Player Profile #2: Jeff Clement

Player Profile's 2nd installment will cover another Mariner, 24 year old Jeff Clement. Jeff Clement was born August 21st, 1983 in Marshalltown, IA, and attended the University of Southern California. In 2005 the Mariners drafted him in the 1st round with the 3rd pick, with the hopes he could become a franchise catcher. Clement made his pro debut at low class A, and ended 2005 in A. He played 34 games, and batted .315/.387/.508 with 6 homers. In 2006 he started the season at AA, and after just 15 games, in which he performed averagely, he was called up to AAA. This act was hurried apparently, as Clement struggled severly through 64 games at the highest minor league level, hitting .257 with little power and a low OBP of .321(His SLG% was just .347). The M's kept Clement in AAA despite his struggles, and it payed off in 2007, when his power developed and he launched 20 Homers and 35 doubles. His eye also improved vastly, as he took 61 Base on Balls. Despite Clements success, Bill Bavasi signed Kenji Jojhima to a multi-year deal. This meant that Clement would start '08 in AAA, again. In 2007, in September, Jeff was called up, and hit .375 and put on quite the show. So, in '08 Clement got hot, hitting .337 /.457/.680 in 47 games, along with 14 Homers. This performance earned him a call up, as Kenji was struggling. However, he was sat on the bench at first. After Bavasi's firing, he was given more time. Unfortunately, he has struggled in the bigs. In 38 games, he is hitting a horrible .165 / .250 / .331 with an OPS+ of just 57. In his September call up it was 237. So for now, all M's fan can do is hope Clement turns around, and that Kenji is traded for a replacement of Sexson.

Notes:Rauch Traded to Arizona!!

Notes: 6 foot 11 Jon Rauch , the Nationals closer this year do to a shoulder injury to Chad Cordero, has been traded to the Diamondbacks for speedy 23-year old infielder Emilio Bonifacio. This deal is definately in favor of Arizona, as Emilio is only average at best, while Rauch has put up outstanding numbers. So far this year he is 4-2 with 17 saves and a 2.98 ERA, with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 44-t0-7.

Player Profile

Every week or so I will do a player profile of an active player, just to sort of give a scouting report and a view on the players career. For my first report, I will profile one of Seattle's most hated, Jose Vidro, to see how he has performed . So, here it is:

Jose Vidro was born in 1974 on August 27th in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. Drafted in 1992 by the Expos in the 6th round, Vidro debuted on June 8th, 1997, for Montreal. That year, through 67 games and 169 AB's, he hit .249/.297/.367 with 2 Homers and 17 RBI's. '98 was very simular, with just 40 more at bats, and it was not until 1999 that he became a regular. Vidro put up surprisingly good numbers for a man who had struggled so badly up to that point, batting .304/.346/.476 with 12 Homers and 59 RBI's, but walking a mear 29 times. 2000 would be the breakout. Vidro went on a 200 hit attack batting .330/.379/.540 and earning an all star appearance. Those numbers are simular to Chase Utley from a couple of years ago, so it is obvious that Vidro at one point knew how to hit. Walks were still low, as he only had 49, which sounds better but was in around 200 more at bats. Over the next three years Vidro averaged about 16-17 homers and batted around .315, but his slugging percentage would never top .500 again. His eye, however, continued to slowly improve, until in 2003 he walked 69 times and struck out just 50, which was good for a .397 OBP, a career best. 2004 would be along the lines

of '99. In 2005 the Expos moved to Washington and spacious RFK Stadium. It was here that Vidro's career went upside down. He lost half of 2005 to a leg injury, but when he played all numbers were down. In 2006 on the outside he appeared to rebound, batting .289 with a .348 OBP, more around his averages. But he was virtually powerless, hitting just 26 doubles and 7 HR's, good, or bad, for a .395 SLG%. The warning signs were everywhere, but on December 18th, 2006 Santa gave Seattle fans a big lunp of coal. Bavasi dim-wittedly traded Emiliano Fruto and Chris Snelling for Vidro. 2007 looked like the previous year but better, with a .314 Average and a .381 OBP(2nd Highest of Career). But, the power went out. In nearly a 100 more AB's than '06, Vidro hit a career low 6 HR's and just 26 doubles, for a career low .394 SLG%. Worse was the fact that Seattle used him as DH, normally a power position, thus lowering the effenciency of the Mariners lineup. However, due to the leg injury and the fact that he was slow origianilly, Vidro now played 2B like Jason Giambi would. In the off season, fans pleaded that Bavasi rid Seattle of Vidro and others like Sexson and Washburn. But they spoke to a deaf ear. For part of '08 the M's defiantly batted Vidro clean up, for reasons unknown. To date, Vidro is hitting a horryifying .223/.267/.320. I don't need to say anymore. VIDRO IS KILLING THE TEAM!

Hello Readers!!!

Hello, I am one of the authors who will be contributing to the blog. Y'all can call me James or JTrip. I will focus on the whole MLB and the great baseball sims Out of the Park 9 and Baseball Mogul '09. Some of you who come from the Sports Mogul forums may know me, as my user name there is RedsoxRockies. Yes, I am a Red Sox/Rockies fan on a Mariners blog, but I have always liked the Mariners, even though Bavasi made a mess like no other. I hope you all enjoy my posts, and that they contribute to making this the greatest Mariners/MLB/Baseball Mogul Blog on earth. As for BoomBoom, I have to disagree on your grades for the games. I would give:

Baseball Mogul: B+
OOTP: B-