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2008 A red-hot streak to end the year (combined .357/.423/.634 in August and September with 15 homers) salvaged what had been an ugly season for Iba?ez. There's no telling if he had a similar revitalization in the field, but overall, it looked as though his feet had been staked to the Safeco turf. On Iba?ez's wishlist for 2008: a platoon partner (he hit just .256/.294/.356 against lefties last year while wrecking righties by going .305/.371/.528), and more time at a less demanding position such as first base or DH. 2007 BP 2004: `The Mariners are going to be staring at a lot of wasted salary by the end of his awful three-year, $13-million contract.` BP 2007: Oops. Iba?ez looked like he had started to decline in 2003 after a modest peak during his time in Kansas City. Instead, he decided to take a junior version of the Luis Gonzalez career path, by which a formerly mediocre left fielder goes on an unexpected tear in his early 30s. As for how much salary Seattle `wasted,` Iba?ez was worth nearly fourteen wins over replacement over the course of the contract. As measured by Marginal Value Above Replacement, his 2006 season alone was worth $10.4 million. Far from asking for their money back, the Mariners extended Iba?ez`s contract through 2008. As to what we said about Ibanez in 2004, well, the guy who wrote that isn`t with us anymore. 2006 One thing the front office has done well in recent years is recognize Safeco Field`s more favorable environment for left-handed hitters, tapping players like Ibanez to complement the roster`s bigger bats. Ibanez put up decent if unspectacular numbers for the second year in a row, and figures to do the same in the final year of this three-year contract. He`s a good on-base, moderate-power DH at this stage--no great shakes, but better for this team than the right-handed equivalent. 2005 There's some weird stuff afoot here. Ibanez strained his right hamstring mid-season, and was a different hitter afterwards.
Pre-hamstring-injury: .268/.330/.505
Post-hamstring-injury: .328/.369/.449
Ibanez's overall line defied projections and is due to a fluke. Historically helpless against lefties, this year he hit .295/.342/.438 against them and that, as Robert Frost would say, has made all the difference. There are rumors the team's thinking of playing Sexson in left, moving Ibanez to first. Ibanez would become a shadowy version of John Olerud: an aging, power-deficient lefty who needs a platoon partner…except Ibanez is horrible defensively, while Olerud was a picking machine. 2003 Sometimes the alien stays. There was nothing in Ibanez’s major league or minor league record that suggested he was capable of slugging .495, as he did in 2001, let alone that he could improve on that performance and slug .537. Ibanez credits his performance to learning the value of plate discipline from Edgar Martinez and John Olerud while in Seattle. While his walks fell last season, Ibanez continued to take nearly four pitches per plate appearance, once again proving the saw that even when strike zone knowledge doesn’t lead to more walks, it can lead to more hitter’s counts. 2002 It's fairly dissatisfying to spend $21.95 on a book about baseball players and find that said book doesn't have all the answers you want. We sympathize, but there's no explanation for Ibanez's performance last year. His power came from pulling the ball more, and he showed an increased willingness to work counts. For $800,000—his 2002 salary—it's a worthwhile gamble to see if the change is permanent. 2001 Cattle mutilation. Crop circles. Spontaneous human combustion. Watching golf on television. Add Piniella’s fascination with Ibanez to the list of unexplained mysteries. He’s now eligible for arbitration and out of options. Hopefully you caught this phenomenon on film before it disappears forever. 2000 Lou Piniella likes reserves who can play multiple positions for the purpose of in-game maneuvering. Unfortunately, last year's bench--Ibanez, Bournigal, Gipson, John Mabry--had plenty of versatility but not much talent. A lack of outfield prospects in the upper minors will probably enable Ibanez to again make the squad, but unless he becomes more selective at the plate and hits for more power, he won't be in the majors long enough to draw a full pension. 1999 Ibanez probably would have been their leftfielder to start the year were it not for the injury, and he's certainly no worse than any of the other options the Ms have. Unfortunately, his entire career comprises hitting for power in good power parks, and being mediocre anywhere else. There are better options available on waivers. 1997 He made all the prospect charts with a monster 1995, but it was in a great hitter’s park, he was way too old for the league and his defense got him moved from catcher to first base. Got a taste with the big club last year, but his new-found power disappeared, and a first baseman with gap power is about as rare as a cellular phone in Manhattan. Vlad doesn’t like him either.
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