Speedy Jarrod Dyson will look to ‘set the tone’ atop Mariners’ lineup

When Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto pulled off a blockbuster trade to bring All-Star shortstop Jean Segura to Seattle in late November, the belief was that the M’s had found their leadoff hitter for the forseeable future. A funny thing happened on the way to spring training, though – they found perhaps an even better option.

Dipoto, of course, made numerous more trades after the Segura acquisition, including one with Kansas City for speedy veteran outfielder Jarrod Dyson. And it turns out that manager Scott Servais is going to give Dyson the first crack at the leadoff spot in Arizona, which would give the Mariners the opportunity to utilize Segura’s potential as a run producer (he had 20 home runs and 41 doubles in 2016) more out of the No. 2 spot than they would with him as the leadoff man.

Not surprisingly, the 32-year-old Dyson is quite happy with that idea.

“I’m all for that. I’ve been fighting for that for 10 years,” said Dyson, who is likely to see more playing time this season than ever before as Seattle’s regular left fielder. “If I’m gonna be at the top of that lineup, then I need to set the tone. I’m looking forward to doing that.”

Above all, Dyson could create some serious havoc for opposing pitchers and defenses out of the leadoff spot due to his speed. He’s stolen 26 or more bases in each of the past five years despite seeing a maximum of 337 plate appearances in a season. He knows there’s more to leading off than being fast, though, and his .340 on-base percentage over 107 games last year suggests that he can put that knowledge into action.

“I bring speed, obviously. But I don’t mind going up there taking pitches,” he said. “That’s something I’m not worried about. I’m not afraid to strike out. I don’t mind putting myself in a count where the guy behind me get to see what the other guy (the pitcher) got. Not just going up there first pitch hacking and making an out, something like that. … If I can go up there the first at-bat and get six pitches out of him, I think I did a great job.”

While Dyson’s ability to swipe bags and take pitches should help the Mariners, he’ll also bring some flair that could add a little excitement to Seattle’s lineup. After all, this is a man whose Twitter handle is @mrzoombiya and who has a penchant for pretending to rev up a motorcycle after motoring around the bases.

“I’m fearless, man. I’m not shaken up by anything. I go out there no matter who on that bump,” he said. “I just like to go out there and have fun, and when you go out there and you’re having fun it makes it much easier to do your job.”

Paying tribute to Ventura

Not long after Dyson was traded to the Mariners, he received some tragic news: Yordano Ventura, a flame-throwing right-hander who Dyson played with in Kansas City, died in a car accident in his native Dominican Republic. He was just 25.

Dyson went to the D.R. for Ventura’s funeral and was still grieving the loss of his friend last week.

“I kinda watched this kid grow up. He was like a brother to me and I think about him every day,” Dyson said. “He was a special guy. Sad tragedy, and to go out there and visit his country and see all the love he had in his hometown, to see his mom tore down to pieces, man. That’s a hurt feeling.”

Ventura could be a controversial figure on the diamond, as he was known for being a bit confrontational with opposing batters. But Dyson, who called Ventura “a firecracker,” said there was much more to Ventura that he saw sharing a clubhouse with him.

“Great teammate. I can’t really say nothing bad about him. Only people really who can say something bad about him didn’t play with him,” he said. “When he took the ball, he just wanted to win.

“… I’m gonna miss that guy, man. I really am. That’s a brother from another mother for me right there.”

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