Seattle Mariners Analyst Bashes Jesse Winker
Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez landed on the Seattle Mariners before the season after a trade between the M’s and the Cincinnati Reds.
Winker was supposed to take over one of the outfielder corners, and Suarez was brought in to play third base and replace the retiring Kyle Seager.
While Suarez offered the kind of production expected from him, Winker failed to do so.
In 456 at-bats, Winker batted .219 with 51 runs, 14 home runs, 53 RBI and a mediocre .688 OPS.
After the .949 OPS he had in 2021 in Cincinnati, the trade was well-received by fans and media before he actually put on a Mariners uniform.
A Rough Season For Winker
Things didn’t go as expected: he struggled, he got injured, and apparently he didn’t have the drive to be successful.
“@RyanDivish on @SeattleSports discussing Mariners outfielder Jesse Winker: “I don’t think he puts in the time to be better defensively or have a better arm or any of the work that should be done and really is counter to what has made this team great,” Seattle Sports producer Maura Dooley tweeted.
.@RyanDivish on @SeattleSports discussing Mariners outfielder Jesse Winker
“I don’t think he puts in the time to be better defensively or have a better arm or any of the work that should be done and really is counter to what has made this team great.”
— Maura Dooley (@Maura_Dool) October 18, 2022
So far, we had only discussed his offense, but Divish, who has covered the Mariners for a long time, focused on his defense.
By doing so, however, he exposed Winker’s work ethic and drive to improve.
The issue goes even deeper.
“Big Jesse Winker news from Ryan Divish on 710 earlier. Essentially it boils down to… – Players are tired of his act – Haniger over-prepares and Winker is the opposite – Didn’t put in work on defense or working out, just expected to be able to play by showing up,” Mariners news site Sodo Mojo tweeted.
Big Jesse Winker news from Ryan Divish on 710 earlier. Essentially it boils down to…
– Players are tired of his act
– Haniger over-prepares and Winker is the opposite
– Didn’t put in work on defense or working out, just expected to be able to play by showing up— SoDo Mojo (@SodoMojoFS) October 18, 2022
Not only did Divish point out his lack of drive to improve on defense, but he appears to be losing the clubhouse because of this.
Hopefully, Winker can put his act together because his talent is undeniable.