Jeff Tully
BURBANK -- This season, major league baseball players Jeff Cirillo and
Mike Magnante will have more in common than just being from Burbank-area
schools.
Cirillo, a former Providence High star, and Magnante, a Burroughs
graduate, will likely be seeing a lot of one another as American League
West Division rivals.
Cirillo, 32, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound third baseman was traded during the
off-season from the Colorado Rockies to the division-champion Seattle
Mariners.
Magnante, 36, a 6-1, 190 left-handed pitcher is a short- reliever for
the Oakland Athletics, who finished second behind the Mariners.
Here's a look at how the season shapes up for the local players:
Jeff Cirillo
Cirillo was traded in December from the struggling Rockies to one of
the most productive teams in baseball. Cirillo is guaranteed $27.6
million over the next four seasons, and there is a club option for a
fifth year at $7.5 million with a $1.25 million buyout.
Cirillo joins a Seattle team that set a league mark and matched the
major league record with 116 victories in 2001. The Mariners lost in the
American League Championship Series to the New York Yankees.
With Cirillo, Seattle receives a player who is not only a consistent
hitter, but has proven to be one of the best-fielding third baseman in
the game.
A line-drive hitter, Cirillo hit .312 in 2001 -- .362 at Coors Field
and .266 on the road -- with a career-high 17 home runs and 83 runs
batted in. He has a career average of .311 and is a two-time all-star
since making his major-league debut in 1994 with the Milwaukee Brewers.
On defense, Cirillo led major league third basemen with a .982
fielding percentage and committed just seven errors in 392 total chances.
Cirillo finished the season with 85 straight errorless games, setting
a National League record at third base. The major league mark for
consecutive games without an error is 99, set from 1992 to 2000 by John
Wehner.
For the team outlook, the Mariners will have a tough challenge living
up to their 116-win season. However, with no obvious weaknesses, the team
should put together another fine campaign.
The team's big gun is Ichiro Suzuki. Along with a .350 average, 242
hits and 56 steals last season, Suzuki won the American League Most
Valuable Player award. He also won a Gold Glove in right field.
With starting pitchers Freddy Garcia, Jamie Moyer and Paul Abbott,
along with relievers Jeff Nelson, Arthur Rhodes and Shigetoshi Hasegawa,
the M's have a formidable mound presence.
Mike Magnante
