Mound Talk

1. Jeff Clement, C, MLB. Clement has power and takes a great approach to hitting. His complete scouting report can be found HERE. He is a decent defensive catcher and is forcing Seattle to put him in the lineup with the way he’s played. Clement set the all-time prep home run record while in high school and challenged the NCAA record while at USc. Look for him to make an impact next season.
2. Wladimir Balentien, RF, MLB. He was 22 for most of this season in Triple A hitting .291/.362/.509 with 24 home runs and 24 doubles. He has some speed and plays average defense. He has really cut down on his strikeouts over the past few seasons and, though he doesn’t take walks at an astounding rate, it is adequate. Balentien definitely had his break out this season and is ready for a shot in the bigs where he could hit 25 home runs next season, given the at-bats.
3. Carlos Triunfel, SS, A+. The 17 year old climbed his way up to High-A ball in his first professional season and held his own. He hit .296/.333/.367 in 371 at-bats over Rookie-ball, Low-A and High-A in 2007. He showed little power but rarely struck out and made very good contact all season. Defensively, Triunfel was challenged. He committed 38 errors and had a fielding percentage of .919. He will eventually move to third base.
4. Phillipe Aumont, RHSP, HS. Drafted in the first round, Aumont has a lively fastball, size and projectability. He played for Team Quebec in high school and will make his professional debut next season.
5. Chris Tillman, RHSP, A+. Tillman split time this year between the Low-A and High-A affiliates doing well in both spots. The 19 year old cruised through Low-A spending just eight starts and 33 innings with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. In High Desert he had 20 starts and over 102.2 innings, struck out 105 batters.
6. Tony Butler, LHSP, A. Butler threw 85.1 innings in the Midwest League this year striking out 73 and allowing 46 walks. He was fairly susceptible to the long ball and at 19 year old, showed some signs of fatigue. Butler has a good fastball but merely average pitches after that. He needs to work on refining his secondary stuff in order to get back to the same level he was after his outstanding pro debut in
7. Matt Tuiasosopo, 3B, AA. Selected in the third round of the 2004 draft out of high school, Tuiasosopo had been fairly dissapointing up until this seaosn. He wasn’t hitting the ball well and wasn’t developing any power. His strikeout rate was high and he didn’t draw enough walks. That changed this year. He hit .260/.371/.404 including 41 extra base hits for the Double-A West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx of the Southern League. While his strikeouts remain a concern, he walked more and showed flashes of power. He is a very interesting prospect to watch moving forward and could shoot up the prospect ranking boards with a good season next year.
8. Michael Saunders, OF, AA. Drafted out of high school in 2005, Saunders has taken a while to come into his own. He started the year at 20 years old in High-A and spent 15 games in Double-A to end the year. He hit a combined .298/.390/.470 with 15 home runs and 26 doubles. Saunders has speed and could be a 25-30 stolen base threat per year. With some pop, average discipline, good defense and some speed, Saunders projects to be a 3rd or 4th outfielder at the big league level.

9. Matt Mangini, 3B, A+. Drafted out of Oklahoma State this year, Mangini had stops in Rookie-ball, Short-season-A and High-A this year putting a combined line of .252/.353/.395. He hit four home runs and five doubles in 147 at-bats. There are defensive questions though. Mangini broke out in the Northwoods League, a Summer Collegiate League that uses wood bats. He has good power and should become a solid hitter but might require a position change.
10. Greg Halman, OF, A. Halman has struggled statistically since he became a professional in 2005 as a 17 year old but has tremendous talent. Very good defensively
Flier. Juan Ramirez, RHSP, A-. Ramirez threw 75.1 innings in his professional debut this season for the Mariners Short-Season-A affiliate. Though he wasn’t overly impressive statistically, Ramirez has a load of talent. He boasts the best fastball in their system.

The Mariners have managed to create a reputation of advancing prospects too rapidly and paying the consequences. Looking at their system now, they have, over the past two years done a good job of drafting younger guys and letting them develop. Though they do not have the statistics to back up the talent, the talent they have, particularly in their pitching, is undeniable. Clement, Balentien and Triunfel represent three blue-chippers and they just barely graduated another, Adam Jones.