A case where the headline gives away the story

Geoff Baker's blog post of 3/26

Why Matt Tuiasosopo has made the team as a backup infielder

One area the team won't have to think long and hard about is the backup infielder role. While nobody has announced it yet, Matt Tuiasosopo has that job nailed down.

The team is already facing too many questions about adding non-roster guys to the Opening Day squad: guys like Sweeney, or long relievers David Pauley and Jesus Colome should Doug Fister not be ready.

(By the way, the Mariners have decided to have Fister throw a couple of innings in a minor league game today ahead of his Cactus League outing slated for Monday).

With all of those non-roster guys creating questions, the team isn't about to waste time worrying about the backup infield spot that Tuiasosopo has made a case for himself at. Yes, Josh Wilson is also making a case for himself, but he's not on the 40-man roster. To add him, you'd have to take someone off. And then to send him back down to Class AAA, you'd risk losing him to another team.

Here is how it will all play out: Tuiasosopo will be on the team Opening Day as the backup infielder. Josh Wilson will go to AAA as insurance in the event that shortstop Jack Wilson gets hurt.

The team can live with Tuiasosopo at shortstop one or two days a week if need be.

But they can't live with it if Jack Wilson gets hurt and goes on the DL, or has to miss significant time.

In that case, Josh Wilson would be called up and Tuiasosopo sent to AAA because he still has options. The club would then worry about what happens with Josh Wilson when Jack comes back, but will cross that bridge if and when it comes to it.

Got it? Take it to the bank.

Comment from The Kid in 3...2...

This one's for The Kid

I should just post the headline.

Matt Tuiasosopo battles for a spot on the Mariners' opening-day roster

But, I won't.

In the corner of the Mariners' clubhouse where Matt Tuiasosopo's locker resides — just a couple down from Ken Griffey Jr. and across from Ichiro and Chone Figgins — it's not all that easy to get attention.

"They talk, I listen," Tuiasosopo said.

Tuiasosopo is again speaking loudly where it matters most — between the lines.

Just as he did in 2009, the Woodinville High grad is tearing up the Cactus League, hitting a homer and a double high off the center-field wall Friday in the Mariners' 6-6 tie with Kansas City to up his average to .474.

And he's doing it playing a different position just about every day.

Friday, he was at third base, but he also has two starts at shortstop and another at second base, showing versatility that makes him more valuable.

"He's doing exactly what he needs to do, that's the bottom line," Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said. "We'll end up making that decision (as to the opening-day roster), but he's doing exactly what we are looking for."

Click for the rest.

Mike, if you hunt around on the Seattle Times website, you might be able to order a few hard copies.

In another century...

...Mike Blowers, a Seattle Mariners radio commentator, would have been burned at the stake as a witch, er, warlock.

Too dark?

How about, in the last century, Houdini would have tried to debunk The Amazing Blowers power of foresight.

Why do I say that?

Click on this link to Shannon Drayer's page for 710 ESPN in Seattle.

The cast of characters are Blowers, Ford C. Frick Award Winner Dave Niehaus, and Matt Tuiasosopo ('05). There are a pair of audio links click them both in order.

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of pitchers? The Blowers knows.

Thanks to Dan over at The Daily Drink for the tip on this one.

Someone didn't have faith...

that I caught this certain event and would fail to mention it. So, I got this e-mail....then almost said to heck with it...But, then, that wouldn't be right.

The clouts included back-to-back jacks by Kenji Johjima and Matt Tuiasosopo in the fifth inning. Center fielder Franklin Gutierrez also hit a home run in the fifth.

Tuiasosopo's first career big league home run tied a club record. He became the 21st player this season to hit at least one homer, matching the record previously shared by the 1983 and '98 teams.

Rookies Adam Moore and Michael Saunders are the only position players currently on the roster who have not hit a home run with the Mariners.

"I knew I hit it well," Tuiasosopo said. "I had been reading [in the team notes package] that one of us had to hit a homer to tie the record and I told Saunders that now he has to get on board."

Video here

And how did you spend your Saturday afternoon?

Mariners infielder Matt Tuiasosopo living the dream this afternoon

What could be better than getting to watch the Washington Huskies beat the USC Trojans live ay Husky Stadium? Well, getting to leave at halftime because you're starting at second base tonight against C.C. Sabathia and the New York Yankees.

I spoke to Mariners Class AAA call-up Matt Tuiasosopo after today's thrilling 16-13 win by Washington. Remember, his brother is a quarterbacks coach for U-Dub while Matt was recruited to be a Washington QB. Tuiasosopo told me he attended the first half of the game and then had to leave to come here to Safeco Field.

"I could tell by the way we were playing and hanging around that if we could keep hanging around we might pull it off,'' he said. "Being there was great. It was just a great atmosphere.''

Too bad he couldn't stay. Normally, that would be a big deal -- missing such a huge finale.

"Nah, I'd much rather be here, believe me,'' he said. "Starting against Sabathia and the Yankees, that's a pretty big deal.''

Here's the game story from Geoff Baker

Having to leave Husky Stadium at halftime of this city's biggest college-football game in years would normally mean something to fret about.

But not for Matt Tuiasosopo, who abandoned the Washington-USC game in order to make it to Safeco Field in time to play for the Mariners. Tuiasosopo even got to show off his athleticism in a rare start at second base, giving his team plenty to consider this winter despite a forgettable 10-1 loss at the hands of the New York Yankees before 43,173.

"I'm just able to see the ball off the bat," said Tuiasosopo, who shifted from third base to second for a month at Class AAA before being called up last weekend. "I think playing at third and having to see the ball off the bat much quicker over there helps me adjust to it easier at second."

Tuiasosopo's day might have been an all-around success had the Mariners not been buried for seven strong innings by Yankees starter C.C. Sabathia. The lefty gave up just an unearned run and received plenty of run support from a squad that chased Doug Fister with six runs in four-plus innings.

And if someone comments before the president of the local chapter of the Tui for Pres chapter gets in here, I'll be amazed.

Report on Tui

Jason Churchill of Prospect Insider has his first installment of the Farm Report for 2008 in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The profile is a familiar name.

When the Mariners handed out more than $2 million to their third-round draft pick in June 2004, the record signing bonus for Woodinville native Matt Tuiasosopo was expected to be well worth the investment.

Nearly four years later, scouts are beginning to wonder if baseball ever is going to click for the former Washington quarterback recruit.

"There are always concerns when an athlete is giving up one or two other sports to focus on baseball," said an assistant scouting director of an AL team. "Sometimes they take to baseball easily, sometimes it takes years."

Although Tuiasosopo flashed the ability to hit for extra bases early in his career during short stints with the club's two short-season affiliates, there have been fewer questions answered than most initially expected.

Plenty of scout talk follows and a recap of the tough time Tuiasosopo had at Double-A. Then, there is this at the end.

"We've been working on getting his hands to settle in," Tacoma hitting coach Alonzo Powell said. "He sees the ball well and can go the other way, and getting his hands to a more steady position will allow him to get the bat head out in front more often. That's where the power is going to come from."

The latest scouting reports no longer lead off with comments about him being more of an athlete than a hitter.

"No, he's shown he can learn, he works hard and is developing now," the AL executive said.