Outfield prospect Wladimir Balentien, 23, has performed well at every level of the minors and turned his game up a notch last season at Triple-A Tacoma. He has always had middle-of-the-order power, but was more of a slugger than a hitter until the 2007 season.
"He was a free swinger, really," said one American League scout. "Not really all-or-nothing, but close. Lots of problems making contact and his swing was longer than ideal."
Balentien came into 2007 having posted 300 strikeouts over the previous two seasons. The power remained, but the whiffs were holding him back. And then he flipped the switch.
"It just looked like it started clicking for him, not one thing in particular," said the scout. "He began to stay off that breaking ball away and put himself into better counts."
And that has continued:
"Wlad has made strides in all areas the past year or so," said Rainiers hitting instructor Alonzo Powell. "He's putting together good at-bats, grinding them out, and he gets good pitches to hit more often than he was before.
"He's not a swinger, he's a hitter, and that's what we've worked on since day one. He has a chance to be a really good run producer."
...in the major leagues....shortly.
*-sorry about the video quality. And yes. that is Peter Graves as the emcee.
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