Chone Figgins had his family with him on journey that led to Mariners

A butterfly bandage worn by Chone Figgins on his left forearm during the baseball season is meant to keep his Florida-based family close to his heart.

But that's just the surface of a deeper bond between the new Mariners infielder and the parents who long ago taught him to strive to be something more. His father, Charles, was a former semipro ballplayer from Georgia, who later barnstormed through Florida on weekends with a competitive slowpitch softball team when he wasn't working odd jobs to support his young family.

To make ends meet, his mother, Eva Callins, worked for the county as a coordinator of services for seniors.

Money was tight in the Figgins household, but the dreams were ample; enough to prompt a Little League-age Figgins to promise his mother he'd one day build her a mansion when he finally struck gold on a baseball field.

"He's always said that, since when he was small," his mother said Tuesday after seeing her son introduced to the media in an at-times emotional Safeco Field news conference. "First he was going to become a professional baseball player and then he was going to do that. He was going to build us this huge house.

"And he did."

Figgins made good four years ago, using his first seven-figure contract from the Los Angeles Angels to build his mother a sprawling, two-level home on a large tract of land in Plant City, Fla. And on Tuesday, his biggest payday already secured courtesy of a four-year, $36 million contract with the Mariners, the 31-year-old had both parents with him in Seattle to share in his success.

"They've been there through everything," Figgins said. "Obviously, you go through a lot of things in life, but they've always had my back and always had my best interests.

"They've been in the South for so many years and they've gone through the hardest of times that you could possibly go through. For them to be here and see their son take the next step in his life, I think they deserve to be here."

His mother still lives in the house Figgins built. But life still isn't always easy on the family, even with money flowing more freely.

His father suffered two strokes, the latest one midway through the 2008 season. Figgins went on bereavement leave to be with him.

Though his parents divorced years back, they remain amicable. At Tuesday's gathering, his mother helped answer a handful of media questions for his father, who has difficulty speaking because of the strokes.

His father's sister gave Figgins his now famous middle name — his full name is Desmond DeChone Figgins — because she wanted it to be unique. Figgins began hitting softballs at about age 3 and his father was there.

His father taught him life lessons, too; about how black baseball players from prior eras didn't have the same opportunities and to never take his gift for granted. He had Figgins and his brother, Demetrius, who later became an Angels scout, help him with the jobs he'd do around the city. The boys never forgot the work their father put in or the advice he gave.

"That's a lot of dog days in Florida, being that they have the sun and the humidity," Figgins said. "He's always taught me to go after it. Don't sit back and wait for it to come to you. Realize it's going to be tough. And when you make a decision, stick by it."

When Figgins was dithering over whether to sign his first professional contract with the Colorado Rockies or hold out for more money, his father told him to stop wasting time.

"He said, 'What does it matter? Your ultimate goal is to get to the big leagues. So, sign your contract and let's go.' "

Figgins had always been smaller than his peers — even now, he's only 5 feet 8, 180 pounds — and was constantly reminded of the challenges he faced.

"Obviously, coming out of the draft, there's the typical, 'We want a guy who's 6-foot-1, 200 pounds,' " said Figgins, who was taken by Colorado in the fourth round, 132nd overall in 1997. "And when you have stuff like that going against you, you use it as a motivational tool."

Mariners hitting coach Alan Cockrell managed Figgins in Class A ball for Colorado.

"Figgy's always had that one thing that's real exciting in the game and that's speed," Cockrell said. "I just told him to be aggressive. Just put pressure on the defense and get after it. I think that, when he was younger, I don't know if he realized what his talent was or what his impact could be."

His mother coined a phrase for her son's disruptive style on the basepaths.

She'd tell him to "Get Figgy with it" — a take on rapper Will Smith's 1998 song "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It." Teammates repeated the phrase after his debut with the 2002 World Series champion Angels, and later when Figgins became a mainstay atop their batting order.

Figgins is now starting up a "Get Figgy With It" charity, pledging to build Little League fields in inner-city Tampa and Seattle. His mother will be its chairman.

Figgins promised her she'd never have to work again after that first Angels contract. But she stayed on a little longer, finally retiring after 25 years "so I could be a full-time baseball fan."

And with Figgins set to embark on a new career in a new city, his mother is as excited as ever about the coming season.

"You'd better believe it," she said. "I know what it took for him to get here. For all of us to get here."

Geoff Baker: 206-464-8286 or gbaker@seattletimes.com.