Wladimir Balentien Stats & Scouting Report

AB	511
AVG	.221
OBP	.281
SLG	.374
HR	15

Full name Wladimir Ramon Balentien
Born 07/02/1984 in
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 220 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School St. Josef Tech
Debut 09/04/2007

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Balentien arrived in the United States by hitting a Rookie-level Arizona League-record 16 home runs in 2004. He has done nothing but mash since, averaging 22 homers in each of the past four seasons. After winning team MVP honors at San Antonio in 2006, he showed improvement across the board in his first taste of Triple-A. He homered off Fausto Carmona in one of three September at-bats for the Mariners. Few players in the game can match Balentien's immense raw power to all fields. Though he still wildly chases pitches out of the strike zone, he did show increased pitch recognition and selectivity in first half of last season. He slashed his strikeout rate from one every 3.2 at-bats in 2006 to one every 4.5. He has average speed and good baserunning instincts. An average defender in right field, he charges the ball well and has a plus arm he used to register 15 assists last year. Balentien spins off pitches a lot, though he can still drive the ball when he does. He frequently has come under scrutiny for his lackadaisical play and though he still has lapses, he showed more focus and maturity in 2007. Balentien missed a week in August with a left pinky injury and hit just .209/.281/.318 in 148 at-bats in the second half. Balentien accomplished his goal of making more contact without sacrificing power, bringing him to the cusp of being big league ready. The Mariners, though, are committed to Ichiro Suzuki and Adam Jones in center and right field, and Raul Ibanez has played well in left, meaning Balentien may have to wait for a spot to open in Seattle. He could use more Triple-A time to further refine his game.
Balentien arrived in the United States by hitting a Rookie-level Arizona League-record 16 homers in 2004, and he has been crushing homers and striking out in bunches ever since. A member of the 2004 Dutch Olympic team, he won San Antonio's MVP award and the Texas League home run derby in 2006. He also smacked two doubles in the Futures Game. Few players in the game can match Balentien's raw power. Though his approach remains simplistic, he made progress in 2006 with his plate discipline (more than doubling his career high in walks) and using the opposite field. Far from a one-dimensional slugger, he has average speed and a plus arm that managers rated the best among TL outfielders. A right fielder who can play some center, he led the league with 17 outfield assists. Balentien's all-out, all-the-time approach limits his ability to make contact and hit for average. He'll chase any pitch he can reach, and he swings so hard that he'll pull his head off the ball. His stroke is long, he can be helpless against breaking stuff and he doesn't adjust when he falls behind in the count. He can get out of control in the field as well, topping TL outfielders with 11 errors. Balentien's power is undeniable, but how usable it will be in the majors remains in question. The Mariners love his ceiling and will hope he can find a more balanced approach this year in Triple-A.
There aren't many minor league hitters who are more fun to watch than Balentien. He has as much raw power as just about anyone--more than top Mariners prospect Jeff Clement, though Clement's is more usable--and he never deviates from his John Daly approach: grip it and rip it. Predictably, this approach yields a lot of homers (68 in 371 pro games) and a lot more strikeouts (402, about one for every three at-bats). Whether it will work above high Class A remains to be seen. A member of the 2004 Dutch Olympic team, Balentien offers more than just power. He has a plus arm and average speed. He makes good reads and gets nice jumps on defense, so his primary position the last two years has been center field. In the long term, he's better suited for right. Balentien chases too many balls off the plate and tries to pull everything. He swings so hard that he routinely pulls his head out of proper hitting position. His effort and conditioning also have been questioned. Balentien has one of the highest ceilings in the system, and Seattle will monitor his progress closely this year at San Antonio.
After winning home run crowns in the Rookie-level Venezuelan and Arizona leagues the previous two years, Balentien continued to mash in 2004. Counting the California League playoffs and Olympics (he played for the Netherlands), he hit 20 home runs in 98 games. Balentien has extraordinary power to all fields and has the tools to be more than just a slugger. His speed and arm strength are average. His primary 2004 position was center field, though he's destined for right. Balentien tries to pull every pitch, so he has poor discipline, makes infrequent contact and struggles against breaking balls. He worries solely about his hitting, leading to poor jumps and lapses in the outfield. He needs to prepare to play hard every day, and he'll have to watch that his big build doesn't lose its flexibility. The Mariners have a number of outfielders established in the big leagues or ahead of Balentien on the system's depth chart, but none of them can approach his power. They hope he'll mature in all phases of the game at high Class A Inland Empire in 2005.
Balentien won both the regular-season and playoff MVP awards and added the home run crown in the Rookie-level Venezuelan Summer League in 2002. His U.S. debut last season was even better. Balentien destroyed the Arizona League home run mark and led the AZL in extra-base hits and slugging percentage. He employs a grip-it-and-rip-it mentality, swinging hard at everything that comes his way and displaying well-above-average power to all fields. First baseman Jon Nelson has arguably more raw pop than Balentien but can't match him in terms of usable power. It's unlikely Balentien's approach will work against advanced pitching. He'll need to learn to wait on breaking balls and develop more discipline. He's not just a one-dimensional slugger, however. His speed and arm are average tools. A converted third baseman, he played all three outfield positions in the AZL and fits best in right field. The Mariners may be tempted to move Balentien to full-season ball this year in low Class A.

Minor League Top Prospects

In his return to the PCL, Balentien showed his usual prodigious power and improved plate discipline. He may never hit for a high average because he'll lapse into an all-out approach and his pitch recognition wavers, but when he connects, few players can hit a ball farther. Balentien has more tools, too. He has average speed and some basestealing instincts. He has plus arm strength, and PCL runners rarely challenged him after he racked up 15 assists last year. He covers enough ground in the outfield that he occasionally played center field in both Tacoma and Seattle. His maturity is still a question mark, as he'll get lackadaisical and play below his tools at times. But the bottom line is that if he provides consistent power, he'll find a place in a big league lineup.
One of the few Mariners prospects who has been allowed to develop more or less at his own pace, Balentien showed improvement across the board in his first taste of Triple-A. Most strikingly, he slashed his strikeout rate from one every 3.2 at-bats in 2006 to one every 4.5 for Tacoma. Though Balentien still will wildly chase pitches out of the zone, he did show increased selectivity in the first half, especially with regard to breaking balls off the plate. He has immense raw power to all fields and hit his first big league homer in September off Fausto Carmona. Balentien also has average speed and good baserunning instincts. He's an average defender with a plus arm in right field. He frequently has come under scrutiny for his lackadaisical play and though he still has lapses, he showed more focus and maturity in 2007.
Balentien drew comparisons to Manny Ramirez from league managers, both for his hitting potential and for his sometimes mystifying on-field behavior. Some managers called him a hot dog. He's one of the most intriguing power hitters in the minors--and represented the Mariners in the Futures Game in July--but his performance this season didn't match his potential. He has all the tools to be a middle-of-the-lineup force, including light-tower power. "My God, he can hit the ball a long way," Clark said. He has strength in his body and in his swing, with power from gap to gap, but his swing is big and he has not shown an ability to cut it down based on the count. He also struggled with breaking stuff, though he did show a willingness to hit the ball the other way this year. Balentien has a strong arm and runs well, though he's not a burner, and he played both right and center field for San Antonio. His long-term fit is in right, though. His attention sometimes wavered, and he led TL outfielders with 11 errors.
If chicks dig the longball, Balentien will never be lonely. He led the Rookie-level Venezuelan League with 10 homers in 2002 and set a Rookie-level Arizona League record with 16 last year. Balentien hit 15 in a half-season in the MWL, then four more in 16 games (counting the California League playoffs) in high Class A. "He has tremendous power to all fields," Wisconsin manager Steve Roadcap said. "When he tries to pull everything, he's not good. When he learns he can hit the ball out to all fields, the sky's the limit for him." Balentien also homered in The Netherlands' Olympic opener against Greece, then went 0-for-11 with six strikeouts the rest of the way in Athens. For all his power, MWL observers wondered if he might similarly struggle above Class A. He takes a huge cut and tries to jerk every pitch out of the park, and he'll have to be much more disciplined against better pitching. Roadcap batted him eighth in the Wisconsin lineup to protect him, and Balentien hasn't proven he can hit breaking balls. He runs well for his size (6-foot-3, 209 pounds) and played some center field, but he most likely will wind up in left. Balentien's arm and his jumps are below average.
Balentien hit 16 homers, which broke the league record and was more than double his closest pursuer. He's an imposing presence in the batter's box, but he'll need to make adjustments as he advances, particularly staying back on breaking balls and making consistent contact. "He murders everything down the middle," Royals 1 manager Lloyd Simmons said, "but he's got some holes in his swing. He's very pitchable if you throw him breaking balls and sliders on the outer half." Balentien's other tools aren't close to his considerable power, but he played all three outfield positions adequately and showed an average arm and speed. Not every manager believed his listed age of 19 is correct.