Seattle Mariners Top 5

Though the Mariners have opened some eyes by promoting some players extremely aggressively, the team has improved upon its record in each of the last three seasons and boasts its share of young talent. So it’s difficult to really doubt them. Still, decisions like sending a 17-year-old to High-A (Carlos Triunfel) after less than 50 games in the lower minors are far from the norm. And it doesn’t help that Asdrubal Cabrera – a prospect who Seattle pushed to Triple-A at the age of 20 then essentially gave up on – is now shining in the playoffs. Nonetheless, there’s star talent in this organization that could help the team make plenty of more runs at an AL West Championship.

1. Jeff Clement, C (8/21/83)

Clement finally started showing signs of the promise the Mariners anticipated when they drafted him third overall in 2005. Healthy and playing in the Pacific Coast League for the bulk of the season, he improved upon his 2006 Tacoma OPS by almost 200 points. Clement’s lefty/right splits are a little scary (.315/.424/.669 vs. LHP .259/.348/.430 vs. RHP) and there are some people who think he merely beat up on a bunch of weak lefties. We don’t see the 24-year-old as a future star but he could certainly go on to be an above-average regular, especially if he sticks behind the plate.

2. Wladimir Balentien, LF (7/2/84)

A prospect who was no where to be found on Top 100 lists last spring, Balentien has earned every ounce of respect that he gets from us. When I saw him at the Futures Game, I said “Hi” but didn’t instruct our photographer to go out of his way to shoot him. His ended his Triple-A season with a .291/.362/.509 line (477 at-bats), slowing considerably in the second half. He was only awarded three MLB at-bats in September. Balentien could make his way into the Mariners’ everyday lineup at some point this season. He’s a solid bet to become at least an average regular.

3. Carlos Triunfel, SS (2/27/90)

While Angel Villalona and his $2.1 M signing bonus absorbed most of the teenage International free agent spotlight last year, Triunfel, who received $1.3 M himself, stole a fair share by exploding onto the scene in 2007. The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder began his pro career in Low-A but endured a broken thumb near the end of May that sidelined him until early-July, when he was sent on a rehab assignment to rookie ball. Shockingly, the Mariners sent the young Dominican native to High-A once he was ready to return to full-season ball. Triunfel hit .296/.333/.367 in 371 at-bats on the year. He averaged less than one extra-base hit a week and didn’t leave the yard once all year. Power is still a major concern for the 17-year-old, but it’s hard to ignore everything he accomplished in his first minor league season.

4. Phillippe Aumont, RHP (1/7/89)

Aumont is quite the wild card. Because he went to school in Canada, where his high school didn’t even have a baseball team, he was flown to the U.S. for showcase workouts during the U.S. high school season. While at times his background has been questioned his talent has never been an issue. And right now it’s hard to argue against the fact that Aumont has front-of-the-rotation potential. Like many of 2007‘s first rounders, Aumont didn’t sign in time to play regular season games this year. The $1.9 M bonus baby could make his way into a full-season league by the middle of 2008.

5. Matt Tuiasosopo, 3B (5/10/86)

We like Tuiasosopo in large because he’s a relatively safe bet to become a big leaguer. The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder doesn’t project to be above-average and represents a huge dropoff from the prospects above. But his traditional stat line from 2007 is quite misleading. Though we’ve said it many times before, the baseball community could probably afford to hear it thousands more times: Batting average is not a good indicator to rely upon for projecting future success. It does provide some insight into a player’s ability to make contact, but it can easily fluctuate 30 points in one direction or the other in one season. So before you write off Tuiasosopo’s 2007 season because he only hit .260, note that he posted an excellent line drive rate (20%). And he vastly improved his plate discipline from 2006 to 2007 (0.28 BB/K vs. 0.67). He also generally hit the ball sharply when he did put it in play. We believe that Tuiasosopo’s bat will earn him a regular job in the big leagues, even if he doesn’t wind up being a middle-of-the-order hitter.

Honorable Mentions:

I’m not high on Chris Tillman, a 19-year-old righthanded pitcher who reached High-A in his first full season. Statistically he does very little for me, but his projectability still makes him a worthy honorable mention. Michael Saunders put up excellent extra-base totals while primarily playing center field in High-A and Double-A, though his doubles total easily outnumbered his home run total. Third baseman Matt Mangini, the 52^nd overall pick in 2007, has the potential to be an above-average big league hitter. A towering lefty, Tony Butler profiles more as a reliever than a starter in our books. But he could help fill out an impressive mix of young arms that figures to help Seattle contend for years to come.

Adam Foster can be reached at adamf@projectprospect.com.