Where Are They Ner? (April)

Ever wonder where that one prospect who never panned out ended up? Where that one reliever you used to hate is doing now? We could tell you.

In every off-day newsletter, Mariner Muse takes a look at where old Mariners are these days - but with a slightly unique approach. First, we take a look at when they were on the Mariners, then at what their best moment as a Ner was. Third, we make a collective guess at what their life is like now…and then finally, we research (and reveal) where the once-upon-a-Ner is now. At the end of every month, we will release each that were examined in previous newsletters.

The Where Are They Ners for April:

Norm Charlton | Closer

Ner from: 1993; 1995-1997; 2001 (Pen coach 2007-2008)

Best Ner Moment: Closing out the sweep of Texas in late September, 1995.

Where MM Guessed He Is Ner: Norm "The Sherriff" Charlton now lives in Cincinnati with his two children and three massive dogs. He works as a part-time high school baseball scout for the Reds, where he played the majority of his career. He gets a bit too angry at his kids when they make errors in their Little League games, and really likes to play poker.

Where He Actually is Ner: Norm "The Sherriff" Charlton now runs a charter boat organization out of Rockport, Texas. Called "Big League Adventures," the World Series Champ and former All-Star's company now caters to "grandfathers taking their grandkids fishing for the first time," while getting to listen to an old ballplayer "reminisce about his glory days." Hook ‘em, Norm.

Casper Wells | Outfielder

Ner from: 2011-2012

Best Ner Moment: Teasing a run at Ken Griffey Jr’s streak of consecutive games with a home run by linking four of his own…a streak that ended when Brandon Morrow effectively ended Wells’ career with a fastball to the head.

Where MM Guessed He Is Ner: There’s a number of possibilities here. He looks like a generic white person in an LL Bean catalog, so that certainly could hold promise. Given how much his career was derailed by the vertigo he suffered after Morrow’s bean ball, he could have some potential as a motivational speaker warning young athletes about the very real dangers of concussions. Also, he played for 3 different teams in 2013 after the Ners released him, so it’s possible he’s found himself as a David Rollins type that gets picked up and released for a living.

Where He Actually Is Ner: In addition to “Major League Baseball player,” which just isn’t accurate anymore, Casper’s Twitter account (@UpstateBaller) lists his current gigs as “actor, bartender, graduate.” A story on pressboxonline.com reveals a few more details: apparently, Wells tried pitching in independent leagues for a little while before his childhood home was destroyed in a fire in 2015, taking all of his baseball memorabilia with it (sad). Wells went back to college at Towson University in Maryland, finished his degree this past December, and now works in medical sales and as a restaurant manager (In case you are interested, that's his current LinkedIn profile pic right above this). He also mentored Towson players while he was on campus. Truly, Casper the Friendly Ghost.

Wladimir Balentien | Outfielder

Ner from: 2007-2009 (Mariners Minor leagues 2003-2007)

Best Ner Moment: On April 30, 2008, Wlad took Cliff Lee deep with a three-run homer, snapping a streak of 27 scoreless innings for Lee, who won the AL Cy Young that year. The Mariners lost that game 8-3, with the HR scoring Richie Sexson and Jose Vidro. 2008!

Where MM Guessed He Is Ner: Big Wlad was big, so he seemed like the prototypical Eric Thames career track guy: go to Korea, learn how to hit a gyro ball, and start cranking dingers like your life depended on it (have you seen what Eric Thames is doing these days?) He’s also from the island of Curaçao, and Curaçaolinians are notoriously good in the Little League World Series, so Little League manager doesn’t seem out of the question.

Where He Actually is Ner: Wlad actually had a really good season in 2010 with the Louisville Bats, the Reds’ AAA team, hitting .282 with 25 homers. For whatever reason, he then decided to jump ship to Japan after that, and is now in the midst of his seventh season with the Yakult Swallows. In 2013, Balentien hit a casual .330 and slapped SIXTY DINGERS. That’s the Nippon Professional Baseball record for home runs in a single season! He also has represented the Netherlands (Curaçao is a Dutch island) in two World Baseball Classics, and was the only Dutch player on the 2017 all-tournament team. And yes, he still spells “Vladimir” with a “W.”

#WhereAreTheyNer