M's Farm Report | Mature approach helps Balentien get in the swing

No one ever questioned the power of outfielder Wladimir Balentien when he hit the baseball.

The problem was, often he didn't hit it. Signed as a 16-year-old out of Curaçao, the same Caribbean island that produced Atlanta star Andruw Jones, Balentien had gained notoriety for prodigious home runs and a propensity to strike out.

But everything has come together for Balentien this season at Class AAA Tacoma. Balentien is hitting .315, with 10 home runs, 40 runs batted in and 10 stolen bases, leading the Rainiers in all four categories.

Perhaps even more significant, the 22-year-old has struck out 43 times in 213 at-bats, once about every five at-bats. In his four previous minor-league seasons, he struck out 442 times in 1,421 at-bats, about once every 3.2 at-bats.

Balentien said the difference is simple.

"The only thing I am doing differently is my approach at the plate," he said. "I take the bad pitches, swing at the good pitches and don't miss my pitch — and that has made my strikeouts go lower."

Frank Mattox, the Mariners' director of player development, pointed to Balentien maturing.

"He's really starting to understand hitting," Mattox said. "He has always shown the ability to hit the ball with power, but you have to hit the ball first. He's understanding that if he hits it more, he can also hit more homers.

"He has become a much better two-strike hitter, but he's also swinging more at the right pitches before it becomes two strikes."

Balentien, who speaks three languages, said soccer is the sport of choice in Curaçao, but he was drawn to baseball at an early age.

"I started playing when I was 5 years old," he said. "Behind my house we had a baseball field and I saw a lot of kids playing there. I had nothing to do, so in my free time I would go there and practice with them."

By the time Balentien was 11, he knew what he wanted to do.

"I started to watch some baseball on TV, and I decided I love this game, and one day I want to be like those guys playing on TV," he said.

Balentien spent time in the Dominican and Venezuelan leagues after signing with the Mariners. He moved to the United States in 2003, starting with Peoria in the Arizona League and making a quick ascension through the system.

He has never talked with the Braves' Jones, but he would like to ask him a few questions if he gets the chance.

"I'd like to find out how he made it so easy to get there [to the big leagues] and stay there for a long time," Balentien said. "I'd love to talk about that so I can learn something, so when I get up there, I can stay a long time too."

Balentien said his goals this season are to hit over. 300 with 30 home runs and 80 or fewer strikeouts. Those goals appear attainable, and reaching them will help him toward another goal: reaching the major leagues quickly.

"I'll be ready when they are willing to give me the opportunity," he said.