It has been altogether too long since I have written for the Sombrero, and with the news of pitchers and catchers reporting on Monday morning, I knew that this amateur writer needed to report very soon as well.  It has been a terribly long offseason, and with a potential trip to Phoenix for Spring Training only a few weeks away, the thrill of a coming baseball season has gripped me once again.

I certainly hope that I’ll be chronicling another triumphant Pioneer run to the finals of the Midwest Conference tournament, adding to my “Four Ballparks” series, and once again extolling Ubaldo Jimenez’s virtues after ten wins and a 0.78 ERA in the season’s first two months. But for now, I’ll settle for a commentary on some of the offseason’s biggest headlines.  They may be old news, but I will begin by evaluating big offseason moves from the two franchises nearest and dearest to my heart.

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The Seattle Mariners signed 16-year old Alex Liddi as a non-drafted free agent in September, 2005.  Hailing from Italy, Liddi was the first Italian-born position player to play in the United States and now, at 22, has a shot at cracking the Mariners’ 2011 line-up.

In his first professional season, Liddi posted slashes of .291/.329/.450 with 14 doubles, six triples, and three home runs, and 27 RBI while splitting time between the Peoria Mariners and Single-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.  While playing for Peoria, Liddi hit safely in 34 of 47 games, recorded eight three-hit games, and had an eight game hitting streak.

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