Michael Saunders

WTM’S PLAYER PROFILE

Saunders was slow to get established with the Mariners.  He also began struggling with injuries in 2009, which probably affected his career at times.  He seemingly got established in 2014, but missed most of the last half of that season and nearly all of 2015 with injuries.  In between those seasons, Seattle traded him to Toronto.  The 2015 injury was a significant knee injury that happened when Saunders stepped on a sprinkler.  The injury probably had a lasting impact, as his baserunning, according to FanGraphs, dropped from good to below average.  He also went from being passable in center to below average in the corners, which is probably where he’ll have to play now.  Following the knee injury, Saunders had a big season in 2016, but collapsed in 2017.  The Pirates signed him to a minor league deal for 2018.

2005
A-:  270/361/474, 196 AB, 13 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR, 27 BB, 74 K, 2-9 SB

Playing mostly in right, Saunders hit well in his debut, although he did strike out in over a third of his at-bats.

2006
A:  240/329/345, 359 AB, 10 2B, 8 3B, 4 HR, 48 BB, 103 K, 22-29 SB

In full season ball, Saunders had a much tougher time, although he improved late in the season.  He did at least cut his K rate, although it remained high, and he did well as a base stealer.  The Mariners moved him to center field.

2007
A+:  299/392/473, 431 AB, 25 2B, 4 3B, 14 HR, 60 BB, 116 K, 27-37 SB
AA:  288/373/442, 52 AB, 1 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 7 BB, 20 K, 2-3 SB

Saunders’ hitting improved dramatically, although it probably helped that he was playing in the most extreme hitting environment of all, at High Desert in the California League.  He showed very good patience and also cut his K rate further.  He split his time mainly between center and right.  Seattle moved him up to AA late in the season.  Afterward, Baseball America rated him the Mariners’ sixth best prospect.

2008
AA:  290/375/484, 248 AB, 18 2B, 3 3B, 8 HR, 30 BB, 66 K, 11-17 SB
AAA:  242/308/400, 95 AB, 4 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 9 BB, 30 K, 1-3 SB

While playing primarily center field, Saunders continued to hit well in AA, earning a mid-June promotion to AAA.  He just held his own there, then missed the last month with a shoulder injury.  BA rated him the Mariners’ second best prospect after the season.

2009
AAA:  310/378/544, 248 AB, 15 2B, 2 3B, 13 HR, 25 BB, 48 K, 6-9 SB
MLB:  221/258/279, 122 AB, 1 2B, 3 3B, 6 BB, 40 K, 4-5 SB

Saunders had surgery on a torn labrum during the off-season and missed the first month of the season.  Once he reported to AAA, he had his best season, or partial season as Seattle called him up in late July.  He struggled to make contact in the majors.  In AAA, he split his time between center and left, but he played mainly left for Seattle.  BA again rated him the team’s second best prospect.

2010
AAA:  200/293/213, 80 AB, 1 2B, 11 BB, 17 K, 4-4 SB
MLB:  211/295/367, 289 AB, 11 2B, 2 3B, 10 HR, 35 BB, 84 K, 6-9 SB

Seattle sent Saunders back to AAA to start the season.  He struggled badly there, but the Mariners called him up in early May anyway.  He played semi-regularly for them the rest of the year, mostly in left but occasionally in center.  He struggled in the majors as well, with a high K rate.  He was hurt by a low BABIP of .260.  Saunders also missed brief periods at a number of points during the season due to finger, neck and three shoulder injuries.  You have to wonder whether that might have impacted his performance.

2011
AAA:  288/415/449, 236 AB, 11 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR, 50 BB, 71 K, 10-13 SB
MLB:  149/207/217, 161 AB, 5 2B, 2 HR, 12 BB, 56 K, 6-8 SB

Saunders opened the season as the starter in center for the Mariners and, obviously, had an extremely rough time of it.  Seattle finally sent him to AAA at the beginning of June.  He recovered there, although with a bit less power than in the past.  The Mariners brought him back up in September and he went 1-for-24 through the end of the season.

2012
MLB:  247/306/432, 507 AB, 31 2B, 3 3B, 19 HR, 43 BB, 132 K, 21-25 SB

Saunders spent the season in Seattle, primarily as the center fielder but occasionally playing left.  He had a solid season at the plate, with decent power but a subpar OBP.

2013
AAA:  182/375/455, 11 AB, 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 BB, 1 K
MLB:  236/323/397, 406 AB, 23 2B, 3 3B, 12 HR, 54 BB, 118 K, 13-18 SB

Saunders again spent the season in the majors, apart from a brief rehab in AAA.  His hitting slipped a little from the previous year, mainly in the form of reduced power.  He spent a little more than half his time in center and split the rest between the two corners.

2014
AAA:  327/479/473, 55 AB, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 16 BB, 15 K
MLB:  273/341/450, 231 AB, 11 2B, 3 3B, 8 HR, 26 BB, 59 K, 4-9 SB

Seattle opened the season with Saunders in right and, after a slow start, he got hot in May and June.  The rest of his season, though, was plagued by injuries.  He missed two months with a late-season oblique injury, and also missed time with knee and shoulder injuries.  After the season, Seattle traded Saunders to Toronto for J.A. Happ.

2015
A+:  233/303/333, 30 AB, 3 2B, 3 BB, 8 K
MLB:  194/306/194, 31 AB, 5 BB, 10 K

Saunders suffered a significant injury to his left meniscus when he stepped on a sprinkler in February.  He returned briefly in late April but soon went out for the rest of the year due to inflammation.

2016
MLB:  253/338/478, 490 AB, 32 2B, 3 3B, 24 HR, 59 BB, 157 K, 1-3 SB

Saunders spent the entire season with Toronto and seemingly had a breakout year, hitting for good power while playing mostly in left.  He became a free agent after the season and, a little surprisingly, was able to get only a one-year, $8M deal with the Phillies, with a team option for 2018.

2017
AAA (Tor):  274/321/404, 146 AB, 11 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 9 BB, 30 K, 1-1 SB
MLB (Phi):  205/257/360, 200 AB, 9 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 13 BB, 51 K, 0-1 SB
MLB (Tor):  167/250/167, 18 AB, 2 BB, 4 K

Saunders opened the season as the Phillies’ right fielder, but he struggled so badly that Philadelphia released him in June.  He signed a minor league deal with Toronto and hit just decently in AAA.  The Jays called him up in September and he did little in limited action.

When they signed him, Saunders figured to compete for the Pirates’ vacant left field job with numerous other candidates.  The very next day, though, the team acquired Corey Dickerson, who figures to be the starter.  It’s unknown whether Saunders has a provision in his contract that requires the Pirates to put him on the 25-man roster by any particular time.  If they do add him to the roster, they won’t be able to send him to the minors without his agreement.