Jason's new fav player

[Donn Beach]

Being utility doesn't mean you're a crappy player sitting on the bench, that negative sort of connotation. Being utility is not having a set position. Ben zorbist was a utility player, Brendan Donovan is a utility player. Both of them would be in your lineup as much as possible depending on how the manager wants to use them. I think BPJ struggles valuing a guy who's not identified with a certain position

[D-train]

If Cole can put up close to a .700 OPS and 2+ WAR and the RF platoon works he will be our 3B and no longer be a Super UT.

Jason just think he will be a fairly weak bat at T Mobile especially for a 3B

[Donn Beach]

If Cole can put up close to a .700 OPS and 2+ WAR and the RF platoon works he will be our 3B and no longer be a Super UT.

Jason just think he will be a fairly weak bat at T Mobile especially for a 3B

And they don't bother promoting Emerson? How about injuries, that's where his versatility can have value. They traded for him for his versatility. It wasn't about filling 3rd base. And I'm willing to bet he does play around the field.

I think that's a pretty good description of what Donovan is supposed to bring, why he's highly valued around the league

“It’s tough to imagine a better fit for our current team than Brendan,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said in a statement. “His combination of offensive skill, defensive versatility, consistency in performance, baseball instincts and quality of character line up with what we value most

[D-train]

Yes it is a scientific fact that has been proven that he can play multiple positions which is a Great skill but wouldn't it be cool if he didn't have to?

[bpj]

Being utility doesn't mean you're a crappy player sitting on the bench, that negative sort of connotation. Being utility is not having a set position. Ben zorbist was a utility player, Brendan Donovan is a utility player. Both of them would be in your lineup as much as possible depending on how the manager wants to use them. I think BPJ struggles valuing a guy who's not identified with a certain position

I don't really care what position he plays.

I care that people are acting like he's a good bat, and I think he will put up numbers similar to what JP Crawford has put up over the last two years once he's playing half his games in T-Mobile.

And that's IF he doesn't implode.

If that's good enough to people, fine. I expect Donovans OPS to be closer to JP's .722 OPS as a Mariner compared to .772 as a Cardinal.

About the same expected drop I'd guesstimate for just about any player coming to Seattle. Cano wasn't even an exception.

My impression is people expect more from Donovan, as if he's more of an answer to this lineup than JP is/was.

It's not the type of player we needed as our second best move behind an also-shaky Naylor imo.

[Donn Beach]

Being utility doesn't mean you're a crappy player sitting on the bench, that negative sort of connotation. Being utility is not having a set position. Ben zorbist was a utility player, Brendan Donovan is a utility player. Both of them would be in your lineup as much as possible depending on how the manager wants to use them. I think BPJ struggles valuing a guy who's not identified with a certain position

I don't really care what position he plays.

I care that people are acting like he's a good bat, and I think he will put up numbers similar to what JP Crawford has put up over the last two years once he's playing half his games in T-Mobile.

And that's IF he doesn't implode.

If that's good enough to people, fine. I expect Donovans OPS to be closer to JP's .722 OPS as a Mariner compared to .772 as a Cardinal.

About the same expected drop I'd guesstimate for just about any player coming to Seattle. Cano wasn't even an exception.

My impression is people expect more from Donovan, as if he's more of an answer to this lineup than JP is/was.

It's not the type of player we needed as our second best move behind an also-shaky Naylor imo.

The stadium affect would apply to any player they decided to bring in wouldn't it? A career 117 ops+ is indicative of a pretty good hitter isn't it? And the fact is his perceived value goes beyond OPS. If you think in terms of certain positions delivering a certain OPS he's not going to seem as valuable

[Donn Beach]

Terms of a T-Mobile effect, I think that sort of thing can be pretty carefully analysed these days. They have programs now that can project an entire season of at bats for a player in any ballpark. I've felt that T-Mobile damped gap power, it could pay to invest in homerun hitters actually. I think that's what Z tried to do. Donovan is considered a gap hitter. So we shall see how the stadium affects him

Brendan Donovan is widely recognized as a "gap-to-gap" and doubles hitter rather than a high-volume home run hitter, profiling as a high-contact bat with consistent extra-base ability. His power profile is built on line drives and utilizing the entire field, making him an effective producer of doubles (34 in 2024, 32 in 2025).

Key Aspects of Donovan's Gap Power:
Doubles Machine: Donovan consistently produces 30+ doubles per 150+ games, utilizing his gap-to-gap approach.

Opposite Field Power: A significant portion of his extra-base hits go to the opposite field, highlighting his ability to drive the ball to all fields.

Bat-to-Ball Skills: He complements his gap power with elite contact skills, boasting a low whiff rate (15.1% in 2025) which allows him to rack up hits without striking out frequently.

"Hockey Puck" Bat Usage: Following the 2022 season, Donovan altered his stance and began using a heavier bat with a "hockey puck" knob to increase his ability to drive the ball, leading to a rise in his doubles production.

2025 Performance: In 2025, he recorded 32 doubles and 10 home runs over 118 games, maintaining his status as a consistent doubles threat

[bpj]

Being utility doesn't mean you're a crappy player sitting on the bench, that negative sort of connotation. Being utility is not having a set position. Ben zorbist was a utility player, Brendan Donovan is a utility player. Both of them would be in your lineup as much as possible depending on how the manager wants to use them. I think BPJ struggles valuing a guy who's not identified with a certain position

I don't really care what position he plays.

I care that people are acting like he's a good bat, and I think he will put up numbers similar to what JP Crawford has put up over the last two years once he's playing half his games in T-Mobile.

And that's IF he doesn't implode.

If that's good enough to people, fine. I expect Donovans OPS to be closer to JP's .722 OPS as a Mariner compared to .772 as a Cardinal.

About the same expected drop I'd guesstimate for just about any player coming to Seattle. Cano wasn't even an exception.

My impression is people expect more from Donovan, as if he's more of an answer to this lineup than JP is/was.

It's not the type of player we needed as our second best move behind an also-shaky Naylor imo.

The stadium affect would apply to any player they decided to bring in wouldn't it? A career 117 ops+ is indicative of a pretty good hitter isn't it? And the fact is his perceived value goes beyond OPS. If you think in terms of certain positions delivering a certain OPS he's not going to seem as valuable

I don't buy into "park adjusted" stats.

We'll see what Donovans numbers look like after his park actually gets adjusted. I suspect it will be brutal like it is on just about every player that comes to Seattle.

No, there's not much more to offense than OPS.

Nothing correlates to scoring runs more than OPS.

[Donn Beach]

[quoteWe'll see what Donovans numbers look like after his park actually gets adjusted. I suspect it will be brutal like it is on just about every player that comes to Seattle [/quote]

Yeah, park affect, it's brutal on just about every player they bring in. But you feel it be more brutal on Donovan? That was basically my concern with Luis Arráez.

[GL_Storm]

I haven't watched any of the Spring Training games. Does anyone have a sense of how Donovan's arm is playing at 3B?