With a sinker that hitters pound into the ground, Sean Green always thought he had the stuff to get big-leaguers out.
After spending nearly all of last season with the Seattle Mariners letting that pitch do its job, Green now has the confidence that’s vital at the major league level.
Green returns to the Mariners after becoming an unqualified success in 2007, when he went 5-2 with a 3.84 earned-run average in 64 relief appearances. The Mariners’ coaching staff named him the team’s unsung hero for 2007.
What Green brings to the 2008 season is a firm belief in himself.
“I look at what I did last year as a building block, knowing I can do the job,” he said. “I firmly believe it will happen again.”
The Mariners shuttled him between the big leagues and Class AAA Tacoma three times early last season, but after being called up May 6, Green stayed the rest of the season.
He finished third on the pitching staff in appearances, often getting the ball in dicey situations with runners on base when the Mariners needed a ground ball to escape a jam. He stranded 44 of the 68 runners he inherited and retired 42 of the 64 first batters he faced. He struck out 53 in 68 innings, but also walked 34.
Green’s goal for 2008 is to improve the latter number.
“The big thing for me is to go out there and throw strikes early,” he said. “Sometimes I’d fall behind and walk some guys, but luckily I can get out of those situations because I’m a ground-ball pitcher. One thing I want to improve on is being aggressive early (in the count).”
Green, like most Mariners players and fans, has maintained a keen interest in the front office’s offseason work, including the signing of starting pitcher Carlos Silva and the talk about a possible trade for Orioles starter Erik Bedard.
“You run things through your head and think, ‘What would you do?’” Green said. “There’s no way to get inside the head of the people who make the decisions, but Silva is a good pickup and if we can get a player of (Bedard’s) caliber, it would be pretty impressive.”
If anyone welcomes a bolstering of the Mariners’ starting rotation, it’s the relievers.
The bullpen was the strongest part of the team last year, but an over-reliance on the relievers early in the season when the starters struggled to pitch deep into games had an adverse effect late. The Mariners lost 13 of 14 games in late August and early September, falling from one game out of first place to 9½ behind — and out of contention.
“There were a couple of stretches during the year when we (relievers) were out there quite a bit, but I think that was bad timing more than anything,” Green said. “The road trip to Toronto, New York and Detroit was tough, and going into that we knew we had to be on top of our game. We may have been a little worn out then, but everybody was going through bad times all at the same time. Hopefully, we can avoid that.”
Baseball week: This is an active week around the Mariners’ offices.
Manager John McLaren and his coaching staff, plus the player development and scouting departments, are in Seattle for meetings with the front office that began Monday.
The Mariners host their annual pre-spring training media gathering Thursday, when McLaren and general manager Bill Bavasi will discuss the state of the team.
The annual two-day FanFest begins Saturday at Safeco Field. It features interactive displays, question-and-answer sessions with McLaren, players, coaches and the front office, autograph opportunities and tours of the Mariners’ clubhouse.
Scheduled to appear are McLaren, general manager Bill Bavasi, pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, CEO Howard Lincoln, president Chuck Armstrong, closer J.J. Putz, first baseman Richie Sexson, starting pitcher Carlos Silva, relievers Brandon Morrow, Mark Lowe, Eric O’Flaherty and Ryan Feierabend, bullpen coach Norm Charlton and catcher Jamie Burke.
The FanFest, in its 10th year, runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for kids ages 6-15 (ages 5 and younger are free), and parking in the Safeco Field garage is $5.
Caravan in Lynnwood: Infielder/outfielder Mike Morse, broadcaster Dave Sims and the Mariner Moose will appear at a public autograph session from 4:15-5:45 p.m. Wednesday at the Mariners Team Store in the Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood.
It’s the final stop on the annual Mariners Caravan, which began Jan. 8 at Columbia Elementary School in Mukilteo.
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