Olivo, Snelling, Strong don't fit now with M's


		Scott Eklund / P-I
	Miguel Olivo, considered the Mariners' catcher of the future this spring, has continued to struggle since being sent down to Triple-A Tacoma.

They play for what will ultimately be a cruel, sandy oasis, or gleaming, glistening pot o' gold.

They play at Cheney Stadium because, for one reason or another, they do not fit with the major league club. The Mariners carry 25 men on their active roster. None, at the moment, is named Miguel Olivo, Chris Snelling or Jamal Strong.

Instead, they play at Triple-A, the game's great fix-it shop. If you're a mess, get cleaned up. If you're bad, get good. If you're good, get better.

"When you're struggling, and you have to work on something, you come here," Olivo said.

Olivo, Snelling and Strong have been in the big leagues before. But that does little to lessen their longing to show they belong in the majors.

"Basically, when you get sent down, you weren't good enough," Snelling said. "That's how people perceive it, but sometimes that's out of your control."

Said Olivo: "I want to be in the big leagues right now. The thing is, the team made a decision. I have to do what they say."

Clubhouse amenities, fan interest, and per diem meal allowances in the minors are fractions of their big-league counterparts. Flights are commercial, not charter, which means red-eyes and connections.

By all accounts, Olivo has blended into the Rainiers clubhouse well. Snelling called him "a great guy." Olivo said his new teammates have "shown a lot of respect for me, and I have respect for them."

Still, Olivo's presence here is stunning. On June 27 last year, he was hitting .270 for the Chicago White Sox and, as he recalled last week, feeling "very comfortable."

That day, the Mariners acquired him in the Freddy Garcia trade. He promptly plunged to benthic depths (.200, 6 home runs, 14 RBIs in 50 games). Still, Seattle officials saw his tools and work ethic as ample basis to anoint him as the 2005 starter before the spring.

Olivo, everyone said, would be the Mariners' future behind the plate. This, however, has become his present: .145, two home runs, 14 RBIs -- and many questions -- in 37 games, as Olivo acknowledged he placed too much pressure on himself after becoming the No. 1 catcher.

Yet, he was "shocked" to learn he had been optioned to Tacoma on May 30.

Since Olivo's demotion, Pat Borders has earned near-constant praise for his handling of the pitching staff, young backup Rene Rivera has hit .421, and Jeff Clement, the strapping USC Trojans catcher, became the club's first-round draft choice. ("I'm happy for him," Olivo said.)

Meanwhile, Olivo is batting .194 with three home runs and 10 RBIs at Tacoma. He hit an inside-the-park home run on June 11.

"I lost a little bit of my confidence hitting in Seattle," he said last week. "I feel like it's already back."

In announcing the demotion, general manager Bill Bavasi declared anew the club's long-term fidelity to the 26-year-old. Last week, Olivo said he has had little contact with the big-league front office since, although feedback from Rainiers field staff and teammates has been encouraging.

"His attitude's been outstanding," Rainiers manager Dan Rohn said. "Bottom line is, we have to get the kid back to having fun playing baseball.


		Scott Eklund / P-I
	Miguel Olivo insists his glove work is fine; it's his offense that needs work.

"If he gets back to having fun, his talent is going to shine. Can we build him back up to the point where he's productive? I believe we can. It's our job."

Still, Olivo is unsure when asked about his long-term place in the organization. He knows he has to produce, and knows he hasn't this season. Naturally, he has started to wonder.

"There are 29 other teams," he said. "I play hard every day. I don't know if somebody's watching."

Asked if he thought his demotion was a sign that his next trip to the big leagues might not be with the Mariners, he said, "That's how I feel right now. Nobody needs me there. Maybe I'll go to the big leagues with some other team."

He continued: "When you send somebody down to Double-A or Triple-A, that means you don't feel comfortable with that person in the big leagues. That's what I think."

Meanwhile, Snelling (six surgeries in five years) has patched together his body and began this week with the highest batting average (.383) among qualifying players in the minor leagues.

His one big-league stay (eight games in 2002) ended with a torn ACL. It left him thoroughly unfulfilled. In that respect, he knows how Olivo feels -- and how Olivo has to feel in order to return to the majors.

"You've got to live in the moment, man," Snelling said, sounding like the protagonist-hero of some novel. "If you don't, you'll be bitter. To me, there's no other way."

Snelling has done most everything he can.

So has Strong, who has worked on hitting inside pitches -- at the clip of .306, two home runs, and 21 RBIs. He has repositioned his hands, and is seeing line drives and hard ground balls sizzling off his bat.

Strong's 2003 coffee cup at Safeco Field at was not venti -- 12 games, two at-bats, zero hits. He made a spirited bid for roster spot No. 25 in spring training this year, but lost out to infielder Greg Dobbs.

Strong bats leadoff and plays the outfield. A guy named Suzuki fills those roles in Seattle. So, he's stuck. He keeps polishing his trade, knowing that, when management weighs his wares against Ichiro's, the scales will not tip in his favor.

"It's tough, but not that tough," he said. "I still know I'm one step away. I'm coming to the yard every day, doing early work, doing whatever I can to get there.

"It's still baseball. As long as I'm playing the game, I'm happy."

Olivo retains some of the same joy. When the Rainiers are home, he wakes up each morning at his Belltown apartment, showers, eats, and commutes to Tacoma. He is always there early for night games, usually before 1 p.m.

Olivo is likeable, genuine and hardworking. And, for better or worse, he is directing all his efforts to becoming a better baseball player.

"Field, apartment, buy some food, go back," he said, recapping a typical day. "I don't know a lot about the town."

Though Bavasi has said Olivo is working on "everything" while in Tacoma, Olivo said he is concentrating most on offense. He has reviewed tapes from Chicago and tinkered with his stance accordingly.

His front foot is pigeon-toed and closer to the plate. His feet are wider apart. His stride is shorter. His hands are repositioned. His opposite-field stroke, as a result, is better, he said.

Olivo said his poor average had no effect on his defensive play, which contradicts a commonly held assertion among Mariners observers.

He mentioned his improved passed-ball statistics -- last season: 13 in 95 games; this season: 3 in 37 games -- and said the Seattle pitchers did not voice any complaints when Olivo asked for feedback.

"I read that I'm not calling a good game," he said. "That's not my problem. It's hitting."

That may be changing, but only slowly as his confidence heals from the startling slump that morphed him from a major league starter to minor league misfit.

"Right now, Tacoma's my home," he said, with realism and optimism in his voice, but interminable uncertainty clouding his future. "I don't know about tomorrow."

NOTES: The Mariners yesterday announced the signing of 10 players from the 2005 draft, including fourth-round selection Justin Thomas (LHP) and eighth-round choice David Asher (LHP).

The Mariners also signed Reed Eastley (SS, 13th), Nick Allen (RHP, 21st), Alex Gary (OF, 22nd), Kevin Gergel (C, 24th), Lance Beus (LHP, 28th), Corby Heckman (3B, 32nd), Worth Lumry (LHP, 46th) and Andy Hargrove (1B, 47th).

Thomas was the Mariners' second selection in the draft. As a junior left-handed pitcher at Youngstown State University, he was named the Horizon League's Pitcher of the Year after posting a 7-5 record with a 3.42 ERA and 88 strikeouts.