After accepting an invitation from Minor League coordinator of instruction Pedro Grifol, veteran Mariners outfielder Raul Ibanez shared his experiences in the game, stressing the importance of never giving up, never giving in.
The Minor League players were told to be available for a 7:30 a.m. MST "meeting," a session that was supposed to last 30 minutes. But it lasted until 8:15 a.m., and judging from the response of some of the organization's prospects, it was a very worthwhile 45 minutes.
"It was good to hear from someone like [Ibanez] that you don't always have to be the highest Draft pick, or the highest-paid guy, to make it to the top," said Daniel Carroll, the Mariners' third-round selection in last year's First-Year Player Draft. "It was really nice for him to come over and talk to us."
A 36th-round Draft choice in 1992, Ibanez persevered through 10 seasons before finally reaching the Major Leagues for good with the Royals in 2002. A .300-plus hitter five times in the Minor Leagues with the Mariners, he never could stick with the big league club, getting short stints each season from 1996-2000 before being released.
Read that whole part for the reaction of Bryan LaHair, another late-round pick who played in Appleton.
But, here are the two parts of the story that may interest Rattler fans the most. First, it looks like Matt Mangini will not wear a Rattler uniform:
[Minor League Director Greg] Hunter mentioned Carroll as a player who could move through the farm system quickly, as could third baseman Matt Mangini -- the sandwich selection Seattle received as compensation for losing starting pitcher Gil Meche to free agency."He'll start the season at High Desert [in the Class A California League]," Hunter said.
Second, it looks like Jeff Clement ('05) is going to be just fine.
In his first game after being reassigned from the Major League camp, catcher Jeff Clement went 3-for-3 with a home run, two doubles and four RBIs in a Tacoma Rainiers victory over Oklahoma.
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