Newcomer Vidro in for tough adjustment

PEORIA, Ariz. — A low-key Jose Vidro arrived at training camp before noon Monday, shook a few hands and then quietly spent the next half-hour alone by his locker.

It was a scene befitting the challenges faced by Vidro as he embarks on a new stage of his career. He is switching to a full-time designated-hitter role with the Mariners and will be very much on his own as he tries to navigate the difficulties that will entail.

But the Mariners have taken one step to ensure Vidro has someone to lean on this spring as he figures out how to stay focused during the two or three innings of inactivity between each at-bat. They've invited perhaps the finest DH of all-time, their own Edgar Martinez, to camp from Feb. 24 to 26 to serve as a sounding board to a newcomer they hope can provide a significant offensive boost.

"I'm looking forward to it," Vidro said, as his new teammates dried off around him after a rain-soaked workout at the Peoria Sports Complex. "I'm definitely going to ask him, 'What's the best way to prepare yourself?' Just normal things. I'm not going to ask him anything about hitting. I'm just going to ask him about preparing yourself before. In spring training, all that stuff."

Martinez is expected to be part of a trio of ex-Mariners in camp as guest instructors, with Jay Buhner and Dan Wilson coming in the week of March 4-9. Of all the guests, though, Martinez will arguably play the most pivotal role for a club needing Vidro to reach expectations this season if Seattle is to greatly improve from a dismal offensive effort in 2006.

It was clear from early questioning of Vidro by a handful of media members that he is truly a newbie at this whole DH thing. He admitted to not having consulted any other DH types, past or present, and that his workout regimen hasn't changed from when he was an everyday infielder with the Montreal Expos and Washington Nationals.

But make no mistake: This isn't about Vidro needing any hitting lessons.

Vidro was a .300 hitter for five consecutive seasons in Montreal, and was as feared a second baseman as there was in baseball when it came to extra-base power before injuries began slowing him down. The DH shift seems natural for a player beset first by lingering knee woes and then a hamstring problem last year, all of which have kept him from having 500 at-bats in a season since 2003.

But being a DH can play on the minds of even top hitters. The hot and cold nature of it is an adjustment some have made easier than others.

"It's something where Jose is going to have to find what works for him," Mariners manager Mike Hargrove said. "You see some guys who sit on a bench, other guys who ride the bike the whole time and then they're too tired when they have to go hit."

But Hargrove quickly added: "Jose has been a good hitter for a number of years, and cream rises to the top."

Hargrove said it would be a far more difficult adjustment for Vidro if he was to be a part-time DH. In those cases, hitters often find their timing thrown off by playing the field for two or three weeks, then being asked to cut back to DH duty.

Not so for Vidro, who at 32 will be making a permanent move in a bid to prolong a career that otherwise might not be salvageable.

Vidro knows there has been plenty of speculation in recent years about his bat having lost its force. And the trade that brought him to Seattle from Washington, for minor-leaguers Chris Snelling and Emiliano Fruto, has been criticized by some fans and media.

Vidro hit .289 in 126 games last season, but his seven home runs, 47 runs batted in and .395 slugging percentage are far from typical DH standards.

"I have a lot of confidence in myself," Vidro said. "If I stay healthy, I know I'm going to produce. I just have to work hard, in the training room with the trainers, and get my body to go the whole year. And if it happens, my numbers are going to be there. I have no doubt about that."

Geoff Baker: 206-464-2277 or gbaker@seattletimes.com