If you were watching Wednesday’s Mariners-Royals game, caught some highlights or checked the boxscore, you may have done a double take when you saw Franklin Gutierrez’s name. And that would have been completely understandable.
The 32-year-old outfielder hasn’t played in the major leagues since Sept. 27, 2013, and it seemed as if we might never see him play another MLB game. Gutierrez sat out the 2014 season due to severe gastrointestinal issues and ankylosing spondylitis, an arthritic condition in his hips and lower body.
The 2013 season was also the last of the four-year, $20.25 million contract he signed with the Mariners in 2010. At that point, Gutierrez appeared to be one of the elite defensive center fielders in baseball, capable of providing 20 homers and 20 steals per season. But he could not stay healthy, suffering hamstring, oblique and pectoral injuries. Following the 2013 season, during which Gutierrez only appeared in 41 games, Seattle declined his $7.5 million option and ended up re-signing him to a $1 million, incentive-heavy deal which he couldn’t fulfill.
Gutierrez signed a minor league deal in January with an invitation to spring training. After only appearing in two Cactus League games, he was assigned to Triple-A Tacoma. But in 48 games with the Rainiers, Gutierrez compiled a .317/.402/.500 slash average with 12 doubles, seven home runs and 31 RBI.
Those numbers had to look pretty good to the Mariners, considering the lack of production their left fielders have provided this season. Seattle has gotten a collective .211 average, .638 OPS and eight home runs from the position. Only the Reds and Athletics have been worse, but you have to figure that will improve in Cincinnati with the return of Marlon Byrd.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – MAY 25: Manager Lloyd McClendon #21 of the Seattle Mariners looks on from the dugout during the sixth inning of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 25, 2015 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
Seattle thought it had left field solved with Dustin Ackley. But after a promising 2014, the one-time top prospect has regressed to a .204 average and .608 OPS with only five homers for a lineup lacking thunder beyond Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager. The acquisition of Mark Trumbo hasn’t yet paid off with more power, but it does allow manager Lloyd McClendon to move some pieces around and give someone a night off in the field when needed. However, the batting order still lacks right-handed pop besides Cruz.
Enter Gutierrez, who got the start in left field on Wednesday against left-hander Danny Duffy. Batting second in the lineup, he went 1-for-3 with an infield single and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. But that subplot didn’t drive the overall story, which ended with an 8-2 loss to the Royals. Maybe if Gutierrez could pitch, that would have helped. Could he have done much worse than Roenis Elias, who was battered for seven runs in less than four innings? “It got away very quickly,” McClendon told reporters afterward.
The same could be said of the Mariners’ 2015 season. Seattle has lost three of its past four, keeping the team in fourth place, 8.5 games behind the Astros and 6.5 away from a wild-card bid. Those aren’t insurmountable deficits, but now that we’ve passed the 70-game point of the season, the chances of the Mariners getting back in the playoff race are looking increasingly doubtful. Their place in the AL standings is beginning to solidify.
Gutierrez’s return could help, and it’s certainly a nice story after a promising career was cut short by injuries and health concerns. Longtime fans will likely be happy to see a familiar face who once appeared to be a budding star. But Gutierrez will only going to be a part-time player for Seattle, providing a right-handed bat to pair with Ackley and Seth Smith in left field. Maybe he can spell Austin Jackson in center field occasionally as well. Gutierrez’s health doesn’t allow him to play much more than that anyway.
Yet any reason for optimism has to be considered good during what’s been a disappointing season in Seattle. There is still time to fulfill the expectations the Mariners carried into this season, but opportunity seems to be dwindling as the Astros haven’t stopped winning, while the Rangers have jumped ahead in the AL West standings and may be in position to make an impact deal at the trade deadline.
General manager Jack Zduriencik may have already made his big move by getting Trumbo, leaving the Mariners with the hope that current players improve (Robinson Cano producing like a star would certainly help) and pitchers return from injury. In the meantime, making smaller moves like calling up Gutierrez is the best that can be done. It probably won’t be enough, however.
