Mariners Reinstate Minor Leaguer

Inland Empire 66er second baseman Evel Bastida-Martinez has been reinstated by the Seattle Mariners and will accompany the team to spring training after pleading no contest on Jan. 9 in a Lancaster court to one misdemeanor count of assault with a deadly weapon in connection with an incident last August during a California League game.

Bastida-Martinez, who charged the mound and struck Lancaster pitcher Josh Kranawetter with a bat after being hit by a pitch, can satisfy his 90-day jail sentence by performing 200 hours of community service, said Michael Blake, a prosecutor with the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

Also, Bastida-Martinez was put on probation for three years and must complete 78 one-hour sessions of anger management counseling and provide a formal written apology to Kranawetter. The infielder must remain at least 100 yards away from Kranawetter except during games, when he is not allowed to leave the baseline.

“If [Bastida-Martinez] steps on the infield grass,” Blake said, “he’s in violation of probation” and would be subject to a jail term.

Benny Looper, vice president of player development for the Mariners, said Bastida-Martinez had been adequately punished and deserved another chance. The infielder was suspended for the remainder of the season after the incident, sitting out the California League-champion 66ers’ run through the playoffs.

“He missed going through the championship series,” Looper said. “The league fined him. The courts have hit him pretty hard.... He has no history of violence. From our information, we’re confident that that won’t be a problem again.”

Blake said Bastida-Martinez, who turns 25 next month, seemed genuinely remorseful during the legal proceedings. Kranawetter, who was not seriously injured after being struck in the lower back, appeared satisfied with the court resolution, Blake said.

Lancaster JetHawk General Manager Brad Seymour declined to comment on Bastida-Martinez’s reinstatement and referred all questions to Tommy Jones, director of player development for the Arizona Diamondbacks, the JetHawks’ parent organization. Jones did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

A seventh-round selection in the 2002 amateur draft, Bastida-Martinez hit .274 with five home runs and 32 runs batted in in 87 games last season for Inland Empire. He is not considered a top prospect and is listed as a returning player on Inland Empire’s 2004 roster on the team website.