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Mariners' catcher has found his swing
Wilson has flourished under the tutelage of batting coach Lee Elia

Lee Elia wants to make one thing clear about Dan Wilson: His job is not to hit 20 home runs and bat .300 for the Seattle Mariners. "Danny's plusses for this ballclub are catching and handling the pitching staff," Elia said. "He's been here seven years and they've gone to the postseason three times." At the same time, though, the Mariners know they can't survive an anemic offensive season like the one Wilson produced last year if they're to make a run at the American League West Division title. With guys like Griffey and Rodriguez no longer in Seattle, bit players like Wilson can't afford to struggle at the plate. Wilson batted just .235 last year with five home runs and 27 runs batted in with a swing that got more fractured as the season progressed. He batted only .186 in September and October, and probably the best thing to happen was that the season ended.
Actually, the best thing may have been the Mariners' hiring of Elia.
He was the batting coach in 1996 when Wilson hit a career-high .285, and the M's brought him back this year as a part-time consultant. His first job was to step into a batting cage and try to restore Wilson's swing to 1996 standards. "That was the M.O.," Elia said. "We'd had a relationship before. He got out of some good habits and he tried to compensate in another way and he put more pressure on himself. We're trying hard to get it right. "One thing about Danny is that he's an outstanding worker, and we've seen a lot of improvement this spring. If he can get back into a comfort zone where he's happy with his performance and he can give us a little contribution offensively like he did, then we'll know he's back." Nobody wants to base their success on spring statistics, but Wilson has been an inspiration for a team starved for production throughout its lineup.
He is hitting a team-high .405 with three home runs, five doubles and 10 RBI. And best of all, it doesn't seem like an out-of-body experience at the plate anymore. "You wonder how you got out of synch that much," Wilson said. Wilson worked through the winter at Safeco Field with Elia and hitting coach Gerald Perry. He said he didn't hit more balls over the winter, but he hit them with a better swing. "It was probably more qualitative than quantitative," Wilson said. "It wasn't just going out there and getting swings, I was going out there and getting swings with a purpose and trying to achieve an end. "It was more just getting back to the type of swing that I had a few years ago that I had success with. With more repetitions and hitting off the tee and everything, that's what locks your body in and gets you comfortable."
What pleases manager Lou Piniella most is that Wilson is hitting the ball with power. His home run on Wednesday against the Diamondbacks traveled an estimated 440 feet. "We need a solid season from Danny," Piniella said. "I'm not talking about a superstar season. I'm not talking about a .300 batting average and I'm not talking about 20 home runs. I'm talking about a season that he hits the ball respectfully and at the same time he drives in some runs and gives us a semblance of power." Wilson says he doesn't set specific goals and, therefore, has no number to aim at this season. All he knows is that he doesn't want to repeat last year, and he truly believes he won't. "My one goal is just to play 100 percent every game that I'm in," he said. "If I go out and play hard and play 100 percent every day, then the numbers that I can live with will be there. "All this hard work is something you want to see pay off, and I know it will."

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