Clement to AAA.

by Slurvey on Mar 29, 2009 10:07 AM PDT Comment 16 comments

We've been hinting at this for a while now and today, it became official. Mariners catcher Jeff Clement will start this season in Class AAA. He has some defensive issues to work on, notably, his throws to second base. But also his all-around game-calling. He'll get that chance playing every day down in Tacoma. Should spur some season-ticket sales there, I'd imagine.

I'd imagine this means Rob Johnson has made the team and Jamie Burke will also head to Tacoma. This second part isn't official, of course. A trade could also change things. But right now, it looks like a Johnson-Kenji Johjima tandem. There's no point having Johnson and Clement fighting for playing time in the minors. Burke could fill his usual backup role with the Rainiers.

I'd also imagine Adam Moore starts off at Class AA, not AAA as had been expected when camp began. As we told you the other day, the team's priority is to get these young guys everyday playing time.

=\ =,(

I'm a Clement fan so I'm kinda sad and a move to AAA might mean a trade soon as he'll probably crush AAA increasing his trade value so that some team might bite... We're at a logjam at the catcher position so at least he'll get playing time at the catcher position down there and maybe his bat we'll carry from AAA to the ML. My main worry is that he'll develop bad working habits and get worse or something like that since he has nothing really to learn in AAA especially after seeing him just mash HR down there. Also Moore is moved down so he is once again being blocked.

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This makes me pissed

Especially because this happened because of the stupid ownership and their unflinching love of Kenji.

by Scrupio on Mar 29, 2009 10:13 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

It could be Clement and Burke/Johnson right now, but no.

I just hope Kenji rebounds.

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by JLProck on Mar 29, 2009 10:30 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

On the other hand, if Clement had come north and utterly sucked ass (a distinct possibility)

you risk retarding his development even more, which would kill any trade value he might have

by seattlebruin on Mar 29, 2009 4:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's a risk you absolutely have to take though

Because there’s nothing left for him to prove in AAA. Either he learns to hit major league pitching or he’s a bust and is of little value to anyone anyways. Mashing soft tossers in Tacoma isn’t going to help him at all, it just delays a risk that you’re going to have to take someday anyways if he’s going to be a part of this teams future. And the older he gets without taking that step the less valuable he is as well.

by OlSalty on Mar 29, 2009 4:45 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Jeremy Reed 2.0?

This blows, I don’t see how we can win without him.

by JI on Mar 29, 2009 10:32 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

The way I think of our catcher prospects right now...

Rob Johnson- Burkie! But can he pitch?
Jeff Clement- A lesser Mike Piazza a little less power a little better defense(But not that much really)
Adam Moore- A lesser Joe Mauer.

Is this pretty accurate?

You got slurved bitch.

by Slurvey on Mar 29, 2009 10:49 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

lesser can mean many different

degrees of things, I am a lesser Joe Mauer for example :)

by marinerdan on Mar 29, 2009 11:07 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know if Clement is a better defender than Piazza right now

Piazza had a noodle arm but besides that I don’t think he was so awful, and I think he called an alright game. Clement has problems with throwing, game calling, footwork, blocking pitches, catching breaking pitches…. he’s a pretty major liability right now. And trying to work on all those things while also trying to hit ML pitchers is maybe more than he can handle.

by Bearskin Rugburn on Mar 29, 2009 11:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Also, I haven't been following Adam Moore very closely

but I haven’t heard anyone be so confident in his bat as to compare him to Joe Mauer. I’d like to see how he does once he gets to Cheney before I’d project him to hit even like Pierzynski, let alone Mauer.

by Bearskin Rugburn on Mar 29, 2009 11:15 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hence the qualifier "lesser"

by Scrupio on Mar 29, 2009 11:53 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Moore's no Mauer...

I’ve been a big Adam Moore fanboy since he was drafted, but he’s nowhere close to Mauer.

I’d say he’s probably a sub-.800 OPS in Safeco bat with an average-ish glove. Not really an all-star, but an average player playing at catcher.

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by PositivePaul on Mar 30, 2009 9:48 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Average player playing at catcher

equals above average catcher?

by CKel on Mar 30, 2009 11:48 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pretty much, yes.

Non-position-adjusted league-average hitter + Non-position-adjusted league-average-fielder = above average catcher.

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by PositivePaul on Mar 31, 2009 10:33 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Or even a league-averaged position-adjusted defender...

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by PositivePaul on Mar 31, 2009 10:34 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sweeney, and now this

I do not like this. I do not like this one bit.

Although, we have to admit to ourselves that Clement, right now, appears to be the definition of a AAAA player. Not saying he won’t get past that in his maturation, but here’s a guy who clobbers the crap out of AAA hitting and can’t figure out what the hell a breaking ball looks like one level up.

by cwel87 on Mar 29, 2009 10:58 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I don’t know about the whole Piazza/Mauer thing but you had to know the M’s were going to make a decision on their catchers soon. I don’t see why some people are so shocked.

They might as well let Clement hopefully kill AAA again for awhile and get some decent trade value or trade him now and not even take the risk of him sucking in AAA as well. Johnson/Clement/Moore, someone had to go or change positions. I figured they would get stupid and try Clement at 1B/DH. I guess Bavasi really is gone. If they don’t make a trade I will start to panic like most because I don’t think Moore should be in AA either.

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by ChaseB on Mar 31, 2009 5:44 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs