NewsTriunfel's recovery reaches Fall League
Mariners prospect walks, scores in first Arizona game
By Jim Street / MLB.com
10/30/09 2:14 PM ET
It has been almost seven months since talented Mariners prospect Carlos Triunfel slid into second base trying to break up a double play. But he broke something else -- the fibula in his left leg, and suffered ligament damage in his left ankle.The 19-year-old shortstop's season basically ended just two games into the campaign.
But the long recovery period reached another high point on Thursday, when Triunfel was activated by the Arizona Fall League Peoria Javelinas and started at shortstop in a 3-2 victory over the Mesa Solar Sox.
He went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts, but walked in the eighth inning and scored the eventual winning run.
"The most important thing with Carlos was to make sure he was completely healthy before turning him loose," said Pedro Grifol, the Mariners' Minor League director. "You might catch a little limp here and there, but he's running good and moving around well.
"We put him through a grinding, three-week program [in Peoria] to get him ready for this. From here on forward, he's the Mariners' 'priority' guy."
Triunfel replaced infielder Juan Diaz on the Javelinas' active roster and as a "priority" player, is guaranteed at least four starts a week.
Grifol said Triunfel would play shortstop, second base and third base during the remainder of the AFL regular season, which ends on Nov. 19 -- two days before the championship game.
Every base was covered during the past three weeks to get Triunfel ready for his AFL debut. He went through base-running and agility drills to make sure his left leg could hold up, and worked on his cardiovascular system.
He also has been on a strict diet that has dropped his weight from 220 to 205 pounds with the goal being around 195.
"He's really a strong kid and he can handle between 195 and 200 pounds," Grifol said. "He'll continue the program we've had him on and also play in the games. It will be a busy three weeks for him."
Signed out of the Dominican Republic as a 16-year-old non-drafted free agent in 2006, Triunfel went through some growing pains during the first two years of his career, which included a suspension for breaking team rules during the '08 season at High Desert in the California League.
But he came back and finished the season with a .287 batting average, drove in 49 runs, stole 30 bases and was selected to play in the AFL, becoming the youngest player in the league.
He played sparingly for the Javalinas last year, but the experience helped him earn a promotion to the Double-A West Tennessee Lookouts.
The injury knocked Triunfel off the fast track to the Major Leagues, but the Mariners are confident that he'll become a roster fixture down the road. No one knows how long that could take.
Right now, it's one step at a time.
"He's a great talent and needs a lot of at-bats to make up for the time he lost," Grifol said. "He came back for the final seven games [for West Tennessee], but he was limping and didn't play in all of them.
"He played some Instructional League games and now we just need to get him out there playing in the Arizona Fall League and then hopefully in the Dominican Winter League."
Triunfel currently is on the Licey Tigres roster, but with 19 other infielders listed on the roster, finding playing time for him could be a challenge.
In the meantime, club officials will keep a close eye on him for the next three weeks in Arizona.
Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu is expected to spend a few days in Arizona next week to watch Triunfel and other top organizational prospects, including first-round selections Phillippe Aumont, Josh Fields and Dustin Ackley, the No. 2 overall Draft pick last June.
Going into Friday afternoon's game against the Desert Dogs, Ackley was batting .292 after 24 at-bats and still looking for his first RBI. Meanwhile, left-handed reliever Aumont was sporting an 11.35 ERA after four appearances, one of them causing most of the ERA damage, and right-handed reliever Josh Fields had no record and a 4.50 ERA in four games.
"I have told the guys that we're not looking at the stats that much and just want them to play," Grifol said. "They are not playing every day, so it's difficult to be consistent. We understand that."
The Mariners are one of the fortunate organizations to have their AFL players working out of the organization's year-long training complex, which includes a weight room.
"All of these kids have talent and they're all learning about our organizational philosophies, the way we do things," Grifol said. "Sure, we want them to play well, but it's not all about stats."
Venezuela Winter League: Left fielder Michael Saunders has gotten off to a promising start with the Lara Cardenales. He was 11-for-32 in his first eight games with a double, two triples, a home run and seven RBIs.
"He's swinging the bat really well," Grifol said of the left-handed batter, who seemingly has an ideal swing for Safeco Field, but did not display much power after being promoted from Triple-A Tacoma in August.
After hitting 13 home runs for Tacoma, Saunders hit .221 with one double, three triples and no home runs in 122 at-bats with the Mariners, spending much of the final two weeks of the season working in the batting cage with hitting coach Alan Cockrell.
Jim Street is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
