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• 2007 Mariners organizational flashback
• 2007 Mariners statistical overview • 2007 Mariners photo gallery Before the 2007 season began, MLB.com took an in-depth look at every big league team's Minor League system. Now, it's time to recap all 30 organizations, from top prospects to the recent draft class.
Coming into the 2007 season, we discussed the Mariners' place on the cutting edge of international scouting and how that big-picture world view of player acquisition has been the major contributor to the talent pool. That has not changed, and never has that been more evident than a look at the more-than 50 players Seattle brought into its instructional league camp after the '07 campaign, a group that was over 60 percent foreign-born and represented nine countries outside the United States. However, the showings of pitcher Brandon Morrow (2006), catcher Jeff Clement (2005) and outfielder Adam Jones (2003), all first-round picks, bode well for giving the Mariners some domestic bragging rights. On the field here at home, the Mariners' 2007 results were mixed. When it comes to win-loss records, the organization finished 23rd out of 30 systems with a .469 winning percentage, hurt largely by the fact that both of its Class A teams at High Desert (California) and Wisconsin (Midwest) finished last in its respective league at a combined 108-168. But the news was far from all bad. Many of the club's top upper-level prospects met or exceeded expectations on the field, especially on the offensive side, with a notable surge in their outfield prospects. Organizational Players of the Year PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
Wladimir Balentien,OF: Our preseason pick was absolutely one of a handful of players in contention for our postseason call. He enjoyed a standout season at Triple-A Tacoma, hitting .291 with 24 homers and 84 RBIs, raising his average 60 points from 2006 and hitting .667 in three games during his Major League debut. He also represented his native country of Curacao in the All-Star Futures Game, his second consecutive year on the World Team. Brandon Morrow, RHP: In nominating the 2006 first-rounder for the likely '07 award, we said, "Look for the Mariners to challenge him and look for him to respond in a big way." But we admit that we couldn't have expected he'd spend the entire season as one of the aces out of the bullpen, posting a 4.12 ERA in 60 games and striking out 66 in 63 1/3 innings. His Major League season was the reason he couldn't qualify for our postseason nod. He's currently playing in the Venezuelan Winter League, refining his stuff even further and tweaking his command (50 walks in those 63 1/3 innings) with a possible move into the rotation in mind for '08.
POSTSEASON SELECTIONS
Jesus Guzman, IF/OF: While the 23-year-old Venezuelan is not the best prospect in the organization, he still had the best season, High Desert factor notwithstanding. A California League All-Star at the utility position, the former full-time third baseman started games at first, second, shortstop and third, as well as left and right field. The majority of those starts were at second base but virtually all of them were in left field the final month of the season. In that span he hit .301 with 25 homers and 112 RBIs, and stayed consistent, getting even hotter late in the year as he batted .330 in August. Guzman finished third in the league with 38 doubles and sixth in the Minors in RBIs. He also ranked in the top 10 in the Minors in extra-base hits and total bases.
Robert Rohrbaugh, LHP: Like Guzman, Rohrbaugh may not be the organization's top pitching prospect but he had, by far, the best season and has come as far as anyone in the last two years, as the Mariners have let the 2005 seventh-rounder from Clemson move up two levels per season to bring him to the brink of the Majors. Between Double-A West Tennessee and Tacoma, Rohrbaugh combined to go 13-8 with a 3.12 ERA over a workhorse 170 1/3 innings, leading the organization in wins and finishing second among full-season pitchers in ERA and fifth in strikeouts (111). He posted a 3.28 ERA in the Southern League and a 2.95 ERA in 13 starts at Tacoma. Climbed the Ladder
Adam Jones, OF: The Mariners' likely Opening Day left fielder in 2008 has continued to make remarkable strides in his conversion from shortstop, where he was drafted in the first round of the 2003 draft, to the outfield in 2006. He has actually been a center fielder -- and a fine one, at that -- but rumor has it that slot is taken in Seattle by some guy named Ichiro. Jones hit .314 with 25 homers and 84 RBIs in 101 games at Tacoma this year and .246 in 41 games in the big leagues -- his second stint in Seattle. He continues to flash tools across the board including a strong arm and good range.
Jeff Clement, C: The Mariners' top pick in 2005 out of USC had been slowed by a series of injuries -- including knee and elbow trouble that cut out half of his 2006 season -- so he had yet to put up the kind of numbers the club had hoped. That changed in 2007 when he hit .275 with 20 home runs and 80 RBIs at Tacoma and batted .375 in nine big league games as well. He continues to improve defensively, and calls a good game.
Carlos Triunfel, SS: The Dominican bonus baby was the youngest player in the Midwest League at age 17. He showed no problems hitting against the "big kids," with a .308 average before he broke his thumb and went on the disabled list. When he healed and was deemed ready to return to action, the Mariners showed their belief in his ability to be fast-tracked by sending him to High Desert, where he batted .288 down the stretch. He combined to hit .296 on the season with 39 RBIs and while he continues to be a work in progress (his 162 strikeouts were fifth in the Minors), at age 17 that is no surprise. He has five-tool potential and could be in our preseason 2008 Player of the Year prediction picture.
Michael Saunders, OF: Saunders signed out of junior college in 2004, but as a Canadian native he could not get the required visa to start his pro career here until 2005. Since then the multi-talented athlete, who turned down a possible NHL career in favor of baseball, has made great strides, but none as great as those he made this year. He raised his average from .240 in 2006 to .298, hitting 15 homers and driving in 84 RBIs between High Desert and West Tennessee. He was also a member of the World Team in the Futures Game. Kept Their Footing
Ryan Feierabend, RHP: One of the youngest players in the Majors when he made his big-league debut down the stretch in 2006, Feierabend struggled in his 2007 Seattle stint, going 1-6 with an 8.03 ERA in 13 games -- nine starts. But he regrouped at Tacoma, posting a 3.99 ERA in 19 starts there and is very much in the mix for the Mariners' 2008 rotation. A third-round pick in 2003, the 21-year-old's "out" pitch is an outstanding circle changeup.
Bryan LaHair, 1B: A player who was barely on the radar two years ago, the 39th-round draft-and-follow pick from 2002 has been one of the club's top hitters over the last three seasons and continues to be so. The reason he makes this list as having kept his footing rather than climbing the ladder is the huge scramble he had already made up the rungs, hitting .310 with 22 home runs and 113 RBIs in 2005 and .309 with 16 homers and 74 RBIs in 2006. This year at Tacoma he batted .275 with 12 homers and 81 RBIs along with 46 doubles, which tied for seventh in the Minors.
Chris Tillman, RHP: Tillman was the Mariners' No. 2 pick last summer after Morrow. The lanky 6-foot-5 high school pick from California led the system this year with 139 strikeouts, going 1-4 with a 3.55 ERA in eight starts at Wisconsin and then 6-7 with a 5.26 ERA in 20 starts at High Desert. Throwing a fastball and curveball, the 19-year-old probably projects as the club's top young up-and-coming pitcher now that Morrow is in the Majors.
Greg Halman, OF: One of the club's international signings out of the Netherlands, the 20-year-old center fielder started the summer at Wisconsin but was hitting .182 by mid-June, prompting a return to his 2006 team, Class A Short-Season Everett. There he regrouped in a hurry, hitting .307 with 16 homers 37 RBIs and 16 steals. It was a humbling experience but that's not necessarily a bad thing for the powerful youngster who needs to work on plate discipline. Slipped a Rung Michael Wilson, OF: It has always been feast or famine for the power-hitting second-rounder from 2001, but this year it was more famine than feast as he hit .188 in 55 games at West Tenn with 89 strikeouts and 10 home runs. In 2006, while he fanned 156 times between Class A Advanced and Double-A, at least he also led the system in homers and RBIs. Justin Thomas, LHP: A fourth-rounder out of Youngstown State in 2005, "JT" was 14-6 with a 3.73 ERA between two Class A stops in his first full season in 2006, striking out 162 in 166 innings. This year at West Tenn he went 4-9 with a 5.51 ERA in 24 starts, giving up 147 hits in 119 1/3 innings and allowing Southern League batters a .308 average. Sebastien Boucher, OF: The book on the Canadian-born Boucher was raw but with great speed after he hit .248 at Double-A in 2006 but led the organization with 27 steals. Like his organization-mate Saunders, Boucher got his pro career off to a late start due to visa issues as a Canadian draftee. However, he hasn't developed as quickly as Saunders and hit just .219 with 13 steals in 59 games at West Tenn this year. With the outfield depth in the system, Boucher could be one of the odd men out. On The Radar
Adam Moore, C: The sixth-round pick in 2006 out of Texas-Arlington has absolutely jumped onto the radar in his first full season, hitting .307 with 22 homers and 102 RBIs at High Desert, while also flashing above-average defensive tools behind the plate. A contender for our Mariners Player of the Year honors, he finished second in the organization in average and RBIs, and posted a .543 slugging percentage en route to Cal League All-Star laurels.
Joe Woerman, RHP: An 11th-round pick in 2003, Woerman has really emerged this season, posting a 3.74 ERA in 144 1/3 innings at West Tenn, where his 124 strikeouts were second in the system and his ERA ranked 10th overall in the Southern League. Woerman, who pitched for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic in 2006, has been outstanding in the Arizona Fall League's first half as well with a 0.90 ERA in four starts. Juan Ramirez, RHP: Just 19, Ramirez signed as a free agent in 2005 and while he is still very much a project, he has one of the best arms in the system. He throws a lively mid-90s fastball and posted a 4.30 ERA in the Northwest League at Everett this year, striking out 71 in 75 innings and limiting hitters to a .211 batting average against.
Charlton Jimerson, OF: At age 28 and seven years in the pros behind him, Jimerson was very much on the radar for Astros' fans, but he's probably a new face and name for Mariners fans. The club signed him as a Minor League free agent late this spring, and though he missed the first month of the season because of that, he still put up career-best numbers -- combining for 25 homers, 80 RBIs and 35 steals between West Tenn and Tacoma. He was West Tenn's lone Southern League All-Star this year as he finished second in the league in home runs and fifth in steals. He also raised his average considerably. Originally a fifth-round pick in 2001 out of Miami, Jimerson could very much factor into the Mariners' big-league picture next year. 2007 Draft Recap 1. Phillippe Aumont, RHP: Aumont, a member of Team Canada, has yet to make his pro debut. Taken with the 11th overall pick, he signed late and headed to instructs and then to his national team for IBAF World Cup action. He throws a plus fastball and slider and has a good feel for the mound despite limited pitching time.
2. Matt Mangini, 3B: The club's supplemental first-round pick out of Oklahoma State is a pure line drive hitter whose power output has been limited due to back trouble. He hit .291 at Everett in his debut. 3. Denny Almonte, OF: The switch-hitter out of Florida Christian High School struggled a bit in his introduction to pro pitching, batting .161 in 18 games in the Arizona League and .100 in 20 at-bats at Everett, but the club loves his upside. Others of note: RHP Aaron Brown (ninth round) out of Houston posted a 1.95 ERA and six saves at Everett. ... RHP Nolan Gallagher (fourth round) had a disappointing season at Stanford, but posted an 0.84 ERA in six starts at Everett before moving up to Wisconsin, where he went 0-2 with a 4.58 ERA in four more starts. ... LHP Nick Hill(seventh round), drafted out of West Point, had an 0.51 ERA in 18 games in relief at Everett. ... CF Danny Carroll (third round) batted .323 with 27 steals in the Arizona League. A league All-Star selection, he finished fourth in batting and third in steals. ... RHP Jacob Wild (26th round), a University of Pacific product, posted a 1.88 ERA in 17 games -- four starts -- in Arizona to lead the organization in ERA. At 23 he was a bit old for the league so look for him to be accelerated down the line. ... The most interesting pick by the Mariners, and maybe the entire draft, was the 23rd-round choice of RHP Brodie Downs out of Modesto Junior College. At 28, he had left baseball for several years after high school before returning to the sport. The Mariners have accelerated him to see what he's got, and he finished the season at Tacoma after posting a 1.96 ERA in 11 games of relief at West Tenn. He's currently pitching in the Arizona Fall League.
Lisa Winston is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs. |
