August 31, 2007

Clement proving his worth at Tacoma
Southern California has produced more than its share of major league players. In this space, we'll take a look at how Southland players are faring in the minors. This week: the triple-A Pacific Coast
By Bob Cuomo, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

It has taken a while, but Jeff Clement is starting to show why the Seattle Mariners made him the third overall pick in the 2005 draft.

Clement, a power-hitting catcher from USC, is batting .274 with 20 homers and 77 RBIs for the Tacoma Rainiers. He is 14 for 32 (.438) with two homers and 10 RBIs in his last eight games. And he has committed only two errors in 121 games.

Clement, who bats left-handed, is regarded as one of the top catching prospects in baseball, but his road to the majors is currently blocked by Kenji Johjima.

Going into the season, Baseball America ranked Clement as the Mariners' second-best prospect behind Adam Jones, their first-round pick in 2003 who plays center field for the Rainiers.

Baseball America's projected 2010 Mariners' lineup includes Clement, but as the designated hitter, not the catcher. That spot will still belong to Johjima.

Clement gave himself quite a present for his 24th birthday-- albeit a day early -- on Aug. 21 when he hit a grand slam and finished with six RBIs to lead the Rainiers to an 11-4 victory over the Sacramento River Cats. It marked the second time this season that he has driven in six runs. He also accomplished the feat on April 28 against the Las Vegas 51s.

Clement set a national high school record at Marshalltown, Iowa, High with 75 home runs, and is second on USC's list with 46 (Mark McGwire hit 54). He earned 2005 Baseball America All-America first team, USA Today Sports Weekly All-America first team and Collegiate Baseball All-America first team honors. He was rated by Baseball America as the best power hitter among college prospects.

Interestingly, until this season he had hit only 12 home runs in 1 1/2 years as a pro. And he was off to slow start this season, batting only .196 with two homers on May 3.

"It's such a fine line between being successful and not being successful," he told the Seattle Times earlier this month. "I never thought of myself as a home-run hitter. I just try to hit line drives, have a good approach, swing at the right pitches, and the power numbers just kind of come. Any time you go up there trying to hit home runs, it never works out. I think you just have to learn that the hard way. Especially in pro ball, any time you try to do too much, they're going to expose you."

Clement said the biggest difference this year is that he is healthy. Last season, he underwent operations to his knee and his elbow.

"Last year was kind of tough to deal with, just getting back into the swing of things," he said. "This year, I'm in there every day, and it's my first full [pro] season without getting injured. . . Just knowing I am going to be in the lineup every day has been a big help."

It hasn't been the best of seasons for Jack Cassel, a right-hander with Portland Beavers who is in his eighth season as pro.

Cassel, the San Diego Padres' 25th-round pick in 2000 from Loyola Marymount, has not won a game since July 1, when he beat Colorado Springs, 11-1 -- limiting the Sky Sox to six hits and a run in seven innings -- to even his record at 7-7 and lower his earned-run average to 3.32, an impressive number considering the PCL's reputation as a hitters' league.

Cassel has lost seven of his last nine starts, dropping his record to 7-14. However, his 3.91 ERA is the fourth-best in the league.

He could have won one of those no decisions. On July 15, he was leading Sacramento, 4-2, when he was replaced after 6 2/3 innings after having held the River Cats to six hits and one earned run. But the bullpen failed to hold the lead. The Beavers won, 6-5, in 11 innings.

However, there's at least one highlight that Cassel probably won't soon forget. It happened Aug. 10, one day after the Padres purchased his triple-A contract and added him to their 25-man roster to replace reliever Doug Brocail, who was put on the bereavement list.

He made his major league debut against the Cincinnati Reds, yielding two hits and two runs in three innings of the Padres' 12-7 victory in 11 innings. But he was optioned back to Portland the following day.

Update Dept.:

Third baseman Ian Stewart, the former Westminster La Quinta High star who was the Colorado Rockies' first-round pick in 2003, was batting .304 with 15 homers, 23 doubles, and 65 RBIs in 112 games for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox when he was called up by the Rockies on Aug. 11 to replace Jeff Baker, who was put on the 15-day disabled list (Baker was hit in the head with a pitch by the Cubs' Jason Marquis the night before and suffered a mild concussion).Stewart made his major league debut against the Cubs, batting eighth and playing third. Regular third baseman Garrett Atkins played first. He went 0 for 2. He is batting .250 (five for 20) with one homer and six RBIs in 15 games.

Jason Windsor, the Oakland A's third-round pick in 2004 from Cal State Fullerton, has been shut down for the season by the Sacramento River Cats. Windsor, a right-hander who pitched the Titans to the College World Series title in 2004, has been sidelined since May 23 when he suffered a right-shoulder strain while facing the Salt Lake Bees. He gave up seven runs -- six earned -- and 10 hits in six innings. In 10 starts, he was 5-3 with a 5.40 ERA.

"Minor League Spotlight" is a weekly web-exclusive feature that appears Fridays.