20 May
Triunfel’s suspension
Yes, Carlos Triunfel is suspended indefinitely and is not on the High Desert roster. I’ve been hoping that something would come out we could write up, but there’s nothing, so — the M’s best prospect is suspended indefinitely and we don’t have anything to tell you.
from Hickey:
“Shortstop Carlos Triunfel, considered by some to be the best player in the Seattle minor league system, is serving an indefinite suspension and is not currently on the roster of the Mariners’ High Desert team in the California League.
Mariner director of player development Greg Hunter confirmed Monday that Triunfel has been suspended for a violation of team rules and has been sent back to the Mariners’ minor league complex in Peoria, Ariz. to serve out the duration of the suspension.
The Mariners aren’t saying just what rules were broken, but this suspension has already lasted nine days, so it’s apparently not a minor thing.
Triunfel, an 18-year-old signed out of Venezuela, hasn’t played in a game since May 10 and Hunter said there was no set date for the suspension to be lifted.”
May 20th, 2008 at 8:08 amCan we hit the reset button on 2008?
May 20th, 2008 at 8:10 amIs there a possibility the issue is steroids? This is *way* speculative, but with the Mitchell report pointing out that several steroid users were in the Mariner affiliates, this seems like a possibility.
May 20th, 2008 at 8:17 amThere’s a possibility he was caught threatening his manager with a dead platypus. No one knows anything. Speculation on steroids is probably particlarly not helpful.
May 20th, 2008 at 8:19 amThat’s why I didn’t go to the games in Bakersfield vs. High Desert last week…no Carlos? No sitting in triple digit heat…
May 20th, 2008 at 8:20 amThe same thought was the first thing that went through my mind, jro, but DMZ’s right: Speculation’s useless without any hard information. Do you remember the dumb things you did when you were 18? Triunfel’s a kid like any other. There’s a lot of potential for dumb things.
Hopefully, getting slapped down hard teaches Triunfel a valuable lesson, and the team never has a problem with him again.
May 20th, 2008 at 8:21 amDerek, if I threaten you with a dead platypus, do I get my moderator status suspended?
May 20th, 2008 at 8:23 amBefore anyone goes around threatening anyone with a dead platypus, please let me know, because I’ve got a hankering to see some dead-platypus-threatening action.
May 20th, 2008 at 8:28 amUnderstood, and not trying to jump the gun. It’s just with the M’s organization, this topic really seemed swept under the rug. Didn’t mean to bring it up in the context of this young kid, my bad.
May 20th, 2008 at 8:37 amclarification: “this topic” = steroids, not Triunfel
May 20th, 2008 at 8:38 amis that anything like the fish-slapping dance?
poking around purely speculative blogging, it is implied that it is a hand-slapping for something verbal
May 20th, 2008 at 8:43 amWell, at least he’s not Griffey, Jr.
May 20th, 2008 at 8:55 amDerek - you’re making me think of Withnail and I (which is always good, and usually makes me fancy a wee drink):
May 20th, 2008 at 9:02 am“Don’t threaten me with a dead fish!”
Well, Triunfel’s no longer with the team. He’s been gone for nine days. I don’t think an organization does this if the guy is ‘roiding.
My speculation? Something in Vernon Maxwell territory.
May 20th, 2008 at 9:04 amWith steroids you seem to find out right away. I highly doubt that is the case here, like someone else said probably just 18 year old shenanigans.
May 20th, 2008 at 9:12 amI wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t high in the desert.
May 20th, 2008 at 9:17 amI hear Triunfel was using a colossal squid, not a platypus.
Those things are scary. I’d suspend him, too.
May 20th, 2008 at 9:18 amCarlos gave Bavasi the gift that keeps on giving?
May 20th, 2008 at 9:18 amBetter a colossal squid than a Portuguese Man O’ War.
May 20th, 2008 at 9:19 amSpeculating about drug use isn’t any more helpful than speculating about steroids.
Not trying to seem like a hardass but this comment thread could veer into very bad territory very quickly.
Let’s try to be patient until more details are available, while understanding that more details might never be available.
May 20th, 2008 at 9:34 amI think he attacked someone with a swarm of bees…
May 20th, 2008 at 9:40 amOhhh . . . ohhh . . . I’d ask what else could go wrong for this franchise, but I don’t want to give the universe ideas. Here’s hoping we have no permanent consequences here . . .
May 20th, 2008 at 9:43 amIndefinite suspension seems inconsistent with steroids. A positive steroid tests results in a definite suspension.
Disappearing from the roster seems particularly serious as does “indefinite.” In other words, it seems improbable that his transgression was something minor like sleeping through practice.
The indefinite part of the suspension leads me to believe that it wasn’t something serious yet isolated like the Lofa Tatupu drunk driving and trying to evade police craziness. Such activities usually result in definite suspensions and/or public police reports.
Look, the obvious speculation will flow towards drugs or a personality melt down.
But, he might also be just plain homesick!
He’s 18 and has been away for a while. He might have just told someone to stick and gone home. Or, he might have gone home and overstayed his leave and not told anyone or been particularly rude when telling someone that he wasn’t returning on schedule. Its happened a number of times with NFL players recently. I’m thinking of Odell Thurman in the last week and the receiver from Minnesota in the last year or so.
From a professional perspective, leaving work (baseball or otherwise) is pretty serious and can justify an indefinite suspension. But, when considering the chances of redemption, it’s a lot easier to cure home sickness than a drug addiction or personality disorder.
Maybe finding a nice girl in the High Desert area will be enough.
The point is that all we really know is that his violation of team rules hasn’t involved the police (yet). Thank goodness.
May 20th, 2008 at 9:50 amWe really don’t know anything beyond he’s suspended, so I don’t get the point of speculation- though I can imagine Baker or others will ask.
May 20th, 2008 at 10:04 am/me slaps Jeff Nye around a bit with a large trout.
May 20th, 2008 at 10:11 amChurchill had the tiniest bit of additional information, which he has since removed from his front page at Prospect Insider… but apparently he was sent to Peoria and apparently, the dismissal in question has a bit to do with him ‘being a typical teenager.’
If he’s in Peoria, I doubt homesickness is the issue. Anyone who knows anything about what’s going on is insisting we don’t need to know anything else and that this is not a big deal. I’m skeptical as always but I’m not going to push it. I just hope he grows from this, gets his business together and can continue his development in positive fashion.
May 20th, 2008 at 10:18 am20 - i meant high on life.
May 20th, 2008 at 10:21 amI think that since Jeff Nye is usually right on with the comments he posts. And the good work he does for this site.
May 20th, 2008 at 10:25 amHe should be slapped around with a Copper River Salmon.
Note that it’s around $30 per pound.
!!!
Note to self: change Carson’s username to something really humiliating.
Suuuuure you did. In any case, it’s not a big deal, I just want to make sure this comment thread doesn’t veer off into wild speculation.
May 20th, 2008 at 10:26 am#29 - How about changing Carson’s username to “Fishsmell”
May 20th, 2008 at 10:31 amI’m under the impression that platypus have some sort of venom or toxin they can sting a person with. If that’s the case, Carlos could be really busted. And I think the over/under for the platypus line being picked up as a legitimate story by the NYT or ESPN is about 3 days.
May 20th, 2008 at 10:36 amPortuguese Man’o'wars hurt. I have a blue scar wrapped around a few fingers from one.
It hurts more than a baseball in the balls, I’ve experienced both.
May 20th, 2008 at 10:45 amThat’s a pretty big penalty for the Mariners… maybe Carlos got caught valuing defense.
Or maybe the found USSM in his Firefox bookmarks.
May 20th, 2008 at 10:55 amComment of the day, in my opinion.
May 20th, 2008 at 10:59 amJohn in LA, fabulous.
May 20th, 2008 at 11:29 amAh, I was waiting to see who would be the first mIRC user to comment. Congratulations #25!
May 20th, 2008 at 11:36 amI bet they caught him stealing office supplies. And he would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for those pesky meedling kids and that darn dog.
May 20th, 2008 at 11:49 am33. Given his troubles in the field, I would hope he got caught valuding defense ;P
May 20th, 2008 at 12:08 pm“Indefinite suspension seems inconsistent with steroids. A positive steroid tests results in a definite suspension.”
Also that penalty would come from the league, not the team.
May 20th, 2008 at 12:33 pmIn the minors, I’m not sure that’s the case. This may be a differential disclosure issue, but I know in the past, players who got dinged under the minor league policy were described as suspended by the team for 30 days on first offense.
This may have changed since then.
May 20th, 2008 at 12:35 pmIf he was reassigned to Peoria, it sounds like dumb kid stuff, not anything that suggests a six-year drug rehabilitation hell or anything else that is likely to derail a career. Probably a lot of comments about very little.
May 20th, 2008 at 12:41 pm33 - or being patient as a hitter and taking balls.
May 20th, 2008 at 12:43 pm40 - that’s what I get for thinking I knew more than I did. Thanks for the information.
May 20th, 2008 at 12:48 pmNo, this is not the end of the world but I feel like I’m watching a very large machine explode in slow motion. Nuts and bolts are stripped of their threads and fly out in all directions as the metal skin separates at the seams, exposing a complex engine comprised of 100 or so ponies in hamster wheels and the bad guy from the Flash Gordon movie. He fumbles over a panel of levers and buttons in his final attempt to stave off the inevitable, then *ka-boom* a cloud of fire and pony-leg shrapnel consume the atmosphere for a moment . . . then silence. Eventually, birds begin to chirp again and its football season.
When is something good going to happen?
May 20th, 2008 at 1:06 pm44- Ming the Merciless? That movie is rad…very campy, but great…and the Queen tunes rock…
May 20th, 2008 at 1:30 pmThat’s the one. Looks just like Bavasi.
May 20th, 2008 at 1:35 pmOn the s******s issue, I wonder if it’s possible the team found something and put a halt on before testing could occur. It seems unlikely to be any kind of criminal thing, as police reports are public record. I’m guessing personal issue. I wish him the best.
May 20th, 2008 at 1:36 pm46- I’ve thought that for years…any bald guy with a pointy head and a goatee really…
May 20th, 2008 at 1:40 pmCarlos Truinfel verbally abused his manager is the widest spread rumor. He is thought to have a serious ego issues. There is also speculation that the Mariners found out he lied about his age. So w/e it is its not good.
May 20th, 2008 at 1:43 pmI think it’s pretty pointless to spread rumors or speculate. We will know when it is official.
May 20th, 2008 at 2:11 pm#49 - It’s spelled Triunfel
May 20th, 2008 at 2:13 pm48: Bill Bavasi. Jay Buhner. Separated at birth.
May 20th, 2008 at 2:56 pmWithout knowing the source of rumors and speculation, they are 100% pointless, and adults should know better than to spread them.
May 20th, 2008 at 4:27 pmThe goatee conspiracy is real:
May 20th, 2008 at 4:32 pmhttp://ussmariner.com/2005/12/17/the-goatee-conspiracy/Churchill had some stuff on his webpage about it. Basically he said it had something to do with being a typical teenager but he specifically mentioned that it wasn’t drug related nor related to steroids.
Apparently, also, Churchill got reamed for even reporting that much of it.
May 20th, 2008 at 7:25 pmHe probably got caught having a cigarette. That would be about the M’s speed. Can’t have that for heaven’s sakes.
May 20th, 2008 at 11:39 pmGiven the well publicized antics of Elijah Dukes and Delmon Young, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Mariners in particular are responding to unfavorable attitude with a heavy hand. Makes the most sense given the lack of information.
May 21st, 2008 at 2:50 am55. Yeah, it’s kind of a no-win situation for either side. If the M’s say nothing, speculation runs rampant on where Triunfel is and what happened to him. But if a source leaks information, at least people have an idea… but then the team leaked information. I’m not sure what his source expected from Churchill.
May 21st, 2008 at 9:03 amAlso, he’s back now.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:43 amPlaying a little too much BioShock?
May 24th, 2008 at 7:57 pm