Ely wonders how somebody with Segura’s consistent track record could suddenly fall off a cliff at age 33.
Jean Segura has been arguably the worst player in baseball this season. Ely Sussman tries to understand how the Marlins’ free agent signing has gone so poorly, so quickly.
Enjoy Episode 193!
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According to both FanGraphs (-0.9 fWAR) and Baseball-Reference (-1.4 bWAR), Segura has accrued the most negative value of any MLB hitter in 2023. He’s constantly hitting the ball on the ground and seldom getting it out of the infield, and the 33-year-old has even been a defensive liability at third base. Despite struggling to such an extreme degree, the Marlins have started him in 31 of their first 35 games.
Baseball Savant
The most disappointing aspect of Segura’s game? Slashing .080/.115/.120 against left-handed pitching (-53 wRC+). Even if the Marlins were to reduce his role from everyday regular to platoon player, it’s difficult to trust that he’d provide anything positive at the plate.
Segura’s expected stats, per Baseball Savant, suggest that he’s been victimized by some bad luck on batted balls. However, he’s still coming up far short of his career norms in terms of quality of contact.
With Joey Wendle back from the injured list and Jon Berti producing fairly consistently, the Marlins must strongly consider limiting Segura’s playing time.
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