Kennedy is M’s Mr. Versatility

SEATTLE – Adam Kennedy has batted second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh in the 16 games he has played for the Seattle Mariners this season. He’s played second and first base, and including spring training games he also has played third base and left field. And a few weeks ago, when manager Eric Wedge was looking for a brave soul to volunteer as the team’s emergency third catcher, Kennedy raised his hand. He has never played that position at any level of baseball, but he looked around the room and figured he was bound to be chosen. “It was pretty much me or (backup infielder) Luis Rodriguez,” Kennedy said. “So I said I’ll do it.” He hasn’t been needed behind the plate, although he already has a strategy in mind in case he is. “I would call every pitch up and in,” he said. “I can’t hit ‘em, so I’m not going to let anyone else hit ‘em either.” Up-and-in has been about the only thing Kennedy hasn’t been able to handle this season, at the plate or in the field. He’s not a starter but he has started more than he hasn’t, and playing as well as he has, the 35-year-old Kennedy has been more hero than unsung. His home runs and defensive plays helped the M’s to two wins last week. It has been a great start for a player with a World Series championship (2002 with the Angels) but for the third straight year had to win a job out of spring training after signing a minor-league contract. “What did we expect from him? A lot of what he’s doing right now, to be honest,” general manager Jack Zduriencik said. How does a player of Kennedy’s experience, versatility and ability to compete at the major league level, find himself fighting for a roster spot three years running? “People in my position are sort of looked at in a different light, and one manager is different than another,” he said. The key to his success – whether it’s making a club out of spring training or, this year with the Mariners, adapting to multiple positions and places in the batting order – has been his ability to maintain a consistent approach no matter the situation. “You just go to the field every single day and do whatever you do that day to prepare,” Kennedy said. “The rest takes care of itself, hopefully in a positive way.” When the Mariners begin a six-game road trip tonight at Detroit, Kennedy will lose a lot of his first-base duty with the return of Justin Smoak from a week of bereavement leave. But he’ll still see plenty of playing time at second base because Wedge likes to give his starters regular time off.