EVERETT — The Everett AquaSox added a potent new bat to their lineup Thursday when Dennis Raben was assigned to the team.
Raben, a power-hitting outfielder out of the University of Miami, was the Seattle Mariners’ second-round pick in the recent Major League Baseball amateur draft. He signed with the M’s on Thursday morning and then was sent to Everett, where he will begin his professional career.
“I’m excited to be here and hopefully Everett’s excited to have me,” said Raben, who joined the team Thursday but was not in the starting lineup against Yakima.
This was the Mariners’ second stab at Raben. Seattle also selected Raben in 2005, taking him out of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in the draft’s 49th round. Although Raben didn’t sign with Seattle then, the past dealings helped grease the negotiations this time around.
“I’ve had a good relationship with Seattle and I’ve been thinking about this,” Raben said. “I thought I was going to sign out of high school and at the last minute I decided I was going to go to college. But college was a great decision. I had a great time in my three years there, and now I feel it’s time and I’m ready to get this thing going.”
Raben, a 20-year-old from Hollywood, Fla., is coming off his junior season at Miami. The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder batted .292 with 10 homers and 51 RBI in 53 games for the Hurricanes this spring.
But where Raben really made his name as a prospect was in the Cape Cod League last summer. In the prestigous college summer league that uses wood bats, Raben was selected to the all-star team after batting .298 and leading the league with 35 RBI.
Everett manager Jose Moreno said Raben would head straight to the middle of the order. Defensively, he’ll spend most of his time in the corner outfield slots, though he’ll also get occasional work at first base.
“We need a bat right in the middle of the lineup that can drive runs in,” Moreno said. “I think he’ll complement our team with (Nate) Tenbrink and (Manelik) Pimentel in the middle of the lineup. They’ve been doing a good job, but with Raben there maybe they won’t be pitched around as much.”
And Raben believes he can add some life to a lineup that through 16 games batted just .240 with five home runs.
“As a hitter I’m pretty patient, hopefully a middle-of-the-order run producer kind of guy,” Raben said.
“I think I bring a lot of fun, a lot of energy and hopefully a lot of wins,” Raben added. “Hopefully my bat can produce in the lineup and help us win games.”
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