Mariners Notes: Balentien, Triunfel
- The Mariners announced today that they optioned top OF prospect Wladimir Balentien to Triple-A Tacoma. Balentien certainly didn’t fail to impress the Mariners with his stellar spring. He went 15 of 47 (.319) with 9 RBI and a team-leading 3 HR. When discussing why the Mariners decided to demote Balentien rather than keep him with the big league club, skipper John McLaren compared his situation to that of top catching prospect Jeff Clement:
“We don’t want those guys sitting around as extra players. We want them playing on a regular basis.”
With his impressive spring, though, it might not be long before Balentien is getting regular playing time at the big league level. Keep an eye on this talented young OF.
- While both Balentien and Clement have impressed all this spring, it is another young Mariners prospect that all the scouts are raving about, Carlos Triunfel. The 18-year-old has everyone who sees him calling him a future superstar. While he’s an adequate SS right now, most feel he’ll end up at 3B. And as Larry Stone of The Seattle Times speculates in his article, Triunfel could end up being the long-term replacement for Adrian Beltre as the Mariners 3B when Beltre leaves after 2009.Here’s a quick scouting report from ESPN’s Keith Law, who is very impressed with the Mariners ability to scout internationally:
“He’s an offensive shortstop who is strong and getting stronger, with more room to fill out in the future, as he turned 18 just last month. A right-handed hitter, he puts great backspin on the ball and wears out the right-center gap with searing line drives. His bat speed is plus and he keeps his hip rotation timed with his swing; he transfers his weight a little early, and might need to correct that to reach his maximum power output. His pitch recognition needs work, but the M’s have pushed him up the ladder and he hasn’t stumbled.”
MLB Prospect News on March 24th 2008 in 3B, C, Carlos Triunfel, Jeff Clement, MLBPN Top Prospects, Mariners Prospects, OF, SS, Wladimir Balentien
