Mariners Minor League Recap, Week 11: June 10 - June 16

Injuries suck

It’s time for the weekly minor league round up! There was an unfortunate run of bad news down on the farm this week, but plenty of good took place despite it. We’ll kick things off with a red hot Rainiers squad that’s finding their groove offensively.

Tacoma Rainiers

39-30, 2nd in PCL West

It was a fantastic week for the Rainiers as they, much like the big league club, took Texas to the woodshed and won the series 5-1 against the Rangers’ affiliate. With new face Spencer Packard having a monster first week in the PNW, the lineup features some much needed depth that had been absent the past several weeks. It’s still a bit of a mixed bag prospect-wise and primarily a veteran mainstay, but there’s certainly some reasons for prospect heads to check out a game at Cheney Stadium.

A hot-hitting Jonatan Clase is always a welcome sight. Logging a 9-21 week with a homer and a double, Clase has settled in after his demotion for more consistent playing time and it appears to be paying off. The young outfielder is still proving to be a threat on the basepaths as well, collecting three more in the series against Round Rock. Unfortunately, Clase did have to exit the game on Sunday as he appeared to injure his hand sliding into third base on a steal attempt. He stayed in the game as a runner, but was removed promptly the next half inning. It may just be a cautionary move, but it’s definitely something to keep an eye on as the lineup cards come out early next week.

I know I gave Spencer Packard a shoutout already, but I’m choosing to write about him some more rather than the pitching staff. For those interested, they’re still pitching. Finishing the week 10-25 with four doubles, the now 26 year old Packard capped off his solid start with a monstrous 5-6 performance in Sundays game that saw him drive in a pair of runs. Packard is limited defensively and not much at all on the basepaths, but a lefty bat that’s equipped with a discerning eye at the plate and some pop will certainly have a spot on a big league club. Here’s to hoping his hot streak continues and Packard gets a shot at the bigs sooner than later.

Next up: Tacoma takes on Las Vegas at home.

Arkansas Travelers

34-28, 1st in Texas League North

Despite a 2-4 series loss to the Drillers, the Travs managed to leapfrog the division leading Springfield Cardinals thanks to Springfield’s seven game losing streak. The Cardinals’ voodoo magic seems to have finally run dry as they now hold the worst run differential in the division despite being just 1.5 games out of a playoff spot. If the Travs can hold on to their slim lead with just a few days left to go, the Travs will clinch their second straight first half division championship. Let’s go Travelers!

(Yes, that is Ben Williamson playing shortstop. Just goes to show how good he is on the defensive side of things.)

Not a great week for the bats this week. With a few mundane performances from Cole Young and Harry Ford, the offense struggled to accumulate runs all week. No cause for major concern just yet, but Ford is in a bit of a rut after a flaming hot stretch in May. Without bats like Locklear and Packard anchoring the middle of the order, the Traveler lineup is lacking the punch it once had and is putting a ton of pressure on the arms to win games. The pitching has stepped up, but they’ll need to score more consistently to lock down their playoff spot.

The now streamlined bullpen version of Logan Evans has been lights out in his new role thus far, notching two more scoreless outings against Tulsa. I may sound like a bit of a broken record with Evans every week, but you simply cannot say enough good things about him. He’s been a revelation for this Arkansas team and has yet to falter, regardless of the role he’s being deployed in. I’m not sure what the timeline the team expects Evans to be on, however I can’t imagine we’ll have to wait all that long to see Evans up with the Mariners. It sounds ridiculous to say, but in a loaded draft class that may just alter the trajectory of this franchise, the most dominant player was drafted in the 12th round and is almost assured to be the first to debut in the majors. He’ll be a welcome sight to a bullpen that’s been trending up as of late but is still in dire need of help.

Next up: A middling Wichita team is all that stands in the Travelers’ way of the division title.

Everett AquaSox

31-31, 4th in Northwest League

The Frogs are hot, y’all. No longer in the purgatory of perpetual series splits, the AquaSox secured a 5-1 series victory and have leveled their season record at the .500 mark. After their abysmal 1-8 start, the Frogs have sneakily played some really solid ball and will only be getting stronger with the impending promotions from Modesto. There’s a real shot we could see a repeat of last year’s spectacular Modesto run with all the key players back together, only this time in the PNW. Brock Rodden and Jared Sundstrom have been outstanding this year, but adding in some Lazaro Montes or Michael Arroyo might just make this team a juggernaut.

It was a big week for 9th rounder RJ Schreck who after a tough start has bounced back in a big way. Currently tied for the league lead in homers with nine, Schreck has raised his season OPS up to .804 and is slashing .279/.392/.605 in the month of June. He’s currently knotted with teammate Brock Rodden for the club lead in walks at 37, a mark that’s second best in the Northwest League. Schreck is a corner outfielder who profiles as a three true outcome kind of player, but the production has been superb as of late. The lefty swinger will look to keep up his hot hitting and insert himself in the middle of an Everett roster geared up for a second half run.

What a run Brandyn Garcia is on. The southpaw continues to look brilliant in his move to the starting rotation this season and has only improved as he’s gained more experience. Now with a 2.24 ERA on the year, Garcia is striking out batters at an excellent rate and has toned down his walk issues that plagued him earlier this year. In the month of June, Garcia is pitching to a 0.52 ERA across 17.1 IP and boasts a 22:5 K/BB ratio. He remains a bit old for the level at a freshly turned 24, but the numbers are undeniable and the pure stuff is there. Garcia looks to be yet another success out of last year’s draft class and is proving to everyone he had much more to offer than his 11th round selection would suggest.

Next up: Everett takes on Hillsboro, Arizona’s affiliate.

Modesto Nuts

40-21, 1st in California League North

They did it! Despite some absolutely brutal extra inning losses that slowed the clinching process down just a bit, the Nuts clobbered their way to a 15-3 win in Sunday’s affair and are officially first half champions. They have locked down their playoff spot for the end of the season and will have a shot at the California League crown regardless of their second half performance. Can they weather the storm of injuries/promotions and go back-to-back? Only time will tell.

This is the part I hate to do, but alas, I must do it. Star prospect Jonny Farmelo is down for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Farmelo had exited the game after attempting to make a play in centerfield and it unfortunately ended in the worst case scenario. Sending all the good vibes I can to Jonny. Everyone here at LL wishes you a speedy recovery.

The injury news is unfortunately not yet over. Aidan Smith, another fantastic young outfielder for the Nuts, exited the game after getting hit by a pitch on the hand and was not in the lineup on Sunday. He is yet to be put on the injured list which is definitely a good sign, but his presence in centerfield will be crucial for this Nuts team without Farmelo. Let’s hope he won’t be missing too much time.

With all the injury doom and gloom out of the way, it’s time to get to the actually fun stuff. There’s honestly too much going on to give every player their due time, but the two guys atop the lineup in Sunday’s clincher were on fire all week. Out of the leadoff spot, Michael Arroyo managed to club three homers and raised his season OPS to .881. An absolute Monster with his barrel accuracy, Arroyo has showed much more power this season and has truly been one of the most impressive hitters in the entire Modesto lineup. It’s easy to get overshadowed with the supreme depth of this team, but Arroyo has managed to shine. Additionally, last year’s 15th rounder Carson Jones went 10-22 with a homer and a double. He now holds an OPS of .862 and has stolen 20 bases to boot. Jones has a very similar profile to Cade Marlowe and will look to grind out a major league career after being drafted in the later rounds. He’s far from a sure thing, but he’s been huge for the Nuts and should have a shot at Everett later on this year.

With all the expected promotions on the hitting side of things, the one thing that Modesto will need to rely on in the second half is their superb pitching. The young duo of Ashton Izzi and Tyler Gough has been dynamic atop the rotation and young arms like Gabriel Sosa and Pedro Da Costa Lemos have nailed down the back end of games. We’ll have to wait and see how much help the staff gets via the upcoming draft, but it’ll have to be a continued strong point if they want to continue their success into the second half.

Next up: Not that it matters all that much, but the Nuts match up with San Jose next week.

ACL Mariners

16-15, 2nd in ACL West

Felnin Celesten had a tough week at the plate, only collecting four hits and striking out six times. It’s his first truly tough week as a pro so far and it certainly won’t be his last. These kind of runs happen; Definitely not something to get too bent out of shape about.

Other top prospect Jeter Martinez continued his successful run in the ACL, working 2.2 innings and striking out five in a scoreless outing. He did walk three on the day and the walks have crept up a bit this season, but the upside here remains tantalizing. We’re still years away from Jeter contributing in the big leagues, but he’s still the highest upside arm in the entire system.

DSL Mariners

2-7, last in Dominican Summer League Central

The DSL is in a tough spot and probably will be all season. After a down year in the international free agent scene this winter, the DSL M’s lack much impact on either side of the ball. Top signee Dawel Joseph has been brutal offensively and the other hitters aren’t doing all that much to pick him up. There’s a few guys that are doing alright in a small sample, but things are looking pretty bleak for the DSL squad so far.

That concludes the recap this week! Be on the lookout for the flurry of promotions we expect to take place this week and GOMS!