14th Annual Seattle Mariners FanFest January 28-29

New Mariners catcher Jesus Montero, All-Star closer Brandon League, break-out rookie Mike Carp, Brendan Ryan, Jason Vargas, and top Mariners prospects Danny Hultzen, James Paxton, Taijuan Walker and Vinnie Catricala are among those schedule to appear at the 14th Annual Seattle Mariners FanFest January 28-29. Mariners legends Jay Buhner, Dan Wilson and Julio Cruz are also scheduled to attend. A complete roster of those scheduled to appear is available at www.mariners.com/fanfest.
 
FanFest hours each day are from 11am-4pm. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for kids ages 6-14, children 5 and younger are free. Parking is available at the Safeco Field garage for $5 in advance and $10 at the door. Tickets for FanFest are available at Mariners Team Stores (downtown Seattle, Bellevue Square, Southcenter Mall and Alderwood Mall), online at www.mariners.com/fanfest, Ticketmaster Ticket Centers or at the Safeco Field Box Office on event days.
 
FanFest Highlights:
Boeing Dugout Dialog with Mariner players, coaches and Front Office personnel (streamed live on www.mariners.com)

• Tour the Mariners Clubhouse
• Throw a pitch in the bullpen
• Catch a pop fly in right field
• Play carnival games in the Kids Fun Zone
• Take a peek inside the Safeco Field Roof Control Room

And new this year are the following activities:

• Explore Safeco Field with your smartphone by scanning QR codes at five locations around the ballpark, play online trivia, and follow FanFest updates on Facebook (www.facebook.com/mariners) and @Mariners on Twitter.
• Mariners Melee – a Family Feud style quiz to test your Mariners and baseball knowledge.
• Taste of Safeco Field – Centerplate executive chef David Dekker and Mariners Clubhouse chef Jeremy Bryant will share their favorite recipes with fans in the KeyBank Diamond Club.

Future Stars
In addition to current and former Mariners players, fans have a chance to meet some of the top prospects in the Seattle Mariners system including Danny Hultzen, James Paxton, Taijuan Walker and Vinnie Catricala. They will be in the Visitors’ Clubhouse signing autographs, along with displays of the Seattle Mariners minor league system. They will also participate in the Dugout Dialog fan Q&A sessions.
 
Pitcher Danny Hultzen was selected by the Mariners second overall in the 2011 MLB draft. Hultzen was considered one of the most polished prospects in the 2011 draft class due to the excellent command of his pitches. Hultzen was outstanding in the Arizona Fall League pitching 19.1 innings with a 1-0 record, a 1.40 ERA, with 18 strikeouts and five walks. He was named to the Fall League All Prospects Team and was named an AFL Rising Star.
 
Taijuan Walker was the Mariners 2011 Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Along with Hultzen, Walker is rated a 5-Star Prospect by Baseball Prospectus. Walker was selected in the first round by the Mariners in the 2010 draft out of Yucaipa High School (CA). He spent the 2011 season with the Clinton LumberKings (Class A) of the Midwest League, where he was named to the Baseball America Low Class A All-Stars, and Baseball America’s top prospect in the Midwest League. He was also an MiLB.com Organization All-Star. Walker appeared in 18 games with a 2.89 ERA and 113 strikeouts.
 
Left handed pitcher James Paxton hails from Richmond, B.C. He was selected by the Mariners in the fourth round of the 2010 draft. Paxton appeared in the 2011 MLB Futures Game. Last season with the AA Jackson Generals, Paxton was 3-0 with a 1.85 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 39.0 innings. He was named MiLB.com Organization All-Star, Southern League Pitcher of the Week, and Midwest League Mid-Season All-Star (Clinton LumberKings) and Top 10 prospect in the Midwest League.
 
Infielder/outfielder Vinnie Catricala was the Mariners 2011 Minor League Player of the Year. He had an outstanding offensive season combined between Class A High Desert and AA Jackson, where he led the Mariners in many offensive categories. Catricala hit .349 with 97 runs scored, 77 extra base hits, including 25 home runs, and 106 RBI in 133 games. He recorded 59 multi-hit games including 12 three-hit games and three four-hit games. Catricala was named to the California League All-Star team before being promoted to AA Jackson, where he went on to hit safely in 52 of 62 games.

Select-A-Seat
During FanFest Weekend, Mariners account representatives will be available from 11am-2pm Friday and 11am-4pm Saturday and Sunday to help with 2012 season ticket packages and locations. During "Select-a-Seat," fans will be able to "try-out" seat locations for all ticket packages, including Full Season, Half Season, Weekend, Business and 16-Game plans and in all areas of the ballpark including the Key Bank Diamond Club, All-Star Club and Wells Fargo Terrace Club. Account representatives will be at the Mariners Team Store to discuss season ticket options. For more information on season ticket plans and Select-A-Seat, go to www.mariners.com, click on “Tickets” and choose “2012 Season Tickets” on the menu, or call 206-346-4001.