The Curious Case Of Chone Figgins

Enter Chone Figgins, primarily a 3^rd baseman for the Seattle Mariners. Enter Chone Figgins prior to the 2011 season. They look the same, but that’s only off the field. When it comes to making plays, they are not the same. After the 2009 season Mr. Figgins made the journey from the Los Angeles Angels to the Seattle Mariners, a change in scenery from where he had spent all his previous major league time. Since 2003 Figgins has put up at the very least decent numbers. The move to Seattle also came with his lowest batting average and on base percentage since his 1^st full year in the big league. Really though batting average decreased by .041 and OBP by .055, but he was still alright, until…..2011. He might have had a down season in 2010 but in 2011 he had a DOWN season. That same batting average that dropped the previous season down to .259 dropped down below the Mendoza line (who curiously played for the Mariners in his day of glory/humiliation) all the way to .188 and the OBP that was .340, now .241. What happened Mr. Figgins? On top of that, he only stole 11 bases, first time he stole less than 34 since 2003, and really all his stats were just obliterated, they sank to submarine levels, possibly below.  All-star game appearance in ’09. Only thing he would have made in ’11 is a fallen star game, but this does not exist…yet. Why the sudden demise of a once good player’s career? An injured hip made him miss the slate of games from August 1^st onward, but for the Mariners that was probably for the best. I don’t believe the hip was the reason for his prior struggles, so what does Figgins really need to do in order to be a productive member of baseball again? My answer, somebody needs to, hit the cage!