A change of perspective.
The Seattle Mariners get their first look Tuesday at first baseman Yonder Alonso as a teammate, and he gets his first look at his former teammates from the opposing dugout at the Oakland Coliseum.
Alonso is expected to be in the lineup when the Mariners open a two-game series against the Athletics at 7:10 p.m. The Mariners acquired him Sunday from Oakland in a trade for outfielder Boog Powell.
Ironically, Powell is returning to the Athletics, and he changed dugouts Monday night at Cheney Stadium to play for Triple-A Nashville against Tacoma. He went 2-for-6 with a walk, but the Rainiers won 8-7 in 12 innings.
Alonso appears to welcome the change in scenery.
“Great bunch of guys that I can’t wait to go to battle with every night…,” he said in a twitter post shortly after the trade. “Excited to be there and make this push for the playoffs.”
Manager Scott Servais indicated Alonso, a left-handed hitter, will see platoon duty at first base with Danny Valencia, a former Oakland teammate and an off-season workout partner in Miami.
Analytically, the platoon splits make sense.
Alonso, 30, is a left-handed hitter who entered Tuesday batting .286 this season with 18 homers and 40 RBI in 299 plate appearances against right-handed pitchers but only .188 with four and nine in 72 plate appearances against lefties.
Valencia, 32, is a right-handed hitter who entered Tuesday batting .309 with five homers and 25 RBI in 109 plate appearances against left-handers. He entered Tuesday batting .258 with eight and 33 in 309 plate appearances against right-handers.
It’s important to note that a strict platoon arrangement — if that’s what this is — means significantly less playing time for Valencia, whose overall performance doesn’t merit such a reduction.
Further, Valencia and Alonso are pending free agents. The reality is this is a salary drive year for both players, and it’s hard to build big numbers in a platoon arrangement, particularly for the right-handed hitter (Valencia).
The Mariners will likely point to Valencia’s versatility because he can play third base or right field. Also left field or second base in a pinch. Even so, it’s uncertain how much playing time will be available at those spots. So we’ll see.
Maybe this goes down without a hitch.
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