Two of the big leagues’ most disappointing teams are calling up two of the Pacific Coast League’s best prospects in time for today’s games. Mariners catcher Jeff Clement joins the MLB-worst Mariners (24-46) for their home series against the Marlins, while Padres left fielder/third baseman Chase Headley is in New York for San Diego’s interleague series with the Yankees. Each player ranked as his organization’s No. 1 prospect entering the season.

Seattle fired general manager Bill Bavasi yesterday, clearing the way for a new direction, which began with shifting Ichiro Suzuki from center field to right and exchanging struggling right fielder Wladimir Balentien for Clement.

For a team last in the AL in runs scored, on-base percentage and slugging, as the Mariners are, Clement, 24, will provide a needed boost. He’s batted .337/.457/.680 for Triple-A Tacoma this season with 14 home runs, 17 doubles, 35 walks and just 29 strikeouts in 172 at-bats. He continued to make progress on his footwork behind the plate, too, and threw out six of 27 basestealers (22 percent). He’s hit .219/.333/.391 in 64 big league at-bats, compiled during brief callups this May and last September.

Mariners manager John McLaren told the Seattle Times:

"We want him to play and we do want him to catch a little bit. We need some pop in our offense, so we’re going to work him in."

The Padres resisted calling up Headley earlier in the season because the team was playing so poorly that they didn’t want the rookie to feel like he was there to help save the season. San Diego sat at 12-24 (.333) on May 9 and at 16-30 (.348) on May 19, but they’ve played well in June and now sit at 31-40, six and half games behind the Diamondbacks. The hot streak also has propelled the Padres past the Nationals and out of the NL basement in runs scored, on-base percentage and slugging. They rank 15th in all three—and just sixth in ERA.

The extra seasoning didn’t hurt Headley, either, as he overcame a mediocre April to bat .305/.383/.556 for Portland with 13 home runs and 24 doubles in 259 at-bats. The 24-year-old switch-hitter was much better from the left side, batting .321/.405/.611 in 193 at-bats.

Slated to join the Padres for Monday’s Hall of Fame game, Headley will have to wait for tonight because the game, the final one scheduled in Cooperstown, was canceled due to rain. He batted .222/.333/.278 last season in two callups to San Diego.