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David Fleming

March 29, 1999

Second baseman Carlos Guillen made a splash with the Mariners last summer after being obtained from the Astros as part of the Randy Johnson trade. The 23-year-old switch-hitter was batting .333 in 39 at bats when he tripped over a sprinkler head on Sept. 17 at Oakland's Network Associates Coliseum and suffered a season-ending injury to his left knee. Seattle believes the speedy, slick-fielding Guillen—who says he is fully recovered from off-season surgery—will solve two chronic Mariners weaknesses: the lack of a true leadoff hitter and poor defense at second base, where the team hasn't had a skilled gloveman since Harold Reynolds in the early '90s.