Around the Horn: Corner infielders

01/25/2006
SEATTLE -- The Mariners got some of what they paid for last year when they unloaded $114 million to bring slugging first baseman Richie Sexson and third baseman Adrian Beltre to Seattle on multi-year contracts, but the team still only got 69 wins.
This year, they'll be looking for a lot more from Sexson, Beltre, and the entire club, but they still have to like what they see from their starting corner infielders.
Sexson, who signed a four-year, $50 million deal to come to Seattle in 2005 after shoulder problems had ruined most of his 2004 season, delivered big-time on his promise, leading the team in home runs (39), RBIs (121) and slugging percentage (.541).
"Because he had an entire year [2004] where he didn't have many competitive at-bats, I think for him to put up the numbers that he did this year in this ballpark [was surprising]," Mariners manager Mike Hargrove said of Sexson at the end of 2005. "The power numbers were surprising. They didn't shock me, but it surprised me that he had as big of a year that he did.
"There's never been a doubt in my mind that he would eventually get to [the point where he would have big power numbers again]," Hargrove added. "But it kind of surprised me he did it in his first year."
Sexson figures to have another big year now that he's once again familiar with American League pitching and has a healthy season under his belt.
Defensively, he did a nice job at first base, too, presenting a big, 6-foot-8 target for his infielders and compiling a .995 fielding percentage. He made seven errors in 1,274 total chances.
Before the beginning of the 2005 season, Hargrove predicted major run production from Sexson and Beltre, saying, "When you start looking at their numbers, you start wishing for pie in the sky, but I would take the average of what these guys have done over the years."
After his explosive 2004 season for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Beltre had jacked up his "average" year significantly. Beltre elevated himself to superstar status with the Dodgers by batting .334, slugging 48 home runs and driving in 121 runs, giving him an average season of a .279 batting average, 31 home runs and 92 RBIs before 2005.
He never quite got into a groove in his first year with the Mariners and ended up batting .255 with 19 homers and 87 RBIs. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't close to the Beltre everyone saw in 2004.
"I think it was a year of adjustment," Hargrove said recently. "I think that he did a good job in that. We're talking about a guy that had been with one organization since the age of 15 or 16, and to come into a new environment and be one of the count-on guys stepping into that, I think that's a huge responsibility and it takes a while to adjust to that idea."
Beltre is still young. He'll turn 27 a few days after the 2006 regular season opens, and new Mariners hitting coach Jeff Pentland is expecting a big turnaround.
"It's mostly confidence," Pentland said. "From a technical standpoint, you look at last year's tape and compare it to year he had with Dodgers, and there's not a lot of outstanding problems. He's close technically, with maybe a little tinkering or refining needed here and there.
"We've got to do a better job of getting runners on base for him. He plays an important role and he can't do it if he's getting up there with nobody on base. I know he can hit and he's confident he can hit, because he's done it."
And the Mariners know Beltre can field, too.
He made 14 errors in 425 total chances for a fielding percentage of .967, which was actually a hair better than the .966 percentage by the Gold Glove winner at the position, Oakland's Eric Chavez.
That bodes well for the Mariners' starting corner infield, which has some capable bench players ready to step in if necessary.
Sexson and Beltre will both be backed up by utilityman Willie Bloomquist, whose relentless hustle and basestealing ability earned him a two-year contract last week. Bloomquist also can play shortstop, second base and the outfield.
In addition, the Mariners could use regular left fielder Raul Ibanez at first from time to time or could try shortstop and left fielder Mike Morse at third if Beltre and Bloomquist aren't available.
But make no mistake about it: If Sexson and Beltre are healthy, they'll both play as many games as possible and will be corner infield cornerstones for what the Mariners hope will be a much better club in 2006.
"They're both a big part of what we're trying to do to get better, but it's not just them," Pentland said.
"No one loves the three-run homer more than I do, but it's hard to do. We've got to learn how to score runs other than the homer. Hopefully it works out. There's a lot of ability there."

Source: http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/