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Here's one of those Good News-Bad News things

Mariners promote Saunders from Minors
Fellow outfielder Balentien designated for assignment

In an attempt to bolster their struggling lineup, the Mariners selected outfielder Michael Saunders from Triple-A Tacoma and designated outfielder Wladimir Balentien for assignment on Saturday.

The team now has 10 days to trade, release or outright Balentien to the Minors.

Saunders, 22, was selected by the Mariners in the 11th round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft. He was hitting .310 with 13 home runs and 32 RBIs in Tacoma, where he's spent this entire season. He'll be in uniform and available to play in Saturday's game against Cleveland, and his first appearance will be his Major League debut.

Saunders was a Rattler in 2006 and did make his Major League debut today against Cleveland. Balentien was a Rattler in 2004.

Here is the news from Geoff Baker's blog with Larry Stone filling in for, um, Geoff Baker.

Anyhow, Saunders got the news at 11:30 p.m. last night. His mother and father were already in town to see him play for Class AAA Tacoma, so he woke them up at their hotel room, delievered the news, and told him they'd be seeing major league action today. Some of his good freinds are also down here.

"I didn't sleep a wink, actually, to tell you the truth,'' he said. "I was moving around all night, my heart was thumping.''

Saunders had surgery on his right labrum and took seven months to recover. He missed te first month of the season and says he was "still rehabbing'' as he played. The biggest part was getting his throwing arm back up to speed.

His bat was fine.

"I've widened my stance a little and that's helped me kind of track baseballs and be a little bit more consistent at the plate,'' he said. "I've worked a lot with (AAA hitting coach) Alonzo Powell down there and he's helped me out a lot, taught me about the mental side of hitting.''

Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said the move was made because the team feels Saunders is ready to be the future left fielder. But there were also short-term considerations as well.

Good luck, Michael.

Why the G-N-R lyric? What else can I go with when faced with this headline?

Wladimir Balentien shows better patience after late arrival to spring training

Taking his time is something Wladimir Balentien has forced himself to do since his spring training began.

Some might joke that the Curacao native was already doing that beforehand, seeming to take most of February just to make it to Mariners camp. A well-documented visa problem, caused by his ripping out wet pages from his passport that a cousin had dunked in water, led to his getting stuck in Venezuela and arriving in Arizona nearly two weeks late.

And now, he's trying to impress a new coaching staff in a short time period with his left-field job having been all-but-handed to Endy Chavez. But even though Balentien says he has tried to catch up by working harder, the second-year major-leaguer insists he isn't about to rush things to prove himself in limited time.

"That's a mistake I made last year," said Balentien, who had two singles in a 5-3 loss for the Mariners to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. "I tried to do more than I could do and I didn't get results."

Need a little patience, yeah
Just a little patience, yeah
Some more patience

Balentien reports to camp

As the Wladimir Balentien saga dragged on for two weeks, Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu joked that the outfielder was slowly swimming toward spring training from his native Curacao.

Balentien at last reached shore Saturday night and reported for workouts Sunday. Visa problems, apparently stemming from pages having been torn from Balentien's passport, caused the delay.

Balentien got as far as Venezuela, where officials rejected his passport. The ensuing red tape caused him to miss nearly two weeks of camp.

It was a terrible time for the 24-year-old to be absent, with a new coaching staff and plenty of competition in the outfield.

"I was nervous because I know the situation I'm in right now," he said. "I should have been in camp before anyone, and with the visa problem I was frustrated. But I'm over it now, and I'm in camp, and I've got to work harder to make up for the time I lost."

Later, in a different note at the same link:

Ryan Rowland-Smith's roommate, former Mariner Chris Snelling, is back in town, at least for a few days. Snelling, a free agent, is part of the Australian team for the World Baseball Classic, and the Aussies are training in Peoria.

"It's been great seeing them," said Rowland-Smith, who turned down a spot on his native country's team in order to stay and compete for a job in the Seattle rotation. "It doesn't make it harder, or make me regret my decision, though. It might be tough watching the (WBC) games on TV and stuff like that, but it'll be over soon."

The Mariners and the Australians will play an exhibition game Wednesday night.

"I was talking to some of the guys, and they said I should walk out there in a Mariners uniform and just rip it off and have the Australian one underneath," Rowland-Smith said.

To rip off a joke from USS Mariner...My God! That's Australia's Music!

When you are fighting for a starting job in the Major Leagues, this is not good.

Outfielder Wladimir Balentien remains in Curaco with visa problems. Given the number of players who want his job in left field – Ken Griffey Jr., Endy Chavez, Mike Morse, Mike Wilson and Greg Halman – each day lost could be precious. The team is out of options with Balentien and Morse, so if they don’t make the team, they’ll be put on waivers.

Balentien ('04) is out of options? He is trying to get to Spring Training from Curacao.

Wladimir Balentien ('04) is the focus of this article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Balentien, 24, has power -- four consecutive 20-plus homer seasons in the minor leagues, including 25 in the 2008 season split between Triple-A Tacoma (18) and Seattle (seven). But Balentien didn't hit for average (.202 with the Mariners in 243 at-bats) and struck out 79 times.

With left fielder Raul Ibanez departing via free agency, the Mariners have 110 RBIs and 23 home runs to replace. So Balentien, who hails from Curacao, will get a good long look at spring training in Peoria, Ariz.

But, there might be a slight dilemma:

Balentien will have the opportunity to play for the Netherlands in the 16-team World Baseball Classic starting March 5 because Curacao is a former Dutch colony.

Like most players, Balentien is intrigued with the idea of representing his country in baseball's elite international competition. But if he does, it will take him away from the Mariners at a time when he could be making his case to be the left fielder.

Neither general manager Jack Zduriencik nor manager Don Wakamatsu was with the Mariners last season; neither has much more than a passing acquaintance with Balentien's skills. The more he is around this spring, the better his chance of a regular job in the lineup.

"The player has to do what's best for him and his country," Wakamatsu said Monday. "It's obvious he wants to play for his country. Balentien is a guy who is going to come in and compete for a job. If he doesn't get the at-bats, we might not get the chance to see him enough."

Tough choice. Much like the one that Ryan Rowland-Smith ('02, '03) faces.

Balentien regains form
Outfielder adjusts after demotion, having hot July

At the end of the season's first month, the Mariners called up outfielder Wladimir Balentien for a big league audition. The club was beginning what is sure to ultimately become a rebuilding process after a disastrous start to the 2008 campaign, and was looking to find out just how much its farm system had to offer.

Balentien struggled between flashes of power in Seattle, hitting just .196 with 35 strikeouts in 117 plate appearances, and was optioned back to Triple-A Tacoma on June 16.

He's turned that around.

Geoff Baker takes a look at Wladimir Balentien (WI '04) and a very big improvement he has made in his game.

Growing up on the Caribbean island of Curacao, the baseball prodigy was fortunate to get in a couple of practices and maybe one game per week as a teenager. The aspiring Mariners outfielder, known for explosive natural power, figures the lack of daily repetition early might explain his current tag as somewhat of a hacker.

Improving his plate discipline and making more contact is now the 23-year-old's primary goal as he attempts to land a backup outfielder job against some stiff competition this spring.

"I'm trying to be a better contact hitter," said Balentien, who went down swinging in a pinch-hit appearance in Seattle's 3-3 tie in 10 innings with the San Francisco Giants on Thursday at Peoria Stadium.

"Every year, it's getting a little better. Last year, I stuck out 105 times and it was the lowest I've ever had. This year, my goal is to have less than 100."

Two years ago, Balentien struck out 140 times in Class AA. Three years ago, it was 160 strikeouts in Class A ball. But lingering concerns, however minor, about possible holes in Balentien's swing could ultimately be what lands him at Class AAA once again — at least to start the year.

There is more about the competition between Balentien and Michael Morse for the fourth outfielder spot, some of the drills Balentien is using to cut down the K's, and a little more on, um, Balentien.