Major League Baseball

Kennedy impresses Mariners facing up to arrest

Published Feb. 25, 2011 11:16 p.m. ET

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During the middle of the night, while waiting to be released from a jail cell, Adam Kennedy decided he wasn't going to run from his arrest for investigation of driving under the influence.

''Anything you do in life eventually it comes to the forefront. You have to talk about it,'' said Kennedy, who's trying to win a utility infielder job with the Seattle Mariners. ''So let's just do it you know and get it out of the way and worry about baseball being here. It's been nice to not have to talk about it here at all, just baseball.''

Kennedy finds himself in Mariners camp with a real shot at leaving Arizona with the big league club. He's a veteran, a former American League Championship Series MVP who can play three positions in an infield that needs a utility player.

But aside from what Kennedy can possibly provide on the field, the way he handled his arrest left his new club impressed.

''For him to stand up and face the music like he did, take full responsibility for his actions, he handled it as professionally as you can handle that circumstance,'' Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik said.

Kennedy was arrested on Jan. 26 while driving home from dinner in Newport Beach, Calif. It came just 16 days after signing his deal with the Mariners - far from the best first impression to leave on a new ball club.

If being locked up until 6:24 a.m. was bad, Kennedy's day only got worse. He couldn't get in touch with Zduriencik, who was speaking at a Mariners pre-spring training luncheon. TMZ.com broke the news of Kennedy's arrest, splashing it across the front of its website before Kennedy spoke with his new GM.

Zduriencik was notified of the story only minutes before he was asked by reporters to comment.

''By the time I got up to my office I had a phone call from Adam Kennedy and I thought that said volumes about him,'' Zduriencik said.

Kennedy didn't stop there.

After apologizing profusely to Zduriencik, Kennedy took the step of calling all the reporters who cover the Mariners to speak about his arrest. He was candid and apologetic, repeatedly saying he made a mistake.

''I didn't really have to say a lot. He said it all. He said it to me. He knew the consequences. He knew he started off on the wrong foot,'' Zduriencik said. ''He knew this was something that embarrassed the organization, so we talked about what he wanted to do about it and he said he wanted to stand up and be a man about this thing.''

Kennedy's situation isn't completely resolved. He had a court appearance scheduled for earlier this week postponed. Asked how he thought Kennedy handled his arrest, Seattle manager Eric Wedge said, ''we're beyond that.''

''He's here to make a club and that's what we're focused on,'' he said.

And that's where Kennedy is focused as well. He's playing on a minor league deal for the first time in his career after bouncing between St. Louis, Washington and Oakland the last three seasons. A year ago with the Nationals, Kennedy hit .249 and drove in 31 runs. On the offensively challenge Mariners, those numbers would have ranked fifth in average and eighth in RBIs.

In the field, his versatility is important, having played 51 games at first base last season and 82 games at third base in 2009 to go along with his natural spot at second base. Who ends up at second base is one of the unknowns in Seattle's infield, with young star Dustin Ackley likely to begin the season in the minors to get more experience playing the position.

''This is my first minor league deal so it is interesting and there are some good players on the minor league deals,'' Kennedy said. ''It's good competition.''

NOTES: Seattle held its first intrasquad game on Friday, a 3-1 win for the team with Ichiro Suzuki as its leadoff hitter. Wedge said he liked the aggressiveness of his runners, who stole a total of five bases in the five-inning game, including two by Milton Bradley and two by Michael Saunders. Suzuki was the only player with more than one hit. ... CF Franklin Gutierrez was returning to Arizona on Friday after undergoing tests for continuing stomach issues back in Seattle. Wedge said they were hoping to have some of the test results Saturday.

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