Jeff Clement signs
DMZ · July 26, 2005 at 10:44 am · Filed Under Mariners
Mariner first round pick, USC catcher Jeff Clement, has signed with the team.
Tacoma News Tribune appears to be the first paper to the Web with a story on the signing. Corey Brock, ladies and gentlemen. Update at 12:15: now the Times has pulled something off the wires and stuck it up ahead of the 1pm press conference. Now that it’s on the wires, I’m going to stop trying to track it.
Pat Dillon (U.S.S.M. endorsed Pat Dillon, that is) mentions in the comments that Clement will be reporting to Everett and in uniform tomorrow night. Hot cha cha.
Comments
49 Responses to “Jeff Clement signs”
Thanks, DMZ.
Wonder what level they will send him to?
Think there is still a good chance he could start out at Inland Empire? Would be nice if he could get a solid 2 months in at High A, with the chance to start next year at AA. Or do you think that would be rushing him a bit?
That’s great news, now another young prospect to keep an eye on. Where do you think he’ll be sent to?
He’s an advanced player, but I can’t see where they’d play him at AA now. They’ll likely start him low. Actually.. look at their last couple of drafts. They’ve been putting top guys in the AZL/Everett pretty consistently to start off, and then moving them up from there. So we may get to see Clement in Everett before the end of their season, which would be sweet for us here in the Puget Sound.
DMZ, How did you hear about Clements’ signing?
Hee hee hee. Deleted an off-topic comment in another thread, then went hunting for confirmation.
“He’s an advanced player, but I can’t see where they’d play him at AA now. They’ll likely start him low. ”
If that was in response to my post, I didn’t mean they’d start him at AA this season……..possibly at High A this year and if he was successful there over the next two months, then he’d have an outside shot at starting next season at AA.
Sounds like you think High A is a reach though. So I guess that would leave Wisconsin and Everett.
KOMO 1000 is also reporting Clement’s signing. Press conference at 1pm.
As an organization do they like to start these guys in Everett simply because it makes it easy for everybody to get an immediate look at them during the season?
Starting guys at Everett is also good PR in the local area. It shows the new talent to the local fans, and helps to create buzz. (See how excited DMZ is at the notion of getting to see Clement?)
Is there a good example of a team fast tracking a college catcher to the majors and it working well? I can only think of Mauer recently but there may be others.
Watching the college world series, it seems Clement could probably hit well enough today but his catching skills need some work.
Yeah, look at me! Woooooo!
I do think it also has something to do with letting the organization see him: M’s brass can (and does — I’ve been there when they’re around) slip up to Everett to see kids they’re interested in. With so little time left in anyone’s season, you might as well put them up close to home, let everyone take a gander, think about where to start him next year.
Should the M’s still look for a catcher in the trade market this year or free agent market this winter? Or should they use Olivo/Rivera to bide their time until Clement is ready?
Jim… Mauer was actually drafted as a HS catcher and moved pretty methodically through the Twins org.
#13 you are right, my mistake, he still moved quickly as a top draft pick
I do think it also has something to do with letting the organization see him: M’s brass can (and does  I’ve been there when they’re around) slip up to Everett to see kids they’re interested in. With so little time left in anyone’s season, you might as well put them up close to home, let everyone take a gander, think about where to start him next year.
And if he kills the ball at Everett, maybe you give him some time in the AFL and see if he’s ready for AAA come spring training.
From what I’ve read/seen, he could be on the 25-man right now. No sane person would put him straight on the ML club (blow his option year and risk his confidence), but I might. 🙂
Varitek– drafted out of Georgia Tech in ’94, ’95-96 in AA, ’97 in AAA and ’98 in Boston
What’s the typical turnaround time from reporting to signing? I assume he won’t be playing for Everett (or whereever) tomorrow, but should he be in uniform by the weekend?
Any thought to an informal USSM gathering in Everett?
Link
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-mariners-clement&prov=ap&type=lgns
At least you could frozenroper credit for the heads up.
It’s true, “frozenropers” wrote the off-topic comment in another thread that set this off.
The Seattle Times web page also has the signing story.
Yeah, you’ll note I put that in the post about a half hour ago.
Good man, that Corey Brock.
jason
I hear he’s got a mean fantasy team.
I have just received official confirmation from the Mariners that Jeff Clement will report to the Everett AquaSox and be in uniform tomorrow night.
Let’s hope that he handles that NWL pitching a bit better than John Mabarry Jr. is.
Thanks for the info, Pat– got my ticket ordered and will be there.
Hey now, Mayberry had a good game the other night with the Spokane Indians (3X4 with a RBI and scored twice), but that’s been about it, so nevermind this post :(. I’m depressed for the future.
Actually, that did make me wonder the other night why Mayberry Jr. was suited up with the Indians (Texas’s A NWL team) instead of with the Aquasox. Did I miss something along the way?
No credit needed, but thanks…….had just seen that BBA had bolded his name on the draft database this morning and wanted to start a discussion here to see if anyone in the know had more information on the signing.
Plus, just figured it was some good news for us M’s fans to talk about.
Holy mackeral — I chased that down because Baseball America bolded a name on a list? I’m going to ask more questions next time before I start looking into these things. Hee hee.
Hmmm … less reps for Santin in Everett. He has been DHing as well though, I noticed. Just glancing through the Future 40, all of a sudden we seem to look OK at C as an organization (save maybe for Tacoma). Thoughts?
Jake, Mayberry Jr. was drafted this year by the Rangers; what’s the confusion?
DMZ,
They have been pretty accurate when it comes to players signed from the draft……..the issue usually is they are a little slow to bold the name……..that’s one of the reason’s I was caught a little off guard this morning when they were so on top of the Clement signing.
Santin caught one game early in the year, and the coaching staff collectively said “we aren’t doing that again.” He’s a DH now, and that will be reflected on the new Future Forty.
And, while the M’s have some intriguging catcher prospects, they could use a major league ready catcher. Or two.
what? and stop catching Borders?
Precisely. Send Pat to Tacoma to work with the kids, bring up Wiki and Rene, let them duke it out for next year’s starting job. Olivo to Tacoma, San Antonio, or perhaps nowhere at all. First pitcher to complain about losing Borders gets DFA’d. HA!
Borders said he’d be ready to switch to a backup role when Clement got to the bigs.
Yes, Borders actually said that.
And, while the M’s have some intriguging catcher prospects, they could use a major league ready catcher. Or two.
Unfortunately, that’s what got us Ben Davis and Miguel Olivo. (And, to be fair, Dan Wilson back when dinosaurs roamed the Kingdome.)
#35, what do you think of Jojima (of Softbank Hawks) as the catcher for the M’s until Clement is ready or some catcher in the org shows he’s ready?
Some notes on Jojima: free agent, 29 yrs, multiple all-star, gold glover winner, hitting now .301., 20 HRs. In Japan, they are halfway into the season.
#38–Evan said: “Borders said he’d be ready to switch to a backup role when Clement got to the bigs. Yes, Borders actually said that.”
yes. it’s true, Pat made a joke.
Apparently Clement took bp at the ballpark today–
Wow. A guy gets labeled as a DH in *single A* ball? He’s not enough of an athlete to move to a corner IF or OF position? Gotta wonder about that top 40 prospect status for Santin, then.
#33: For some damn reason, I thought he was drafted by the Mariners, and I couldn’t look that up while at work today.
Jake. Mayberry was drafted by the Mariners (out of high school ?) but never signed with them and went back into the draft for this year.
#40 How fucked up would it be to have a catcher that doesn’t speak the same language as the pitcher?? At least Ryan Franklin would have a new excuse! Maybe we could DH him?
#45:
Happens in the big leagues all the time. How many pitchers do you think speak Spanish? (Or catchers, for that matter.) Somehow, they manage.
#46- Good point, but spanish is a lot more similar to English than Japanese is!
#46- Good point, but spanish is a lot more similar to English than Japanese is!
#40 – Err… like the Hawks are going to give up Jojima (.305/.385/.557 – the guy can mash) while they’re completely dominating Japanese baseball? I wouldn’t be surprised if he was pursued by a bunch of MLB clubs for next year, but the only way he’d come over here mid-year is if the Hawks posted him for an *insane* amount of money.
I mean, yeah, he’s easily the best catcher in Japan, hands down, especially after Furuta retires, but still.