Yu Darvish goes to.....

The Texas Rangers!

yippe-skippy.

The winning bid was $51.7mil ...
and the Rangers and Darvish now have 30 days to come to terms on a MLB contract.

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Some M's news over the past week....

Alex Liddi honored as "ambassador of baseball" in Italy

Liddi was honored recently by the Italania baseball federation — officially known as Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball (FIBS) — in an event that drew a record 800 fans to the season-ending gala at the city’s theater.
FIBS president Riccardo Fraccari called Liddi ”the real ambassador of Italian baseball” after he became the first player from his country to play in the Major Leagues since 1954 and the first-ever who grew up playing strictly in his homeland.

MiLB names Mariners organizational All-Stars...
Starting pitching and outfield depth strong suit in M's minors

And down under...
Denny Almonte and James McOwen selected to represent Team World in the inaugural Australian Baseball League All Star Game on December 21st in Perth

Various "Welcome Backs"...

• re-sign Chris Gimenez to a major league deal (just days after non-tendering him)
• re-sign Guillermo Quiroz (you can never have too much catching)
• And, an oldy but goody, George (Sherrill)

M's hit the International Market - sign Dominican SS Angel Yente

And, of course, rumors abound...
Kuroda?
Japanese SS Menenori Kawasaki only wants the Mariners

Yu? Prince? dare to dream...

The M's realize the “Felix window”is closing quickly.  In 2011 they got a good, long look a LOT of kids and have a better idea than ever who sticks and stays, who’s valuable, who’s expendable and what they need to move forward.

Whether they’ll be able to do it remains to be seen but, seems they are in as good a position as they have been in a long time to carry out a plan. There are some great prospects in the pipeline such as: Franklin, Paxton, Walker, Chiang, Martinez, Hultzen (who will get a chance to compete for a rotation spot this spring). And, another high draft pick come June.

As for the big leaguers…
That Ackley kid, he’s pretty good. Carp had a breakout season. Guti had a rough year but now that he has a diagnosis, hopefully his condition can be managed and he’ll be back into form with a full ST (sure never skipped a beat with his D). League filled in at closer well (37 saves for a team that lost 67 games ain't too shabby).

I, for one, am giving Smoak a mulligan for last season after some pretty extenuating circumstances  that contributed to his performance (or lack thereof)  - multiple injuries AND the loss of his father. And, when you consider he is truly learning on-the-job in that he now more has AB’s in the majors (775) than he had in the minors (636).  Compare that with Montero's 1852 minor league AB and no wonder Yank fans are confident in his ability.

They fact that the M’s need offense is as obvious as the teal tint on my glasses but....

Like they always say - you can never have too much pitching -OR- good pitching beats good hitting (and it appears the M's are going to be seeing some pretty darned good hitting within their own division this coming season). As such, I'm thinking they will make a bid on Yu Darvish. They have their Ace in Felix, an ace in waiting in Pineda, a durable but inconsistent starter in Vargas and then .... a lot of young arms.

Seems to me that bidding for (and winning) Darvish could potentially make sense for the M’s on multiple fronts: fills a MOR spot, keeps the M’s Japanese market alive and well AND allows farm arms to be dealt for hitting.

And, then there are the FA possibilities…
who could resist having a King AND a Prince on the same team?


A girl can dream, can't she
They don’t call me Rosy for nuttin’

Hot Stove Stuff

I missed most of the show (Jack and Jaso) but will catch the pod cast when it's posted).  
I did hear Dustin...

He was pleased with his progression defensively at 2B.  Knowing what to expect, now that he's got some major league service time, will help him prepare that much better, mentally and physically, in the off season and into spring training.  He thinks Brendan Ryan was 'carrying the load' as far as the Baseball Fielding Bible Awards that named him and Brendan as the second best double-play combination in baseball.
Oh, and he got married in October - he and his new wife just moved into a new house .... in Michigan.


At the end of the show they also played a montage of interviews and plays of Greg Halman set to music ...so, incredibly sad.


Mariners signed 11 players to minor league contracts with invites to spring training...

Luis Rodriguez, Darren Ford, Matt Fox, Steve Garrison, Jarrett Grube, Sean Henn, Josh Kinney, Jeff Marquez, Scott Patterson and Phillippe Valiquette

Tenders, non-tenders, and such...

The deadline for tendering contracts was 9pm tonight.

Tendered: Jason Vargas, Shawn Kelley, Brandon League (all three arbitration eligible)
No surprises there

Non Tendered: Dan Cortes, Chris Giminez
Now two members of last year's bully gone (Lueke traded for Jaso) and seems that Jaso's addition made Gimenez expendable.  Not so sure about that though - catching hasn't exactly been a strong suit ro the M's (in terms of talent OR injury-freeness) but ... good luck Dan and Chris, wherever you land!

The complete MLB "non-tender tracker" is here..

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Unlike the "new" Marlins and the "shocking" Halos, the M's were quiet at the Winter Meetings...

Recent additions...

• Darren Ford, speedy outfielder, received a minor league deal and an invitation to major league camp
• Lucas Luetge, lefty reliever, was selected in the Rule 5 Draft
• Guillermo Quiroz, catcher and Scott Patterson, right reliever also sign minor league deals with invitations to major league camp

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And, it's that time of year again...

Get Edgar to the Hall!

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Down under goings on...

Denny Almonte and James McOwen selected to Australian Baseball League All Star Game

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And, last but certainly not least...

Since the Seahawks just beat the Rams on Monday Night Football, I couldn't resist sharing some Mariner related Seahawks tweets (I just LOVE how he is getting so into the Seahawks!)

RealKingFelix Felix Hernandez 

@JonRyan9 great win guys congrats

RealKingFelix Felix Hernandez 

@MoneyLynch good game bro congrats

JonRyan9 Jon Ryan 

@ 

@RealKingFelix thanks Felix. Always good to get the W. Especially on Monday Night Football.

The Dieringer Girls Celebrate 50 | Seabrook, Washington

A grand time was had by all!
(and, what the heck? may as well get a free photo book outta the deal :-)

Click here to view this photo book larger

The new way to make a photo album: photo books by Shutterfly.

All-Star Rooks

Three Seattle Mariners make Baseball America's Rookie All-Star Team

2B Dustin Ackley • Mariners
The second pick in the 2009 draft, Ackley shot to Triple-A a year later and to Seattle on June 17, roughly two years after being drafted. A mere three weeks after his debut, Ackley established himself as the Mariners' top offensive player and permanent three-hole hitter. He wound up leading the Mariners in average (.273), OBP (.348) and slugging (.417). Ackley wore down in September, but through his first 70 big league games he batted .304/.378/.477 with 26 extra-base hits. He needed every ounce of that production to surpass fellow keystone rookies such as the Nationals' Danny Espinosa, who offered power in the form of 21 homers, and the Athletics' Jemile Weeks, who hit .303 and stole 22 bases.

OF Mike Carp • Mariners
Carp failed to make an impression with the run-starved Mariners during brief trials in 2009 or 2010, but he began to find his power stroke with Triple-A Tacoma last year. From the start of the 2010 season until his June 8 callup, he belted 49 homers for the Rainiers and learned to play a passable left field. Incumbent Seattle first baseman Justin Smoak missed most of August while recovering from myriad injuries, briefly opening the door for Carp to return to his natural position. He proceeded to hit .313/.353/.545 with six homers and 25 RBIs in 27 August games, winning the AL's rookie of the month distinction. Something to keep in mind: Carp earned a shot at an everyday gig this season only after the Mariners tired of the antics Milton Bradley and Carlos Peguero in left and Jack Cust at DH.

SP Michael Pineda • Mariners
Pineda threw his fastball with higher average velocity (94.7 mph) than any rookie with at least 100 innings, and he went 8-6, 3.03 in 18 first-half starts to make the AL all-star team—along with fellow rookies Aaron Crow of the Royals and Jordan Walden of the Angels. Pineda also mixed in a mid-80s slider frequently enough to lead all rookies with 173 strikeouts, while ranking second among AL starters with 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings. He topped out at 139 innings in the minors, prompting Seattle to space out his starts in August and September. But despite stumbling near the all-star break—he allowed 19 runs in 14 2/3 innings over three successive mid-July starts—Pineda pulled through to strike out a batter per inning and log a 3.99 ERA over his final eight turns.

Jaso and "Peggy" and 'Gar, oh my!

Brock and Salk interview...
John mentions that Safeco Field has been his favorite field in which to play.  Despite the dimensions, he likes hitting there, loves the batter's eye - interesting that he said the batter's eye can make a difference catching too (makes sense, just never thought about it before).

Of course he's anxious to learn Felix and Michael :-)
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Carlos Peguero is leading the Dominican Winter Leagues in Home Runs, Runs Scored and Slugging %
(also strikeouts, but we won't focus on that ;-)
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Gar is back on the ballot....
Will third time be the charm???

Larry Stone's thoughts on the matter...

Up and Comers up and coming...

yep, still catching up...


AL Rookie of the Year goes to.... 
Jeremy Hellickson

Michael Pineda and Dustin Ackley finish 5th and 6th respectively.
   - MP had 3 second place votes and 2 third place votes
   - DA had 1 first place vote and 1 third place vote

Felix, Dustin and Mike - oh my!
Mariners Pitcher, Performer and Breakout Player

A look back (video) at Dustin's freshman year...

Winter Leagues and Prospect Review
Seattle prospects lead West to Rising Stars win | MLB.com

Franklin, selected in the first round in 2009 by Seattle, finished 4-for-5 with a home run on a memorable night in Arizona. Franklin's four hits, two doubles, four RBIs and three extra-base hits all set new Rising Stars Game records. His team finished with 16 hits in the game. 

"It was really fun," Franklin said. "We had some fans and were enjoying the experience beforehand. We went out there to have a good time and started to put some runs on the board. We started having some fun in the dugout, and it carried over."

Hultzen did his part, and there's no doubt that the front office in Seattle is feeling content right about now. The left-hander struck out the side on 14 pitches in the first inning and did not allow a hit in his two innings pitched. His lone blemish was a one-out walk to Washington's Bryce Harper in the second inning. 

"It was a real honor to get selected for this," Hultzen said. "It was exciting. There was a big crowd and a lot of fans. I felt good out there." 

How much did Hultzen enjoy the game? Well, he spent several minutes after the game signing autographs and greeting fans.
Thirty minutes later, he was still smiling.

M's starters finish 1-2-3 in ERA for the Javelinas in the AFL...
* Forrest Snow 1.10
* Brian Moran 1.32
* Danny Hultzen 1.40

Carlos Peguero tore it up in the DWL...
He finished with a .299 average, he drove in 22 runs in 28 games and launched 9 homers.
He also walked 9 times to help boost his OBP to .367  Way to go, Carlos!

Other hitters of note in the Winter Leagues...
Luis Rodriguez, Francisco Martinez and Chih-Hsien Chiang

Top Ten Prospect Review...

No.	Preseason	Postseason
1.	Dustin Ackley, 2B	Walker
2.	Michel Pineda, RHP	James Paxton, LHP
3.	Nick Franklin, SS	Franklin
4.	Guillermo Pimentel, OF	Francisco Martinez, 3B
5.	Taijuan Walker, RHP	Pimentel
6.	Mauricio Robles, RHP	Chance Ruffin, RHP
7.	Johermyn Chavez, OF	Chavez
8.	Dan Cortes, RHP	Cortes
9.	Blake Beavan, RHP	Liddi
10.	Alex Liddi, 3B	Robles

Mariners 2011 Minor Leaguers of the Year

Catricala, 23, hit .349 (182x521) with 97 runs scored, 77 extra-base (2B - 48, 3B - 4, HR - 25) and 106 RBI in 133 games combined between A High Desert and AA Jackson. Among full season minor leaguers he ranked 2nd in extra-base hits, 3rd in hits, T3rd in doubles, T4th in batting average and T9th in RBI. He recorded 59 multi-hit games (34- High Desert, 25-Jackson), including 12 three-hit games and 3 season-high four-hit games. Catricala was named to the California League All-Star team before being promoted to Jackson on June 30. He hit safely in 52 of 62 games, while reaching base safely in 57 games with the Generals, batting .347 (83x239). 

"Vinnie had an outstanding offensive season combined between High Desert and Jackson," Zduriencik said. "He not only led the organization in many offensive categories, but was one of the top players in all of the minor leagues.

Walker, 19, who was recently named the top Midwest League prospect in 2011 by Baseball America, went 6-5 with a 2.89 ERA (31 ER, 96.2 IP) in 18 starts with A Clinton last season. He limited opponents to a .202 (69x341) average, including a .187 (34x182) vs. right-handed batters. Walker was 0-2 with a 9.95 ERA over his first two starts of the season, but went 6-3 with a 2.39 ERA (24 ER, 90.1 IP) over his last 16 starts. He recorded 7 quality starts, including tossing his first-career complete game victory on July 13 vs. Great Lakes (9.0,2,2,2,1,7,HR). Walker struck out a season-high 11 batters three times and finished with 113 strikeouts in 96.2 innings. He was amongst MWL leaders in lowest opponent average (3rd at .202), highest K/9.0 IP ratio for starters (4th at 10.52), fewest baserunners/9.0 IP for starters (5th at 10.33), strikeouts (6th with 113) and WHIP (8th at 1.12) following his final start on Aug. 10 vs. Cedar Rapids.

"Taijuan had a great year in Clinton", Zduriencik said. "He had great command of the ball and was one of the most dominating pitchers in the Midwest League."

Paying their respects...

Greg's funeral is set for Tuesday and there was a memorial service yesterday.
Shannon got some first hand accounts that she shares here...

Early Tuesday morning Greg Halman will be laid to rest in Driehuis, about five minutes from the town of Haarlem where he grew up. Along with team representatives Bob Engle, Wayne Norton and Peter Van Dalen teammates Mike Carp, Alex Liddi, Dan Cortes and Matt Mangini have made the trip and will attend the funeral services.

Included in Shannon's post is the copy from a truly heart-breaking blog entry by a father about how he broke the news of Greg's death to his son, Luuk, who followed Greg's career, moment-by-moment and looked up to Greg - his "dream friend".

It is indeed heart-warming to discover the huge impact Greg had on youth baseball in Holland, as Jim Caple shares here...  

Most everyone else who commented on Monday mentioned Halman's ever-present smile, and I vividly recall it as well. Halman was friendly and could communicate with just about anyone -- he spoke five languages, and he pretty much needed to. He played all over the world before he ever played in the United States. Touring with various Dutch teams, he played baseball in Spain, France, Germany, Poland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and Italy. But he always knew the country where he wanted his career to finish. 

"Learning about the United States and the major leagues and the minors and seeing older guys go over there, that's the only thing I wanted to do. That was the only thing I strived for," Halman told me one evening in the Mariners dugout. "Even being from Holland. I had an idea how hard I had to work and what I had to do. And to be able to come to the U.S. and play, I knew it was going to be a lot of hard work."

Halman told me that, "Coming from Holland, you haven't played that large amount of baseball yet before you come over here. The first couple years for me was really about adapting and getting to know baseball and getting to know myself as a player before I was even close to playing in the major leagues. The guys from Holland have to realize it's not going to come overnight." 

He told me he wanted to inspire other Dutch players and grow the game in Europe. And earlier this month he was doing exactly that while with Rick VandenHurk's European Big League Tour, along with several other players such as Prince Fielder. Johnson said he met recently with several people who had seen the tour when it passed through Prague.

"Several people commented to me how impressed they were with how enthusiastic and personal Greg was with the kids," Johnson said. "He wasn't the biggest name in the lineup that day, but his presence and charisma dominated yet another piece of real estate.
"I'd imagine that Greg Halman's impact on me was far greater than my impact on him. That is what big leaguers do, they make an impact, and Greg Halman was a big leaguer."

Goodbye, Greg.  You deserved SO much more time but, hopefully, your family can take some comfort in knowing that you lived your dream, inspired young athletes in your homeland and beyond, and became a great role-model in your short, sweet time on this earth.

UPDATE:
Funeral for Greg Halman draws 2000....

"It was really special," Van Dalen said. "We had to walk up a bit of a hill to get to the service and when you looked back down again, you could see all the people lined up ready to come and listen as well. It showed you just how important he was to so many people." 

Huizinga agreed, saying Halman's legacy in the Netherlands is only fully being realized after his death.
"You can't imagine the loss here," he said. "Nobody, until now, realized what a big guy he was. Baseball is a small sport in Holland and in a way, he brought the entire Dutch baseball community together. He will be greatly missed."

FA declarations, roster moves, etc.

yeah, I'm still catching up...

The following players elected Free Agency between Oct 30th - Nov 1st...
* David Aardsma
* Josh Bard
* Adam Kennedy
* Jamie Wright
* Willy Mo Pena
* Luis Rodriguez

The following players were activated from the 60-day disabled list on October 31st...
* Franklin Gutierrez
* Adam Moore

Jeff Gray was claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Twins on October 31st

The following players were added to the Mariners 40-man roster (which now stands at 37)
* Carlos Truifel
* Chih-Hsien Chiang
* Francisco Martinez

Minor Moves...
* LHP Steve Garrison
(reunited with signing scout Tony Blengino who also worked with Jack Z in Milwaukee)
* re-signed Luis Rodriguez
* RHPs Jarret Grube and Jeff Marquez
* LHP Sean Henn

And, just today, the M's make their first major league roster move....
saying goodbye to Josh Lueke (and a PTBNL) and welcoming John Jaso - lefty catcher from the Rays.

Jaso, 28, has hit .245 with 10 home runs and 71 RBIs in 595 at-bats over three seasons with the Rays and could be used in a platoon situation with incumbent starter Miguel Olivo and backup Adam Moore, who are both right-handed hitters.
"John gives us a left-handed-hitting catcher with some big league time who is still young," Zduriencik said. "His left-handed bat will be a nice complement to our right-handed-hitting group. He's a tough kid with postseason experience, and should be a nice fit with us."
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Jaso was the Rays' Opening Day starter last year, and finished his first full season in the Majors batting .224 with 15 doubles, five home runs and 27 RBIs in 246 at-bats.
He started 67 games at catcher -- with 65 of those coming against right-handed pitchers. He started 50 of Tampa Bay's first 90 games, before going on the disabled list with a strained oblique muscle that forced him to miss 33 games.

Catchin' up...

Sorry excuse for a blogger am I.
What can I say?  Life happens.

As for the Mariners and this off-season (beyond the horrible tragedy of Greg Halman's death) here are some of the happenings, to date...

Organizational Awards / Promotions / Changes
* Bob Engle, Mariners VP of International Operations, named a 2011 Scout of the Year
* Chris Gwynn hired as Director of Player Development (spent 27 years as a pro player and scout)
* Lee May, Jr. named as Minor League Hitting Coordinator (coached for the AAA Tribe last year)
* Roger Hansen (former minor-league catching coordinator) now Special Asst to the GM
* John Stearns will fill Roger Hansen's old position as Minor League Catching Coordinator
* Gary Wheelock hired as Minor League Pitching Coordinator

No Gold Glover for the first time since 1987
and, as Larry Stone chronicles here, it was the longest streak in the majors...

The M's streak of Gold Gloves began when Mark Langston was honored for pitchers in 1987. He and second baseman Harold Reynolds won in 1988, Reynolds won again in 1989, and then Ken Griffey Jr.came aboard. Griffey won in the outfield every year from 1990 through 1999, with Reynolds winning again in 1990, shortstop Omar Vizquel in 1993, and outfielder Jay Buhner in 1996. In 2000, Griffey was gone, but John Olerud won at first base. In 2001, Ichiro's streak began, accounting for 10 more years of Gold. Outfielder Mike Cameron also won in 2001, Olerud and second baseman Bret Boone in 2002, Boone, Cameron and Olerud in 2003, Boone in 2004, third baseman Adrian Beltre in 2007 and '08, and outfielderFranklin Gutierrez in 2010.

New CBA
Here's an overview...
Everything from expanding the playoffs (extra WC added) to blood tests for HGH to requiring players named to the All Star Game to play in it (unless suffering from injury) to expanding instant replay to include fouls / traps.  While the agreement has been widely lauded for coming to pass without a work stoppage (thank you NBA for showing them what NOT to do!) Shannon Drayer is one of several who are a bit concerned about the changes called for in the CBA with regard to International signings and the amateur draft.  More to come on that, as I delve into it a bit more...

New "kid" on the block!
The Astros will soon (2013) move to the AL West making all the divisions across MLB equal 5-teams and the Mariners are in full support of the decision as Larry Stone notes here...

"Though much has been written about the change from four to five, we're fine with that,'' he said. "It's better for the fans. They get to see another team come in. We play Anaheim, Texas and Oakalnd 19 times -- fans can get tired of them. And in looking at several schedule drafts, it appears we'll be traveling fewer miles, because it eliminates one trip back east. We'll see how it actually comes out.''
They are adding another division rival in the central time zone, but he pointed out that if they combine the Rangers and Astros on the same road trip, it won't be much of an added burden.

New home turf
Apparently, the Safeco Field grounds keepers are keeping busy in the off-season...
they laid new sod on the infield in October

I got to see it from a distance...
from the bullpen (while enjoying a little "Seahawk tail-gating" prior to the Seahawks game vs. the Bengals)

Unfortunately, the best part of that game was this...
Felix raising the 12th Man Flag

"Our hearts are broken. Mine's in pieces."

Pedro Grifol on Greg Halman | Larry Stone

"Character-wise and presence, I don't think there's any better. His presence in the clubhouse, everyone knows this guy was somebody. Character-wise, guys who knew him like I did and the coaches did, loved him. If you knew him, you loved him. (Jose) Castro ( a Mariners hitting instructor who is with Grifol in Venezuela) feels same way. We sent him to extended spring one year and had Castro to work wth him. I remeber seeing them working together and then leave together in a car. If you knew him the way we did, you loved him. You knew he was somebody. It's a huge loss for the organization and it breaks my heart."

(Recalling when Hansen flew to Amsterdam to meet with Halman and his family). "He had a difficult year in Double-A, and we needed to get some work done. He was a ittle frustrated in the year he had. We just wanted to get everyone on the same page, meaning us as an organization, him, his famly. We wanted everyone to understand, No. 1, the talent he had, and two, that everyone cared for him and wanted him to continue to work and not get frustrated with just a bad year. He had a couple of those, and fought through those together as an organization. That's what it was for. Let's get to meet his family and sit with them, and let them know we're in this together; this could be something special. He has the talent to do a lot of special things.

"It was probably the best thing we did as an organzation, and the best thing for him. he knew, and everyone knew, his mom and dad, when Roger went and stayed five days, we're in this together and trust us. That's what happened. It elevated the trust not only him, but his family, had in us. For us, it gave us that reassurance we were all in this together, him, us, his family, and we were moving forward, and everyone was moving in the right direction. That's what player development is about, what good organizations do. Do whatever it takes to make sure these type of talents continue to develop."

Remembering Greg...

Mariners statement

SEATTLE, Wash. -- The Seattle Mariners Baseball Club issued the following statement today on the sudden and tragic death of outfielder Greg Halman:“The Mariners family is deeply saddened by the tragic death of Greg Halman,” said Mariners Chairman Howard Lincoln, President Chuck Armstrong and General Manager Jack Zduriencikon behalf of entire Mariners organization. “Greg was a part of our organization since he was 16 and we saw him grow into a passionate young man and talented baseball player. He had an infectious smile that would greet you in the clubhouse, and he was a tremendous teammate. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Greg’s family.”

Tweets are coming in fast and furious from those who knew Greg...


LarryLaRue Larry LaRue A portrait of #Mariners OF Greg Halman, who will be missed by all who knew him. twitpic.com/7hg6c5

mattpitman Matt Pitman Saddened, sickened, heart broken over death of Greg Halman. One of the happiest, jovial, contagious personalities I've been around.

Mariners Seattle Mariners Eric Wedge: “I only knew Greg for a brief time, but I feel lucky that I had the chance to get to know him. HHe was a fine young man with a bright future. Greg had a tremendous energy about him, both on and off the field, that I loved. This is just tragic. That’s all I can think, that this is so tragic and sad.”

shannondrayer Shannon Drayer Hard to find words. Greg was a sweet, sweet kid who had a love for life and the world around him. Prayers to his family and the Mariners.

StoneLarry Larry Stone Terrible, terrible news about Greg Halman. I'm still in shock.

UpstateBaller Casper Wells Good men must die, but death cannot kill their names ~proverb. I won't forget you brother. Rest in peace Greg.

CarpusMaximus20 Mike Carp Hard to process such a tragedy. Thoughts and prayers are with the Halman and Mariners Family Right now. You'll be missed Brother Love You

shawnkelley23 Shawn Kelley Lost a great guy today! RIP Greg! I'll miss u

ChristianCaple Christian Caple Oh, no. RIP Greg Halman. Damn it. Just an all around good dude. Terrible, terrible news.

RainiersLand Tacoma Rainiers Sad news today about the passing of outfielder Greg Halman. Our thoughts are with Greg's family and friends during this tragic time.

EverettAquaSox Everett AquaSox We are so sad for the tragic loss of Greg Halman, part of the AquaSox family. Our thoughts are with his friends, family & teammates.

CurtoWorld Mike Curto Really tough to swallow this Greg Halman news. One of our top players & a good guy.

Ken_Rosenthal Ken Rosenthal Statement from Greg Halman's agent, Mike Nicotera: “We are shocked and incredibly saddened by the news this morning. MORE #Mariners #MLB

Ken_Rosenthal Ken Rosenthal "Hopefully in time we will all be able to come to terms with the tragic loss of such a passionate, good hearted, generous...MORE #Mariners

Ken_Rosenthal Ken Rosenthal and faithful young man. Our thoughts and prayers are with Greg’s family, friends and loved ones. This hurts.” #Mariners #MLB

hyphen18 Ryan Rowland-Smith Just heard the shocking news about Halman, so sad, can't imagine what his family is feeling! RIP Greg

RyanDivish Ryan Divish Greg Halman was one of the friendliest, most accommodating players I've been around. Just a great kid. Rest in peace.

StoneLarry Larry Stone Tacoma manager Daren Brown on Greg Halman: "It's really tough to even think about. He was a 24-year-old with everything ahead of him. I thought he was close to putting it all together. "

Minor League Baseball on Greg Halman's passing...

Tacoma Rainiers Team President Aaron Artman released the following statement:  "Greg was a huge part of the Rainiers during his time here in Tacoma, and played a pivotal role -- on the field -- in our run to the 2010 Pacific Coast League Championship. ... He had a huge smile on his face, every day, and his enthusiasm was infectious. He just had a way about him that made our front office staff and fans see a guy who clearly loved what he was doing. ... We miss Greg already, and our prayers go out to his family, friends, teammates and the Mariners organization."

Halman, who played for the Netherlands in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, had returned home this offseason to prepare for the 2012 season. He participated in several baseball camps for children two weeks ago that were organized by Orioles pitcher Rick Van den Hurk, a fellow Netherlands native. The camps were part of the European Big League Tour.

from Mike Curto | Tacoma Rainiers Broadcaster
(some great links within to various other remembrances of Greg)


Brendan Ryan remembers Greg | Shannon's blog

Ryan may have been the biggest Mariners fan on the Mariners team. He was so enthusiastic about the younger players on the team and throughout the year spoke glowingly of Michael Pineda, Dustin Ackley and Greg Halman."I was such an advocate, that guy was a specimen," he said of Halman's athletic talent. "Then you see his tools and think when he figures it out he could be a special, special player.
"The finesse, the action, all good action, he looked like he was developing a real good approach at the plate going to right-center. And some easy pop. He could run like a deer. I was really pulling for him. I really believed that he could be somebody with a chance to be up to great maybe. With those tools?"
It was the person, however, that stood out even more to Ryan than the athlete.
"I don't think people got to know him well enough," he said. "I feel privileged to have gotten to know him. I loved his sense of humor. He was a special guy who could talk some trash, which is always welcome in the clubhouse, but he was a rare breed who could take it as well as he could dish it. That earned my respect."