MiLB's Mariner Top 10 Prospects

A mid-day post for you because I didn't want to wait until Saturday morning to post about it. Kevin T. Czerwinski has this article up over at MiLB.com. You may have also seen it on the main Timber Rattler site.

Seattle serves up international flavor

The United Nations is on the East River in New York City. But if you ask Seattle fans where the world body actually gathers to meet, some may tell you it's at Safeco Field.

The Mariners have done a marvelous job in recent years mining the international market, gathering top-flight talent from Canada, the Dominican Republic, Taiwan, Holland and even Italy. International Director of Scouting Bob Engle has spared no expense in building Seattle's prospect base with parts from all around the globe, and the results have been impressive.

Throw in what Vice President of Scouting and Player Development Bob Fontaine has been able to accomplish and, well, the M's appear well stocked for the foreseeable future. And though the club has brought in several players to compete for the outfield vacancy created by trading Adam Jones to Baltimore in the Erik Bedard deal, don't be surprised if another youngster, Curacao native Wladimir Balentien, gets a long look this spring.

From there you can read about (and hear some highlights of):
Phillippe Aumont
Nick Hill
Matt Tuiasosopo
Greg Halman
Adam Moore
Yung Chi Chen
Carlos Triunfel
Juan Ramirez
Michael Saunders
Bryan LaHair
Alex Liddi
Justin Thomas

Also included in an On the Verge sidebar are Jeff Clement and Balentien.

Here are the details about the three players on that list who have not donned a Rattler uniform:

Aumont:

"He's a very humble kid," Director of Player Personnel Greg Hunter said. "He pitched for the Canadian National Team last year, but overall he hasn't been pitching all that long. He didn't get a lot of competitive innings last year, so he's feeling his way through it. He works hard, though, and he's a competitor."

Hunter said it hasn't been decided where Aumont will begin this season. He could go straight to Wisconsin in the Midwest League or he could stay in extended Spring Training. Either way, Hunter said the club wouldn't hold Aumont back other than to monitor the amount of innings he throws.

Hill:

The Mariners took the former Army star in the seventh round last year after he pitched in relative obscurity for much of his career at West Point. The fact that neither of the New York teams or even Philadelphia latched onto this kid is surprising. Based on what he showed in his debut last summer, Seattle may have gotten the steal of the draft.
...
"With his makeup and ability he has a good chance to move, and we've pushed prospects in the past," Hunter said. "He still has to go out and perform, but he's a guy who could move pretty quick." Hunter said the club, as far as he's aware, isn't going to lose Hunter to active military duty during the season.

Ramirez:

The youngster has a good low-to-mid-90s fastball and could prove to be a dominant factor this year in the Midwest League. If he can keep his walk total in check -- the higher he climbs, the more selective batters will be -- there's no reason his record won't catch up to his other numbers in 2008.

"He's got good life on his fastball, but he needs to work on commanding it and he needs work on his secondary stuff," Hunter said. "He's a good-size right-hander, which you love to have in your system. And you really can't look at the win-loss record early in his career. Sometimes other things stick, and with him, from a scout's perspective, there's a lot to work with there."

Check out the whole thing.