The number is 36, as in $36 million.
It’s appearing because Chone Figgins had better get used to seeing it.
“I told him, every article is going to have your cont because we would hate to prove Pierre wrong before Figgins even gets to his first opening day with the Mariners.
For now, it’s a good number, proof of what Figgins has accomplished in his career, and also proof of what the Mariners were willing to commit during their much-praised winter. But it’s also a number that carries expectations, for him and for them.
That’s exactly what Pierre was talking about when the two good friends spoke after Figgins signed with Seattle. Even if Figgins is the same guy he always was, the perception of him will change.
The perception of the Mariners has changed.
They say they’re ready for it. Figgins says he’s ready for it.
“You can’t change,” he said. “That’s the best thing. I know I don’t have to change anything.”
He knows the Mariners signed him because of what he already is. They watched him up close for 19 games a year when he was with the Angels. General manager Jack Zduriencik said he and his staff were focused on Figgins from the middle of last summer.
“He was the guy we targeted,” Zduriencik said.
They loved his approach, his speed, his ability to get on base. They dreamed of the Ichiro-Figgins duo at the top of the lineup.
They say the chance to weaken the rival Angels didn’t factor in at all, but it was at least a pleasant extra.
The Mariners could have gone after power, could have spent a little more money for Jason Bay or a lot more for Matt Holliday. But Figgins was the guy they wanted.
And Seattle was the team he wanted.
“A lot of teams were interested, but this was the best fit,” he said. “I’m a man of familiarity.”
He loved the chance to stay in the American League West. He loved that nearly the entire Mariners coaching staff was made up of guys he knew from either the minor leagues with the Rockies or the big leagues with the Angels.
“[Hitting coach] Alan Cockrell managed me with the Rockies,” Figgins said. “[Third-base coach] Mike Brumley had me in Triple-A with the Angels. I know [manager] Don Wakamatsu from the Angels. [Bench coach] Ty Van Burkleo was a minor league hitting coach with the Angels. [First-base coach] Lee Tinsley was an outfield coach with the Angels.
“They’ve all coached me.”
He looks across from his locker in the Mariners’ spring clubhouse and sees Ken Griffey Jr. And, he says, it’s just as if he were looking across the Angels clubhouse and seeing Torii Hunter.
“No different,” Figgins said. “Both of them, it’s like they never have a bad day.”
Sure enough, Hunter was smiling the next day at Angels camp, especially when he was asked about Figgins.
“I want him to do well, just not against us,” Hunter said. “I don’ and then running into a double play.”
Hunter, who got $90 million over five years when he left the Twins for the Angels, agrees with Pierre on the money thing. No doubt, everyone is going to remember how much money Figgins got.
“Because he went to a rival, too,” Hunter said. “It’s going to seem like he left for the money … which he probably did.
Sleeper … Milton Bradley: He tends to play his best in lower-pressure environments like Cleveland, San Diego and Texas, and Seattle certainly fits the bill. And though you could write off his success in 2008 as the byproduct of a good hitter’s park, keep in mind his best performance as a major-leaguer came during his 42-game stint with the Padres, who play in arguably the worst hitter’s park. Other than Ichiro Suzuki, Bradley is the Mariners’ only potentially elite offensive player, meaning he’ll get all the opportunities he can handle. Bust … Cliff Lee: Considering Lee’s relatively low strikeout rate, his contact rate might get him in trouble, as it did last year when he posted a 6.13 ERA over his final seven starts. Funny how most Fantasy o but not the ace everyone makes him out to be. He eats innings and limits baserunners, but on a team not exactly wired for offense, that might not be enough for him to win more than a dozen games. Breakout … Franklin Gutierrez: As he enters his age-27 season, a 20-20 campaign is a distinct possibility. Rarely will you find that kind of production so late in a Rotisserie league draft. Gutierrez’s 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio will lead to some cold streaks that make him not quite as valuable in Head-to-Head leagues, but even in those formats, he Top Mariners Prospects (2010 destination) 1. Dustin Ackley, OF, Class A 2. Michael Saunders, OF, Triple-A 3. Adam Moore, C, Majors 4. Mike Carp, 1B, Triple-A 5. Alex Liddi, 3B, Double-A Mariners outlook | 2010 Draft Prep Guide
“But Figgy’ll be able to deal with it.”
This spring, he’s dealing with more than that. The Mariners have moved him from third base to second base, because they believe his athleticism will play better there. And they’ve moved him to second in the batting order, because they want to keep Ichiro in the leadoff spot.
The early word is that both moves are working.
Figgins said it might help him to hit behind Ichiro, and that as a leadoff hitter and base stealer himself, he’ll know what to do when Ichiro is on base.
“I think Figgins will help Ichiro a lot,” Wakamatsu said.
Wakamatsu thinks Figgins’ patience at the plate will also influence Jose Lopez, who walked only 24 times in 653 plate appearances last year.
The Mariners need the top-of-the-order combo to work, because they don’t figure to hit many home runs. Remember, Zduriencik chose to pursue speed rather than power on the free-agent market, and now that speed has to work for him.
“People talk about power, but the object is to score runs,” said Pierre, who is making the same argument for his new team, the White Sox. “It doesn’t matter how you score them.”
It does matter how you do when you sign your first big contract. Pierre, who went from the Cubs to the Dodgers on a five-year, $44 million deal after 2006, knows that well.
He and Figgins are close friends, so it’s no surprise they talked about it.
“Juan was the best to talk to about that,” Figgins said. “Obviously, there’s pressure, because I want to come over here and be an impact player. But once I step on the field, it’s the same game, and I have to remind myself that.
“This was my choice, and I want to win.”
He was the Mariners’ choice, and they want to win, too. They believe Figgins will help them win.
If he does, and if they do win, you can bet we’ll be mentioning that $36 million figure again.
But only in a good way.
