Boone a Big Surprise

Bret Boone was in diapers when he started preparing for what has become his best season on baseball’s best team.

At 1, he could whack a Wiffle ball with a bat over his house, says his father, Cincinnati Reds manager Bob Boone.

Sure, little Bret had a lot of work--and growing--to do before he was good enough to help lead the Seattle Mariners to the second best start in the majors since 1900. But these days, it seems kids are never too young to start looking ahead.

“Bret was very special as a youngster,” his dad says. “He did things when he was 1 year old that other kids didn’t do until they were 5.”

Now 32, the Mariners’ second baseman is hitting better than ever. Going into the weekend, he led the majors with 65 RBIs, was sixth in the league in hits (73) and first on the team in homers (13).

All that after missing the final six weeks of last season with a knee injury while he was on the San Diego Padres.

The Mariners signed him in December to a $3.25 million, one-year contract to try to make up for some of the offense they lost when Alex Rodriguez left for Texas.

Boone has turned out to be one of the biggest bargains in baseball in his second stint with the team that drafted him in 1990.

“I’ve had good starts before, but I’ve been consistent now for two months,” he says.

The 5-foot-10, 190-pound California native can thank his winter of intense weight lifting for turning him into more of a muscular power-player who is helping fans forget about Rodriguez.

“He’s really put together,” says Bob Boone, who follows some of his son’s games on TV. “He works very diligently on his training and his diet. That’s become a part of his life.”

Bret Boone, who came into the season about 20 pounds heavier than normal, also worked on his swing with his father in the offseason.

He began this season with a .255 career batting average after hitting .251 with 19 homers and 74 RBIs for the Padres last year. A right-handed batter, he was hitting .327 so far this season, including .429 (21-for-49) against lefties.

“I’ve worked on my stance quite a bit,” Boone says. “That’s been a key for me this year from an average standpoint. A lot more two-out hits, two-strike hits.”

His fielding has been strong, too. He and shortstop Carlos Guillen give the Mariners one of the best double-play combinations in the league. Seattle (46-12) leads the AL in fielding and has committed the fewest errors. Boone’s made only three of them.

“He’s one of the big reasons why we are where we are right now,” designated hitter Edgar Martinez said.

Of course, baseball success is in Boone’s blood. He’s a member of the first three-generation family to play in the majors.

Grandfather Ray was an All-Star infielder who played 1948-60, and his father was a catcher from 1972-90 and used to hold the major league record for most games caught. One of Bret’s brothers, Aaron, plays third base for the Reds, and another brother, Matthew, is an infielder in the Tigers organization.

Despite all Bret Boone’s achievements this season, it’s easy for him to get lost in the shuffle in Seattle.

Rookie Ichiro Suzuki is off to a sensational start, leading the majors with 96 hits, and Martinez and first baseman John Olerud have continued to bolster the offense.

Then there’s a bullpen that could be the best around, featuring closer Kazuhiro Sasaki, Jeff Nelson, Arthur Rhodes and Jose Paniagua.

“Ichiro is getting a lot of the headlines, but so what?” Boone says. “Good for Ichiro. I’ve been around long enough where things don’t bother me. It doesn’t matter how much press I get.”