EVERETT – There were two primary sentiments expressed following the Everett AquaSox’s first practice Thursday at Everett Memorial Stadium.
First, everyone is itching to get things started.
And second, at least for those who were here a year ago, they want to have far better results than last season.
Everett, the Northwest League affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, had a season to forget in 2006, and those who were a part of it are eager to erase those memories.
“I see us having a very good team,” said infielder Manelik Pimentel, who led the Sox in home runs and RBI last season. “We come here with something to prove, to have a better year than last year.”
A year ago, Everett opened by winning eight of its first nine games. But it was all downhill from there as the Sox finished 31-45 and sunk to last place in the Western Division.
The majority of those who took part in Thursday’s practice – 12 position players and 10 pitchers – weren’t around to suffer through last season’s struggles. But whether they were here or not, everyone is eager to get this season started.
“Once we get so close like this, everybody starts getting anxious,” said new manager Mike Tosar, who served as the team’s batting coach last season. “We want the lights to turn on and we want to get out there and start playing some baseball.”
The first practice was relaxed – for everyone except catcher Julian Henson. The only catcher in town so far, Henson not only had to go through the full practice, he also had to catch all the pitchers’ bullpen sessions.
“(The first practice) went pretty smooth,” returning outfielder Gregory Halman said. “Mike didn’t put too much pressure on us, he just made sure we got it going and knew what we were doing.”
The short-season Class A Northwest League, which begins play Tuesday, always brings together an eclectic mix of players. There’s the players who’ve spent three months at extended spring training, all of whom have a wealth of pent-up energy waiting to be released. There’s the recent draftees straight out of college, who are getting their first taste of professional ball. And there’s the players who began the season at higher levels, but for whom things didn’t work out quite as planned.
That collection has yielded a roster that Tosar believes he can work with.
“So far on paper it looks real good,” Tosar said of his roster. “We’ve got some good bats and some good arms. We’ve got enough good ballplayers where on paper it looks like we’re going to be OK.”
Tosar said the AquaSox will play “an aggressive style” of baseball: “We’re going to be focusing on baserunning and doing a lot of baserunning. Then it’s just making sure we do the little things, that’s what we’re going to be about.”
For a level that normally has near 100-percent turnover from year to year, Everett has a surprising number of full-time players returning from last season. In addition to Pimentel and Halman, Ogui Diaz was a fixture at shortstop, and Aaron Solomon was a regular in the bullpen in 2006.
A fifth player, first baseman Joe White, was originally slated to return to Everett, but was rerouted to Wisconsin of the full-season Class A Midwest League.
Usually returning to Everett is a disappointment for the players, who hope to advance at least one level a year. However, for a player like Halman who struggled at a higher level, it constitutes a fresh start. The 19-year-old from the Netherlands, who was one of Everett’s top offensive players ayear ago before suffering a season-ending hand injury, began the year at Wisconsin, but batted just .182 in 52 games. Halman is hoping a return to Everett can help get him back in the groove.
“I got to Wisconsin after a very good spring training and I struggled from the beginning, and it only got worse from there,” Halman said. “I started letting my head down a little bit. I tried to pick myself up again, but I lost a lot of confidence in everything. So this is a very fresh start.”
Among the newcomers is a player who knows the area well. Pitcher Brandon McKerney, who was selected by the Mariners in the 14th round of this year’s draft out of the University of Washington, happens to be a graduate of Meadowdale High School.
“It’s definitely very exciting,” McKerney said about beginning his pro career. “It was nice to get out and meet the guys. It was basically everything I expected. I just threw a bullpen session and got acclimated to the team.”
Among the other players, Tosar mentioned outfielder Kalian Sams as another potential standout. Like Halman, Sams hails from the Netherlands. Pitcher Nick Hill is the highest pick from this year’s draft on the team so far, having been selected in the seventh round out of Army.
Everett plays its first game Sunday, the Everett Cup exhibition against the Pacific International League’s Everett Merchants. The regular season begins Tuesday at home against the Yakima Bears.
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