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by MfaninAlaska on Feb 15, 2008 9:29 AM PST

Picture of a slimmed down Felix starts it off...

but the big topic was, he talked with McLaren about the posibility of Balentein making the club out of spring since he had said the Clement wouldn't unless he was playing fulltime.

Mac said that Balentein would likely get alot more at-bats in a bench role then clement would because of Wilkerson's history. He also said that some of the top people in the organization strongly believe that Balentein has better bat potential then Adam Jones....

He has an audio clip with Mac on his blog.

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I can buy that

Wlad may yet end up as a better hitter than Jones.

by Matthew on Feb 15, 2008 9:45 AM PST reply actions

That would still be something of a shock

given Wlad's problems with contact, his struggles in AA, etc.
I know Dave Cameron and others think he's in another (much lower) league to Jones purely as a hitter, so it's encouraging to read alternate viewpoints.

I thought I was Wlad's biggest fan, but I think he was clearly a step behind last year (despite being older). I can see him making another leap this year, the way Jones did in 2007.

I think the team loves how coachable he is; that he absorbed a lot of info last year that translated into improved plate discipline.

by marc w on Feb 15, 2008 9:57 AM PST up reply actions

One other thing

Balentien might actually be the type of right-handed power hitter who can succeed at Safeco. The short list of right-handed hitters who Safeco has not killed (Edgar, pre-collapse Boone, A-Rod, pre-collapse Sexson) is composed of players who had excellent raw power and were not dead pull hitters.

Balentien obviously has the raw power, and based on his 2007 numbers with Tacoma, showed some ability to hit the other way. His distribution of line-drive and fly-ball hits was 31 to LF, 38 to CF, and 18 to RF. He also did not have a huge home/road split despite playing half his games in an extreme pitcher's park:

286/363/469 at home
302/363/543 on the road

Safeco's effect of increasing strikeouts and decreasing walks does not help him, but there is at least some indication that Wlad will not turn into Mike Cameron at Safeco.

Adam Jones? Don't ask (he actually hit better at home than on the road).

by G_ on Feb 15, 2008 11:56 AM PST up reply actions

I totally agree

I think it's a bit odd that Wlad's been pigeonholed as a dead-pull hitter.

What I want to see is an increase in his overall LD rate. Wlad's 07 was quite similar to Adam's 06 (though Wlad's 07 was better). Jones improved his LD% and became one of the elite prospects in baseball. We'll see what Wlad does.

by marc w on Feb 15, 2008 1:07 PM PST up reply actions

Question.

Where did you find ballpark factors, like how Safeco increases K's and lowers BB's.

Thanks

So what would Brian Boitano do if he were here today? I'm sure he'd kick an ass or two, that's what Brian Boitano'd do!

by MarinerintheDistrict on Feb 16, 2008 9:05 AM PST up reply actions

"They Play In Parks"

THT Annual, 2006.

by Jeff Sullivan on Feb 16, 2008 1:37 PM PST up reply actions

Sweet thanks.

I actually ordered that 2 weeks ago. Now with international shipping and ridiculous Danish import taxes and regulations, I should have it sometime before I come home in May.

So what would Brian Boitano do if he were here today? I'm sure he'd kick an ass or two, that's what Brian Boitano'd do!

by MarinerintheDistrict on Feb 16, 2008 5:24 PM PST up reply actions

What's with McLaren making a sensical analysis?

Clement NOT in the Majors yet because he has too high a ceiling? Who is he? Why is he making sense?

....So.....Cold.......

...and now I'm here

by CapSea on Feb 15, 2008 9:46 AM PST reply actions

Mac has also said

that whatever team moved back to a 4-man rotation first would have a pretty big competitive advantage over others.

He also mentioned during the Seattle SABR event that they're aware of the Ms '07 pythag record.

Of course then he said they won't platoon Raul because you cannot platoon your 3-hole hitter.

by Matthew on Feb 15, 2008 9:51 AM PST up reply actions

SO.........Cold...................................

...and now I'm here

by CapSea on Feb 15, 2008 10:04 AM PST up reply actions

Ugh

I'm going to go throw up now

by mariners124m on Feb 15, 2008 10:40 AM PST up reply actions

Some of the top people in the organization

think Horacio Ramirez has redeeming value.

by Jeff Sullivan on Feb 15, 2008 9:57 AM PST reply actions

That's frightening

unless by "redeeming value" they mean "can park cars in the valet lot at Safeco".

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Feb 15, 2008 10:02 AM PST up reply actions

Maybe if you turn him into an IHOP

you get a free rooty tooty fresh and fruity.

...and now I'm here

by CapSea on Feb 15, 2008 10:05 AM PST up reply actions

If you were paying $5,000

for season tickets to Mariners games plus whatever concessions and parking and souvenirs and etc. cost, would you really trust Horacio Ramirez to park your car any more than you would trust him to not suck at his day job?

by seattlebruin on Feb 15, 2008 10:10 AM PST up reply actions

Good point

but if I had that kind of money, I could just buy a new car and then have HoRam fired for wrecking my old one.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Feb 15, 2008 10:12 AM PST up reply actions

Well...

And Bavasi likes him so much that he threatened to slash my throat for dissin' him at FanFest...

Ill Ligitamus Non Carberendum

by PositivePaul on Feb 15, 2008 10:08 AM PST up reply actions

Organization

was extremely high on Jones....

So they can't be wrong all the time about stuff...

but I get your point, we shouldn't take anything this organization says about individual players and their possible abilities seriously....

by MfaninAlaska on Feb 15, 2008 10:08 AM PST up reply actions

Balentien

haven't seen him play but the reports are pretty unanimous in the claim that he can handle most fastballs but is pretty helpless against breaking stuff. AAA is composed, at least in part, of pitchers still developing their secondary pitches, which would conceal this weakness of his. It won't fly in the majors. There certainly are successful FB hitters in the majors, but they have better pitch recognition and discipline, or are anomalies named Beltre.

by Bearskin Rugburn on Feb 15, 2008 12:23 PM PST reply actions

Actually, Beltre

is about what I think Wlad could be if he took no more significant steps forward in hitting skills. They're pretty close profile-wise.

by Matthew on Feb 15, 2008 12:26 PM PST up reply actions

I think this is overstated

It's not like people in AAA have never heard of a breaking ball. Seriously, it's not like pitchers throw 99% fastballs down there.

He's not a great offspeed hitter, but he's certainly not hopeless. Adam Jones, early in '06, looked worse. Now, Wlad's older and given his MiLB experience he'd be pretty worthless if he couldn't at least fight off a breaking ball at this point...

by marc w on Feb 15, 2008 1:09 PM PST up reply actions

in an utterly random ST note

apparently three weeks warning of an impending move wasn't enough time for Bedard to remember to pack his own stuff for Peoria, as he had to borrow Jeremy Reed's glove yesterday.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Feb 15, 2008 1:03 PM PST reply actions