Wladimir might not get a lot of at-bats down the stretch, but he packs a punch when he does.

Welcome back for another edition of Treasure Hunting. What we do here every week is check in on two players either moving in to new positions or coming up from the minors, see what they have done, and try to predict what they might do in the future based on that.

Sound like fun? We think so.

This week, we have two more call-ups to look at, both coming up from the minors yesterday. In Seattle, we have a power-hitting outfielder with an unusual last name and an even more unusual first name. What might he do this month, and what do you need to know about him for next year? Over in the National League, we have another stud outfielder, one giving Canadian fans their best reason to care about the NL since the Expos defected.

Wladimir Balentien, Outfield, Seattle Mariners

Wladimir Balentien started on his journey to the bigs in the South American baseball hotbed of Curacao, known of course as the home of Andruw Jones. Starting out in the Arizona Rookie League at the ripe old age of 19, Balentien made an immediate impact, hitting 16 home runs and driving in 52 RBI in 187 at-bats over 50 games. Nothing like pounding out homers to get yourself some notice.

Moving up the ranks to the Midwest League the following season, Balentien would continue to mash, as he hit 15 homers and knocked in 46 RBI over 76 games. A little down from the previous season, but still quite solid, and it would earn him another promotion, as he would finish the season with ten games in High-A, which is where he would open the 2005 season.

2005 would be a quite fine season for Balentien, as he had his best offensive season to date. Over 492 at-bats in 123 games in High-A, Balentien hit .291, his highest batting average to that point, with 25 home runs, 93 RBI, 76 runs scored, and 9 stolen bases. Numbers like those will definitely earn you consideration as a top prospect, and Balentien would be heading to Double-A to open 2006.

Unfortunately, 2006 would be a rather disappointing follow-up. Sure, he did belt out 22 homers and drive in 82 RBI in 121 games in the Texas League, but his batting average took a significant hit, as he hit just .230 in 444 at-bats.

The Mariners were not too worried, however, as they would still move Balentien up to Triple-A to open this season. Balentien would reward their faith in him by having his best season yet, knocking out 24 homers, driving in 84 RBI, scoring 77 runs, and swiping 15 bases. Balentien would pick up his second Future’s Game appearance.

Now, he is up in the bigs, where he has already picked up his first at-bat, his first hit – a double, and his first RBI – two of them in fact. For now, Balentien is likely to have a limited number of at-bats as the Mariners fight for a playoff spot and will rely on their veterans for that push. However, next year is a completely different story, and it is very unlikely that the Mariners would send him back to Triple-A – the Mariners have been very aggressive promoting him so far, and he had passed every test so far, so why would they put the brakes on now? They will not, and he will have every chance to win a starting gig in Spring Training. He will.

Joey Votto, Outfielder, Cincinnati Reds

Definitely not from a baseball hotbed, Joey Votto signed with the Reds as a second round pick out of Richview Collegiate Institute in Toronto, Ontario. Now that he has made the majors, he brings the number of major leaguers out of Richview up to one. Votto would make his debut right out of the draft as an 18-year-old in the Gulf Coast League. Votto would spend the first two seasons in either rookie ball or short-season ball.

He would start putting up numbers worthy of notice though starting at the age of 20 in 2004. That season, playing in the Midwest League, Votto hit .302 with 14 homers, 72 RBI, 60 runs scored, and 9 stolen bases. Votto would finish the season in High-A, and he would belt out five more homers in 24 games there.

Moving up to the Florida State League to open 2005, Votto would put up similar numbers with 17 homers, 83 RBI, and 64 runs, but his batting average would take a serious pounding, as he finished with just a .256 average in 464 at-bats. The big reason for that was his huge spike in strikeouts, with 122 – a career high.

The strikeouts would come back down and the average back up in 2006 with Chattanooga in Double-A. In 508 at-bats, Votto would strike out only 109 times, while walking 78 times, and he hit .319 with 22 homers, 77 RBI, 85 runs, and a surprising 23 stolen bases. Those steals had to be a fluke, right?

Well, I certainly thought so heading in to this year, but he went out and swiped 17 in Triple-A this year, so maybe not. Of course, he was also caught ten times, so he does need to work on his judgment there. At the plate this year, Votto hit .294 in 496 at-bats with 22 home runs, 92 RBI, and 74 runs scored. The batting eye he worked so hard to improve last year stuck with him at Triple-A, as he struck out 110 times but also walked 70 times.

Unfortunately, that eye did not help him in his first major league at-bat – he struck out. Unlike Balentien and the Mariners, though, Votto and his team are just playing the last weeks out with nothing at stake, so Votto is far more likely to pick up at-bats down the stretch. Heading into next year, Votto is just about a lock for a starting outfield position next year, and he should be able to deliver solid power with a respectable average and a handful of stolen bases.

Last Week Revisited

Last week, the spotlight was shined upon Troy Patton and Ian Kennedy. Patton picked up a loss in his last start despite holding the Cubs, in Wrigley Field, to just three hits, one walk, and two earned runs, and he struck out three. Clearly, he deserved better here. Kennedy picked up a win his first start, holding the Devil Rays to five hits, two walks, and one earned run, and he struck out six. Both have solid upside, but Kennedy is the star here.

That wraps up this week – see you in seven for more buried treasures!

Questions and comments may be sent to markhaverty@sportsgrumblings.com