Wladimir Balentien

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**Wladimir Balentien**

Seattle Mariners — No. 50
Right Fielder
Born: July 2, 1984 (1984-07-02) (age 23)
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
September 4, 2007 for the Seattle Mariners
Selected MLB statistics (through 2007)
Batting Average	.667
Home Runs	1
Runs batted in	4
Teams
Seattle Mariners (2007-present)

Wladimir Ramon Balentien (born July 2, 1984 in Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles) is a major league baseball right fielder for the Seattle Mariners. Balentien was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Mariners in 2000. He has spent the last five seasons in the minor leagues, playing for the Arizona League Mariners, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, Inland Empire 66ers, San Antonio Missions, and Tacoma Rainiers. Balentien is currently on the Mariners' 40-man roster. He resides in Willemstad, Curaçao with daughter Jenilee.

Balentien represented the Netherlands at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

In 2007, Balentien was selected to the All-Star Futures Game in San Francisco, a result of his .328 batting average, 20 home runs, and 66 runs batted in by that point. He was called up to the Mariners on September 4, 2007, and played that very night against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Balentien pinch-hit for Jose Guillen in the 8th inning, and hit a two-run double in his first major league at-bat.

Balentien was invited to spring training with the Mariners in 2008 and signed a one-year deal with the team. However, the starting job in right field went to former Mariner Brad Wilkerson, and Balentien was optioned to Triple A Tacoma on March 24th. When Wilkerson and then-Mariners first basemen Greg Norton were designated for assignment on April 30th, Wladimir and Rainiers teammate Jeff Clement were called up to the big leagues for a game in Cleveland against the Indians.

Facing Indians starter Cliff Lee in the top of the 7th inning, Balentien hit a three-run homer over the right field fence to end Lee's streak of 27 scoreless innings pitched. As of May 13th, he remains the only player in the majors to homer off Lee in the 2008 season.