2019 Phillies in Review: Jean Segura

The Numbers

.280/.323/.420, 12 HR, 60 RBI, 10 SB, 1.3 WAR, 2.4 fWAR

The Good

This season, Segura did what the Phillies were hoping he would do when they traded for him in December: He provided stability at the shortstop position. While he did have a few memorable slumps (as all players do), he was also one of the team’s most consistent players, both defensively and offensively.

Segura finished the season among the team leaders in runs (79), hits (161), doubles (37), triples (4), RBIs (60), stolen bases (10), batting average (.280), on base percentage (.323), slugging percentage (.420), and OPS (.743).

One of the biggest fears when the Phillies traded for him was that they’d given up too much in Carlos Santana and J.P. Crawford. While Crawford did have a better season this year than he ever has before, his .226/.313/.371 line with 7 home runs, 46 RBIs and 5 stolen bases (0.9 WAR) doesn’t hold up to Segura. The Mariners flipped Santana to Cleveland. Santana also had a career year, including making his first All-Star appearance. But with Rhys Hoskins as the future at first base, he didn’t factor into the Phillies’ long-term plans. Also, his $17+ million contract wasn’t ideal when considering the Phillies were, at the time of the trade, exploring contracts with all of Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and Patrick Corbin.

The Bad

Segura was vulnerable to a few terrible slumps this season, specifically one stretch in June that, directly on the heels of the McCutchen injury, was especially painful. He also missed ten games due to a hamstring injury in April.

The Future

Some people seem to think the Phillies should try to trade Segura this winter. I’m not sure why this is even a discussion, since they finally have stability at a position that hasn’t had any since Jimmy Rollins left in 2014. They don’t have a better in-house option (Scott Kingery isn’t the answer here), and there isn’t a great free agency market for short stops outside of Didi Gregorius (whose 0.9 WAR season would be a step back). *Note: And hey - look who signed!

Segura is signed through the 2022 season, with a club option for 2023, which means that, unless they do trade him, he isn’t going anywhere for a long time. That’s a really good thing for this organization. What he provides at shortstop and at the top of the batting order will be important as the Phillies try to take the next step as a team.