Sarris: Have the Mariners been too obsessed with outfield defense?

From SABR member Eno Sarris at The Athletic on March 30, 2018:

There’s no doubt that outfield defense has been a huge part of Jerry Dipoto’s plan for the Seattle Mariners since he took over as General Manager.

“We thought outfield defense would be a critical element,” he told Jared Diamond of his plan last season.

“We had eight targets this offseason,” he told the crowd in a March 2017 SABR Analytics conference. “We got them.”

The reasoning behind the effort was tight.

“We play in a ballpark and in a division that should enhance our ability to win games via defense, especially range in the outfield,” Dipoto said on that panel. “We play in a big ballpark where generally the ball hangs up in the gaps more than the others. We play in a division with at least three ballparks — in Anaheim, Oakland, Seattle — that play a little bit bigger than most,” he pointed out.

The execution was a different story, maybe.

Read the full article here (subscription required): https://theathletic.com/293162/2018/03/30/sarris-have-the-mariners-been-too-obsessed-with-outfield-defense/

• Related link: Listen to highlights from the 2017 SABR Analytics GM Panel with Jerry Dipoto, Mike Hazen, and Brian Kenny