Mariners scouting director's job is simple: 'Get it right'

Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik has a standard refrain for Tom McNamara, the Mariners' first-year scouting director and the man entrusted with one of the most crucial drafts in club history.

"Jack keeps telling me, 'Get it right.' That's all he's been saying to me for the last three weeks," McNamara said Wednesday, taking a brief respite from the team's grueling pre-draft planning sessions to meet the media.

"We don't have conversations. Jack just says, 'Get it right.'"

For the Mariners, much is riding on the draft, which begins Tuesday and runs through Thursday. With the No. 2 overall pick, they hope to get an impact player on the fast-track to the major leagues.

And with three other picks in the top 51 — No. 27 in the first round, compensation for losing Raul Ibanez to Philadelphia; No. 33, a sandwich pick that's also part of the Ibanez compensation; and No. 51, the second pick in the second round — they have a chance to add quality depth to the organization.

"It's a lot of picks," said McNamara, who was a scout in Milwaukee when Zduriencik was the scouting director for the Brewers. "We've got to get them right. We're trying our best in there to make sure the decisions we make, the people in Seattle in three, four, hopefully two years, can sit back and say, 'This is the core of a playoff, championship, World Series type team. That's what we're looking to do."

The Mariners still have scouts out working college super-regionals and high school playoffs and All-Star games. But their cross-checkers and scouting supervisors have begun amassing in Seattle to meet with Zduriencik, McNamara and other members of the front office to go over names and strategy.

"It's go time," McNamara said. "We were looking at the board — there were 35, 38 names up there, and we said, 'You know, we're going to have six of those players.' That gets your juices flowing."

McNamara didn't reveal which way the Mariners are leaning, but most industry sources feel they are prepared to take North Carolina junior Dustin Ackley — a first baseman projected as a center fielder — with the No. 2 overall pick.

They have also been linked to Aaron Crow, the former Missouri pitcher who was taken No. 9 overall by Washington last year but failed to sign, and former Fresno State hurler Tanner Scheppers, who also didn't sign last year after his season was undermined by arm injuries. Both are pitching in independent leagues.

"We have the boards set up, and we're going over as many guys as possible," McNamara said. "We're doing the best we can to get the right player. We feel pretty comfortable about two [the second overall pick[. We're working on 27 and 33 today, and working our way down. Then we go back to the top, ask guys, 'Hey, would you do this, how about this?' Then some guys toward the end turn it up, and some guys sort of peter out. It's pretty interesting.

"There are a couple of hitters out there we really like, and a couple of arms, and the arms are not only college guys, but high school guys. We have a pretty good feel of who we like and who we want to take. Now let's see what happens. Going into the year, I thought it was college pitching, pitching, pitching. But there have been a couple of position players that have really stepped up, and there's some high school arms out there that are pretty special."

One pitcher the Mariners almost certainly won't have an opportunity to take is once-a-generation phenom Stephen Strasburg out of San Diego State, widely expected to be taken by the Nationals at No. 1 overall. McNamara, however, deflected all questions about Strasburg or any other specific player.

"Everyone knows he has a good arm," he said. "But I'd rather pass on that. These guys are still in college, still playing. We like to keep it pretty tight on our players, what we think of them. We don't like to say, 'This guy can be this guy,' because if they're not, it's not a fair tag."

Branyan stays at No. 2 hole

Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu says he's going to stick with Russell Branyan in the No. 2 spot for the time being.

"Everybody wants to look at Russell as a No. 3 or No. 4 hole hitter," Wakamatsu said. "I think it might have been a little bit different if the other guys were really on fire or something like that. Who knows down the road? But I wouldn't have made that move if I didn't think Russell was making that adjustment to lay off some pitches."

Branyan was 2 for 4 with two RBI in Tuesday's win, hitting in the second spot of the batting order.

One possible factor: Ken Griffey Jr. has drawn a lot of walks this season. It's possible he was getting pitched around with no one on base in order to get to Branyan.

Griffey now could see better pitches. "I think so, yeah," Wakamatsu said. "You've got first and second in a situation, and now you've got to pitch with Griff."

Wakamatsu had discussed the lineup move with Zduriencik and says it was not a tough sell — Zduriencik was actually thinking the same thing.

Notes

• Reliever Roy Corcoran threw a 33-pitch simulated game Wednesday afternoon, and the team will send him on a rehab assignment this weekend with Class AAA Tacoma. Corcoran has been healthy enough to throw for some time, but this was a matter of him getting his command back.

• Ichiro was asked Tuesday night about the significance of setting the franchise record for consecutive games with a base hit, and his answer had a little bit of everything: a reference to his wife, a mention of his dog — Ikkyu — and a totally puzzling riddle.

"Once I got this far, I wanted to achieve it," Ichiro said, according to his translator. "Now I wish that I would have asked my wife, Yumiko, and my dog, Ikkyu, to come to the game. But at the same time, if you think about it, if I didn't invite them, it means that much to me as well."

Huh?

As for the magnitude of Joe DiMaggio's record of 56 consecutive games with a hit: "I think it's true when they say it's the hardest record to beat," Ichiro said.

Seattle Times reporters Geoff Baker and Danny O'Neil contributed to this story.

For the record

Streak: W2

Home: 14-13

Road: 12-15

v. AL West: 13-14

vs. L.A.: 7-6

vs. Oakland: 6-3

vs. Texas: 0-5

vs. AL East: 6-3

vs. AL Cent.: 5-10

vs. NL: 2-1

vs. LHP: 10-7

vs. RHP: 16-21

Day: 10-9

Night: 16-19

One-run: 14-11

Extra inn.: 4-2

Home attendance

Wednesday's crowd: 18,650

Season total: 706,233

Biggest crowd: 45,958 (April 14)

Smallest crowd: 16,002 (May 19)

Average (27 dates): 26,157

2008 average (27 dates): 27,689