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He came in mid April or early May, for a few games, and never relinquished the spot. I can’t recall exactly the situation, but they didn’t discuss him much in Spring Training. But boy, did he make an impact. He was the first Mariner that I was very truly excited about, and as a rookie, the first Mariner you paid to go watch (well, there was that Tommy Paciorek era). Of course, Mariner luck, AD gets hit in the eye on a hot smash to first.
As if the Mariners then and now just can’t come out and say something like “Yes, Pat Putnam is a solid vet who we paid good money for to be our first baseman, but this kid is our future. We’re playing him. Next question?”
Seriously?