Mariners cross border
SEATTLE – The Seattle Mariners broadened their already extensive international flavor Thursday, selecting 18-year-old Quebec pitcher Phillippe Aumont with the 11th overall pick in the baseball draft.
Aumont, of Gatineau, Quebec, was one of three pitchers targeted by the Mariners’ scouting department, and the one scouting director Bob Fontaine thought might not be around when the 11th pick arrived. When the San Francisco Giants selected high school pitcher Madison Bumgarner with the 10th pick, a small rumble of excitement went through the Mariners’ draft room.
“As it got closer, we all started looking around at each other in there thinking, ‘Wow, we may have a chance,’ ” Fontaine said. “When you look at this kid and you see how big and strong he is and how big and strong he will get, you can’t help but get excited.”
What enticed the Mariners was Aumont’s 6-foot-7, 225-pound frame, a 96 mph fastball and his experience pitching for the Canadian national junior team.
Canada doesn’t have high school baseball, but Aumont’s experience pitching for the Canadian junior team is comparable to a player with community college or rookie-level minor-league experience. He has pitched in the United States, Cuba and in the Dominican Republic, where he recently faced the Mariners’ summer league team.
During the spring, Aumont pitched against Atlanta’s and Detroit’s extended spring training teams.
“Sometimes you hear about competition players are playing against and you’ve got 16-, 17- and 18-year-old kids from Canada playing against professionals both in the United States and in the Dominican Republic and to be honest with you, that makes our job a little bit easier,” Fontaine said.
What also pleased the Mariners was Aumont’s growth during the last year. David May, Seattle’s scouting coordinator for the Northeast, first saw Aumont a year ago when his fastball was clocked in the 92 mph range with some movement. By the time May saw him again this spring, Aumont’s fastball had increased 4 mph with significant movement.
“This guy’s ceiling is through the roof,” May said.
Aumont didn’t start playing baseball until he was 11, beginning as a center fielder, before making the switch to pitching at age 14.
Aumont pitched at the Cape Cod High School Classic last year and interest in the Canadian took off after that performance.
“There were a lot of scouts in the stands, people looking at you, taking notes and that was big for me. I performed well,” Aumont said. “When you perform well under pressure, your confidence goes up.”