3 Numbers to Remember: What happened to Jean Segura?

Jean Segura is entering his second season with the Phillies. (Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire)

When the Philadelphia Phillies offloaded Carlos Santana and J.P. Crawford in exchange for Jean Segura, the overall feeling was that the trade was a massive success. Santana struggled at times in 2018 and didn’t really fit the roster positionally, and sending along Crawford in the deal seemed minor with the former All-Star Segura coming back.

However, it did not work out as planned for the Phillies in 2019. While Santana had the best year of his career in Cleveland, Segura struggled at the plate and failed to live up to the expectations laid out for him.

Here are three numbers to remember about Segura’s relatively disappointing 2019:

.743 – OPS

Many of Segura’s offensive stats were worse in 2019 than they had been since his last season in Milwaukee back in 2015. In addition to his OPS, Segura had a lower batting average, on-base percentage, OPS+ and WRC+ in 2019 than he ever had in a single season in Arizona or Seattle.

This down season begs the question of whether Segura is past his prime as a hitter. The Phillies are on the hook to pay him through 2022, and need better production from him for his $14.85 million annual average salary to be worth it.

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27 – number of infield hits

Part of what helped Segura hold a high batting average prior to 2019 was his knack for reaching base on infield hits. 27 is nothing to scoff at, but it is the second lowest total of his career. This certainly was a contributing factor in his numbers being lower than they had been in recent years.

Segura also flashed less speed on the base paths than he had in years prior, too. After stealing at least 20 bases in each season since 2013, Segura only stole 10 in 2019. Part of the appeal to adding Segura last offseason was his ability to use his speed when running the bases, but he was unable to do so effectively in 2019.

-4 – Outs Above Average

Outs Above Average is a new statistic measured by Statcast that looks at the cumulative result of each individual fielding play and compares that player’s success to other players.. Segura’s total ranked 26th among all MLB shortstops, and it backs up the idea that he is no longer fit to be an everyday player at that position.

Segura certainly wasn’t horrible in the field, but it became clear that he has gotten a little slow for shortstop and, as a result, the Phillies plan to move him to second or third base in 2020. It is worth noting that a shortstop with Segura’s hitting profile is more valuable than a second baseman with the same hitting profile.

Segura had the best offensive season of his career in 2016 when the Diamondbacks moved him to second base. The Phillies only hope that Segura can come close to matching that success in 2020.

2020 World Series Odds

It might be a little early to be talking about the World Series odds but there are a few online sports betting sites that have already released the numbers. Sports Betting Dime has gathered a list of the more popular sites but not all of them have World Series odds so make sure to go through each one to check. With 2019 being a disappointing year for the Phillies, it’s a bit surprising to see their World Series odds be as good as they are, but they still need to be better than the Braves and Nationals to even make it to the playoffs. The Phillies hope Segura bounces back this year to improve those odds.