That version gets quickly overexposed, especially to right-handed pitching, and his numbers crater despite being the same guy. Unfortunately, the Mariners have set themselves up to see Version Two in 2025.
Kate: Over
While I agree with Zach that the Mariners have boxed themselves into DMo every day, which is not ideal for anyone, DMo was an above-average player last year playing about two-thirds of a full season. Yes, he’s going to strike out too much, but he’s also going to hit for enough power to make him at least league-average, and he’s going to do that while playing capable defense all over the field, perhaps keeping Perry Hill from throwing himself off the Columbia Tower, and that alone is worth a couple bumps to his WAR.
Connor: Over
DMo set a career high in plate appearances last year at 441, and barring a Cole Young or Ryan Bliss breakout, is penciled in for about the same amount. Don’t fret, though! He set career highs in both bWAR and fWAR at 2.2 and 2.4, respectively, and yeah, the average and strikeouts can be a bit unsightly, but with his strong baserunning (4.1 BsR in 2024, good for 22nd among all players with at least 400 PAs) and capable glove anywhere on the field, don’t be surprised to see Dylan put up another solid season before heading into free agency.