Opponent: Tri-City Dust Devils
When: 7:05 p.m.
Where: Everett Memorial Stadium
Radio: KRKO (1380 AM)
Pitchers: Everett left-hander Robert Rohrbaugh (1-1, 4.71 ERA) vs. Tri-City right-hander David Patton (3-4, 5.21)
AquaSox await Clement
There was a buzz around Everett Memorial Stadium on Tuesday night.
And it all involved someone who wasn’t even present.
The Seattle Mariners signed their first-round draft pick, catcher Jeff Clement, Tuesday and assigned him to the AquaSox, which means Everett will be the professional starting point for one of baseball’s most exciting prospects.
“We are excited about it,” AquaSox senior vice president Pete Carfagna said. “We feel it’s going to be a great opportunity for AquaSox fans and the people of Everett to see the Mariners’ No. 1 pick. He’s a very highly regarded player and I know the Mariners are looking forward to seeing him in uniform for us, and we are too.”
Clement was selected with the No. 3 overall pick in June out of the University of Southern California, where he won the Johnny Bench Award as the nation’s top collegiate catcher. This season he batted .348 with 15 home runs and 54 RBI.
“We’re looking forward to having him here,” AquaSox manager Pedro Grifol said. “He’s going to help the ballclub. He’ll be starting his pro career so I’m sure he’ll be excited, and we’re happy to have him.”
Clement is scheduled to report to the AquaSox today. How he would be used and how long he will be with Everett are yet to be determined. Clement hasn’t played competitively since USC’s season ended on June 13. And should Clement perform well immediately, he might be promoted after the end of the current homestand.
“I don’t know how we’ll use him yet,” Grifol said. “I don’t know what he’s done the last month. (The Mariners) will call me and let me know what he’s been doing, what they want him to do, and we’ll play it by ear.”
Clement adds to what’s already a crowded position for the AquaSox. J.B. Tucker, who’s gotten the bulk of the work behind the plate, has played well. He went into Tuesday night batting .250 with four home runs, 14 RBI and was second on the team in slugging percentage at .513. Daniel Santin, who’s been used primarily as a designated hitter, is batting .309 with two home runs and 16 RBI. And Brian Schweiger, though batting just .184, is an experienced player who proved to be a capable backup last season in Everett.
“There’s always going to be someone else that plays the position – not always a first rounder, obviously,” Tucker said. “He’s going to have to strap it on and play as well. I’m going to keep giving it my all every day like I have been doing. We’ll see how it plays out the rest of the season.”
Mojo rising: There must be some sort of spirit of the 1960s flowing through the AquaSox.
Tuesday night, for the second straight game, Everett donned its tie-dyed Frogstock jerseys, a psychedelic combination of lime green, navy blue and white that seems to have some sort of power to turn things the AquaSox’s way.
“Sometimes a change of scenery is just the thing a team needs to straighten things out,” infielder Ronnie Prettyman said. “We thought we’d try something new, it worked, and we’ll see if we keep going with it.”
Mired in a six-game losing streak, the AquaSox turned to their Frogstock jerseys Monday in an attempt to change their luck. It worked, as Everett beat Eugene 5-3 to end the skid.
It’s also the second straight year that the Frogstock jerseys have gotten extended play. Last season Everett ended a string of two consecutive blowout losses by winning on Frogstock night. The AquaSox then kept wearing the jerseys through a four-game winning streak.
“I don’t know why they work,” said outfielder Trevor Heid, who was also with the team last year through the tie-dyed episode. “I personally don’t really like them. But hey, if it gets us wins we’ll use them.”
Nick Patterson, Herald writer
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