Mariners' future has international flavor

Before the 2005 season began, MLB.com took an in-depth look at every big league team's Minor League system. Now, it's time to recap all 30 organizations, from top prospects to the recent draft class.

If for nothing else, the 2005 season will go down as the first time in a long time the Mariners had a first-round draft pick. That pick ended up being Jeff Clement, who already has shown an advanced approach at the plate that could carry him to Seattle quickly.

Of course, the M's forfeited their second- and third-round picks in what has been an annual ritual of losing selections as a result of free-agent signings. Despite this obstacle, Seattle has been able to continue funneling players through its system up to the big leagues.

A lot of that has to do with shrewd later-round drafting and particularly with international scouting. Several players listed below come from that effort, with Felix Hernandez and Yuniesky Betancourt leading the way.

The tough season at the big-league level was good on a couple of fronts: players like Hernandez and Betancourt made their Major League debuts, and the Mariners once again will be guaranteed a first-round pick, regardless of how many free agents they might sign. That will only help bolster a system that improved its overall winning percentage from .508 in 2004 to .517. In 2005, three affiliates made the playoffs, with two -- Tacoma and Wisconsin -- playing in their respective league championship series.

2005 Organizational Record
LEVEL AAA AA A (Adv) A A R R	LEAGUE PCL TL CAL MWL NW AZL VSL	TEAM Tacoma San Antonio Inland Empire Wisconsin Everett Mariners Mariners TOTAL:	W 80 76 58 76 42 27 37 396	L 64 64 82 63 34 29 23 359	PCT .556 .543 .414 .547 .553 .482 .617 .525
2005 Organizational Leaders
Average Home Runs RBIs Stolen Bases ERA Wins Strikeouts Saves		.340 25 113 40 3.10 14 141 22	Sebastien Boucher Wladimir Balentien Bryan LaHair Jaime Bubela Harold Williams Bobby Livingston Jason Mackintosh Masao Kida
Complete MiLB statistics

Five Faves

At the start of the season, MLB.com identified five prospects to keep an eye on. Here's how they fared in 2005:

Felix Hernandez, RHP
It's always nice when a prospect lives up to the hype, no? The teenage phenom didn't come up until August, but that was likely more because of some shoulder tendinitis that kept him out for a stretch from mid-June to mid-July than a lack of results in Triple-A. When he did get the call, King Felix had a 2.25 ERA, a .196 batting average against and 100 strikeouts in 88 innings. Everyone knows what he did once he got called up, so there's no need to delve into that. Suffice it to say, his days in the Minors are over.

Travis Blackley, LHP
Shoulder surgery ended Blackley's season before it began in 2005, so the Aussie left-hander didn't get the chance to improve on his 2004 season that saw him reach the big leagues for the first time. The good news is that his labrum has been repaired, he just turned 23 and he's on a throwing program and progressing nicely. The Mariners feel he'll be ready for Spring Training next year.

Jeremy Reed, OF
The overall offensive numbers don't seem all that impressive: .254 average, .352 slugging, 12 steals (but 11 caught), just three homers and 45 RBIs (though only 74 strikeouts). But those numbers don't really tell the full story on the steadying influence of Reed's rookie season. He played 148 games and started 129 in the outfield, committing just three errors while covering Safeco's vast center field. There are those who thought he was the best defensive outfielder in the American League this season. He should continue to grow as the young M's do.

Shin-Soo Choo, OF
Choo turned 23 in July, just three days after hitting a big home run to help the World Team win the Futures Game in Detroit. He batted .282 with Tacoma while posting an impressive .382 OBP, thanks to 69 walks in 115 games. He also slugged 11 homers and stole 20 bases to earn a late September call-up. Choo finished strongly, hitting .330 in August, .400 in five September games, then .303 during the Rainiers' playoff run. He appears ready for the M's outfield; the only question will be opportunity.
Video: Choo homers in the Futures Game
Video: Choo rips an RBI double for Tacoma

Clint Nageotte, RHP
It was another uneven year for Nageotte. He didn't even start pitching until late June because of a strained forearm muscle. He fared well in making the switch to the bullpen in Tacoma, allowing just two earned runs in his first 19 innings with the Rainiers. The Mariners called him up in August, he pitched once, got sent back down, got called up at the end of the month and pitched twice more. Overall with Tacoma, he posted a 2.65 ERA in a relief role, striking out more than a batter an inning. Then he went to the AFL to make up for lost innings and promptly finished fourth in the hitter-friendly league with a 2.33 ERA, striking out 24 and walking only four in 27 IP. Interestingly, he was used as a starter in the Fall League, and it remains to be seen if that was just to get him more innings or whether the M's still think he might have a future, when healthy, in their rotation.
Video: Nageotte records a strikeout for Tacoma

Cinderella Story

Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
Playing all year at age 19, Cabrera followed the chain of shortstop promotions, beginning the year with Wisconsin and finishing it with Tacoma. Overall, he hit .295 in 440 at-bats with 27 doubles, 10 triples, five homers, 59 RBIs and a respectable .358 OBP. The defense is already there -- at two positions. He had to play a lot of second base with Wisconsin because of other shortstops on the roster, and he was voted the top defender in the league at that position. He then excelled as a full-time shortsop with Inland Empire after his first promotion.
Audio: Cabrera smacks an RBI single in Game 4 of the PCL semifinals
Audio: Cabrera drives in two in Game 5

Breakout year

Quick hits on players who made more of a name for themselves with a big 2005 season.

Wladimir Balentien, OF: Balentien had shown plenty of power since signing with the Mariners out of Curacao in 2000, including hitting 17 homers in 86 games in 2004. He really started putting it together this year with Inland Empire. Although he struck out 160 times, he posted his highest batting average to date, .291, while leading the organization with 25 homers and driving in 93 runs. He slugged .553, thanks to a total of 71 extra-base hits (38 doubles and eight triples).
Audio: Balentien with a 4-hit day for Inland Empire

Yuniesky Betancourt, SS: Yes, Betancourt was given a ton of money to sign with the M's as a Cuban defector, so there were certain expectations. But considering he didn't play at all in 2004 and the fact that many other high-profile international signees have fizzled, what Betancourt accomplished in his first year with the Mariners was astounding. The flashy shortstop began the season with San Antonio, got promoted to Tacoma after 52 games and ended the season as the starting shortstop in Seattle. He's already Gold Glove caliber -- and that's what will keep him in the bigs -- but he can swing the bat a little, too, hitting .283 and stealing 19 bases at his two Minor League stops, then holding his own with a .256 average in 60 games as a big leaguer.

Sebastien Boucher, OF: The Mariners took Boucher out of Bethune-Cookman College in the seventh round in 2004 and the Canadian didn't make his debut until this year. But what a debut it was. He began the year with Wisconsin, but after hitting .326 in 48 games, got promoted to Inland Empire. His numbers got better in the California League -- a .352 average in 52 games. For the season, the speedy outfielder hit .340 with an impressive .434 OBP, stealing 26 bases in 30 tries. In November, he helped Team Canada reach the next round of Olympic qualifying.
Audio: Boucher rips an RBI double for Inland

Michael Garciaparra, 2B: Known previously only as Nomar's younger brother (and perhaps as a big first-round bust), the one-time shortstop moved to second and enjoyed his most productive offensive season. He missed all but 11 games in April and May due to a knee injury, then went on to hit .298 (56 points above his career average heading into the season) in 84 games for Inland Empire. He also stole 10 bases (in 18 tries). The Mariners liked what they saw enough, especially after he hit .351 in August, to move him up to Tacoma to provide bench support during the Rainiers' playoff run.
Audio: Garciaparra doubles in a run for Inland

Bryan LaHair, 1B: A 39th-round pick as a draft-and-follow in 2002, LaHair had shown some glimpses of offensive upside since joining the organization. But he put it together in 2005, the first time he's gotten more than 290 at-bats in one season. Playing for Inland Empire, the first baseman hit .310 with 22 homers and 113 RBIs. He was particularly hot at the end of the year, batting a combined .365 with 12 homers and 60 RBIs in July and August. He capped the season by joining Team USA in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Arizona.
Audio: LaHair hits a solo HR for Team USA vs. Guatemala

2005 draft recap

1. Jeff Clement, C
Maybe it wasn't the debut of Washington's Ryan Zimmerman (the No. 4 pick), but the M's can't complain how Clement, taken No. 3, fared in his first summer as a pro. He spent four games with Everett before playing the rest of the season with Wisconsin. The USC product hit .319 with a .908 OPS in 30 Midwest League games, then drove in nine runs in 10 games (despite hitting just .150) in the playoffs. Clement capped things off by a trip to the Arizona Fall League, where he hit .269 with three homers and 11 RBIs in 67 at-bats.
Audio: Ben Platt interviews Clement
Audio: Clement homers in AFL

2. Justin Thomas, LHP
The M's didn't have a second- or third-round pick, taking Thomas with their second selection in the fourth round. The lefty out of Youngstown State is 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds and spent the summer with Everett. In 59 innings, Thomas had a 3.81 ERA, 20 walks and 48 strikeouts while yielding 63 hits.

3. Stephen Kahn, RHP
A power pitcher from Loyola Marymount, Kahn looked like a potential first-round pick heading into his final college season, but a poor performance allowed him to slip to the fifth round. The Mariners moved him to the bullpen, where he saved 12 games and struck out 22 in 18 1/3 innings for Everett. The Northwest League hit just .214 against the right-hander, who moved up to Wisconsin for the Midwest League playoffs, made two scoreless appearances and picked up a postseason save.

4. Lance Lynn, RHP
The only high schooler the Mariners took in their first eight picks, Lynn also is the only one of those eight who did not sign. Instead, he is headed to Mississippi, where he'll be given the chance to be a two-way star, a la Stephen Head.

5. Robert Rohrbaugh, LHP
The Clemson southpaw followed a Kahn-like path, albeit as a starter. He made 14 appearances (12 starts) with Everett, posting a 3.84 ERA and striking out 71 in 68 IP (vs. just 18 walks). Then, he made two impressive starts for Wisconsin in the playoffs, allowing just two earned runs in 14 1/3 IP on 10 hits and three walks while striking out 12.

2004 draft recap

1. Matt Tuiasosopo, SS
After a stirring debut in which he hit .316 and slugged .534, Tuisasopo came down to earth a bit in his first taste of full-season ball. Spending the year with Wisconsin at age 19, the third-rounder hit .276 and slugged .386. He struck out 96 times in 409 at-bats and put up a respectable .359 OBP. As part of the Timber Rattlers' middle infield rotation, Tuiasosopo split time between shortstop and DH, committing 26 errors in 79 games. With Betancourt seemingly entrenched, a position switch for Tuiasosopo could be forthcoming.
Video: Tuiasosopo doubles in the MWL All-Star Game

2. Rob Johnson, C
Johnson spent most of his first full season with Wisconsin, hitting .272 with nine homers and 51 RBIs in 305 at-bats. He got moved up to Inland Empire, where he batted .314 in 19 games. With Jeff Clement and Japanese import Kenji Johjima in the fold, it'll be interesting to see what Johnson's future holds.
Video: Johnson singles in the MWL All-Star Game

3. Mark Lowe, RHP
The Texas-Arlington starter was used out of the 'pen to save his arm in 2004 but moved back into the rotation in his first full year with Wisconsin. It was an uneven season for Lowe, who tossed 103 2/3 innings and posted a 5.47 ERA for the Timber Rattlers. He also went 0-2 and gave up nine runs in 9 2/3 IP during the playoffs, struggling with his command (eight walks), as he did for much of the season.