No Rhubarb!

During the inaugural season of No Rhubarb! we faithfully followed the exploits of Our Favorite Rainier, outfielder Adam Jones. Jones is in Baltimore now, on his way to what we firmly believe will be a long and excellent career. The title of Our Favorite Rainier cannot stay vacant though, and we will take the next few days to find our new favorite. This year we will let you, the reader chime in on the subject. No Rhubarb! will present the case of several players and then let you vote who you think is Our Favorite Rainier. After which we will almost certainly ignore the results and just name whomever we want anyway.

Next Up: Jeff Clement

Jeff Clement was the Mariners' first pick in the suddenly-fabled 2005 draft. Up until the draft Seattle was widely expected to choose shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, but instead opted for Clement, a lefty-hitting catcher from USC. A fabled collegian, Clement trails only Mark McGwire on the Trojans' all-time home run list. Jeff spent most of 2007 as a Rainier, splitting time at catcher with the more-defensively gifted Reed Johnson, also spending time at DH. Clement hit well last year, posting a .275/.370/.497 line with 20 homers. He made his major-league debut in September last year, clubbing two homers in only 16 at-bats. With his path to the majors jammed by Kenji Johjima, Richie Sexson and Jose Vidro, Clement returns to Tacoma. He is rated the Mariners best overall prospect by Baseball America.

Three Reasons Why Jeff Clement is Our Favorite Rainier
1.Power (20 HR) and Patience (61 BB)
2.Catchers who can hit well are rare. Like really rare. Like think of the rarest thing you can think of and go past that.
3.Adam Jones was Seattle's #1 prospect for BA last year. Karma?
Three Reasons Why Jeff Clement is NOT Our Favorite Rainier
1.Not long for Tacoma. With some better roster planning by the big club, Clement would be DHing for Seattle right now.
2.Might not be long for catcher either. Scouts worry about his slow release and actions behind the plate. A move to first base might be in the offing.
3.Power and patience is incredibly important for a hitter. Watching a batter talk pitches for extended periods is not the most exciting thing in baseball, however.

Photos courtesy of MLB.com and TacomaRainiers.com