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12/02/2002 8:44 pm ET
Randy Winn comes to town
By Jim Street / MLB.com
SEATTLE -- Outfielder Randy Winn paid his first visit to Seattle since being acquired from the Devil Rays as compensation for former manager Lou Piniella becoming the Rays' skipper.
Winn's eyes lit up as he toured SAFECO Field.
"I've always liked big fields," he said. "There's just so much green, the ball is just bound to fall. But I love it defensively, too. You feel that any ball that's hit, you've got a chance to go and get it."
Winn patrolled center field for the Devil Rays, but will play left field for the Mariners.
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Randy Winn
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"Defensively, he's going to help us quite a bit," Gillick said. "We've got three guys who can play center field. I think defensively and offensively, we're a lot better, at least going into this year in the outfield, we're a lot better than we were in the past."
From left to right, a Winn, Mike Cameron and Ichiro Suzuki outfield figures to be as good, defensively, as any team in the Major Leagues.
"You couldn't get a much better fit than Randy," Gillick said. "I saw him when I was in Baltimore in '98, and he's come a long ways in the last four years. I think his best is ahead of him, for sure."
Except for a brief exchange in a Milwaukee hotel elevator at last season's All-Star Game, Winn hasn't had much dialogue with Ichiro and is anxious to meet the Mariners star right fielder again.
"I ran into him with my parents," Winn recalled. "I saw him on the elevator and I introduced myself. My parents were really excited. I just said, 'Hello, I'm Randy Winn and I'm with Tampa.' That's about it. It was just a two-floor ride."
That will change in about three months.
"I can't wait for Spring Training to start," Winn said.
Jim Street is a reporter for MLB.com and can be reached at jim.street@mlb.com. This story is no subject to approval by Major League baseball or its clubs.
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