Mariners' wish fulfilled: Aumont won't pitch in WBC
Tuesday, January 27, 2009 | 6:56 pm
Three years ago, the Mariners shuddered at the thought of their prized young right-handed pitcher leaving their control and pitching for his country in the World Baseball Classic. So they requested that Venezuela not put then-19-year-old Felix Hernandez on its WBC roster, and it was granted.
It's three years later and another highly regarded young right-hander, Phillippe Aumont, is on Canada's provisional roster for the 2009 WBC. Make that WAS on the roster.
Jim Street, who covers the Mariners for mlb.com, just posted a story saying Aumont has decided against pitching in the WBC. It comes five days after Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik told reporters that he was strongly urging Aumont to focus on the long season ahead and not the WBC.
"I am happy he will be with us (in spring training), no question about it, but if he did pitch in the World Baseball Classic, we would have supported him," Zduriencik told Street.
Aumont, who turned 20 on Jan. 7, struggled with elbow problems last year in his first full pro season after the Mariners drafted him in the first round in 2007. Aumont went 4-4 with a 2.75 ERA in 15 games -- eight of them starts -- last year for Class A Wisconsin. He also had been selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game but the Mariners held him out of that because they didn't want a recurrence of the arm issues.
It's three years later and another highly regarded young right-hander, Phillippe Aumont, is on Canada's provisional roster for the 2009 WBC. Make that WAS on the roster.
Jim Street, who covers the Mariners for mlb.com, just posted a story saying Aumont has decided against pitching in the WBC. It comes five days after Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik told reporters that he was strongly urging Aumont to focus on the long season ahead and not the WBC.
"I am happy he will be with us (in spring training), no question about it, but if he did pitch in the World Baseball Classic, we would have supported him," Zduriencik told Street.
Aumont, who turned 20 on Jan. 7, struggled with elbow problems last year in his first full pro season after the Mariners drafted him in the first round in 2007. Aumont went 4-4 with a 2.75 ERA in 15 games -- eight of them starts -- last year for Class A Wisconsin. He also had been selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game but the Mariners held him out of that because they didn't want a recurrence of the arm issues.
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