Miami Marlins fans surprised that team plans to play middle infielder Jean Segura at third base: "Classic Marlins being idiots"

The Miami Marlins surprised many this week by agreeing to a two-year contract with veteran middle infielder Jean Segura. The Marlins surprised many more on Thursday when manager Skip Schumaker said the team plans to use him as a third baseman.

When MLB Insider Jim Bowden reported Schumaker's announcement, there were more than a few raised eyebrows. Jean Segura, who will be 33 by the time the 2023 season starts, has played either shortstop or second base nearly exclusively in his 11-year major-league career.

His lone experience at third base was a 24-game stretch with the Philadelphia Phillies during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He delivered the worst fielding percentage of his career at .964 in his brief turn at the hot corner.

Needless to say, there's plenty of skepticism in the Marlins Nation about the news of making Jean Segura the team's full-time third baseman.

The offensively-challenged Marlins have generally manned their middle infield positions well. Last season, second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. was on his way to a breakout season before a back injury short-circuited his 2022 campaign.

Before Thursday's news, many figured that bringing Segura to Miami meant that Chisholm might be on the move to the outfield as Segura has played 399 career games at second base.

Miguel Rojas has been the Marlins' starting shortstop for the majority of the past two seasons. Some thought the team may have had other ideas for him by picking up Segura, who has 911 of his 1,328 big-league games at shortstop.

Unless some pie-in-the-sky hopes come true for Marlins fans, Segura's insertion at third base seems to mean that Rojas will return to shortstop, unless somehow Carlos Correa ends up a Marlin.

That's not to say that Miami fans aren't a die-hard lot. But many South Floridians still aren't aware that Skip Schumaker is the team's new manager after the departure of Don Mattingly.

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Miami Marlins boast modest infield depth

Joey Wendle #18 of the Miami Marlins singles

With the impending signing of Jean Segura, the Miami Marlins do boast a modest amount of infield depth. In addition to Segura, Rojas, and Chisholm, Miami also has utility men Joey Wendle and Jon Berti.

Berti played all over the field for the Marlins, taking turns everywhere but first base and catcher in 2022. Wendle has become well known in Florida for regularly manning second and third base, as well as being a shortstop.