Mariners prospects to keep an eye on at each Minors level

SEATTLE -- The Mariners’ Minor League season jumpstarts Friday when three of the club’s affiliates have their Opening Day. Many in Seattle’s hitting-heavy pipeline were Spring Training standouts, showing that this next wave might not be as far off as their roster standings in the lower Minors indicate.

There are also a few high-profile prospects who won’t open the year at an affiliate, notably touted shortstop Felnin Celesten (Seattle’s No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline), who will begin the year in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League after missing all of 2023 with a Grade 2 hamstring strain.

“There's also really nowhere for him to start right now that gives him constant playing time without having to displace another top prospect,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said. “So that's a good problem to have, and Felnin will get a lot of reps in the Complex [League].”

Here’s a breakdown of the rest of Seattle’s Minors affiliates.

Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers

Player to watch: OF Jonatan Clase (No. 10)
Pitcher to watch: RHP Carlos Vargas (unranked)
Other Top 30 prospects on the roster: INF Ryan Bliss (No. 12), RHP Ty Adcock (No. 22), C Blake Hunt (No. 25)

This is among the better Rainiers teams in recent years, with players who could be contributors rather than holdovers or Quad-A guys that the Major League club might need in a pinch. And unlike in years past, where many top prospects skipped Tacoma -- Julio Rodríguez, Bryce Miller and George Kirby among others -- the Mariners are no longer in transition, meaning there’ll be more holdovers here.

“We're not going to clear the spot with another young player at the Major League level or a prime-years-producing veteran to create the space,” Dipoto said. “So the likelihood is that there will be a Triple-A stop for that group, provided there are no injury issues here and they don't become the next person on the depth chart.”

Double-A Arkansas Travelers
Opening Day: Friday, 5:05 p.m. PT vs. Springfield

Player to watch: INF Cole Young (Mariners No. 1, MLB No. 36)
Pitcher to watch: RHP Logan Evans (No. 20)
Other Top 30 prospects on the roster: C Harry Ford (Mariners No. 2, MLB No. 37), INF Tyler Locklear (No. 8), OF Alberto Rodriguez (No. 24)

Both Young and Ford begin 2024 with promotions -- and a tall test at Dickey-Stephens Park, notoriously one of the least hitter-friendly parks in the Minors.

“Regardless of how much more advanced the pitchers are, how many more breaking balls they'll see, the challenge of going through an at-bat pitch by pitch is real in Triple-A,” Dipoto said. “But you could argue that the environment is as tough a challenge in Double-A.”

The Mariners don’t see a path for Young to reach the Majors in the immediate, but they haven’t ruled out a 2024 debut if he produces and/or there comes a positional need.

“You'd never know he wasn't a veteran,” Dipoto said. “And I think that was obvious in camp. The veteran players on our team really embraced Cole like, 'Wow, this guy's pretty good.’”

High-A Everett AquaSox
Opening Day: Friday, 6:35 p.m. PT at Hillsboro

Player to watch: INF Ben Williamson (No. 16)
Pitcher to watch: RHP Michael Morales (No. 13)
Other Top 30 prospects on the roster: RHP Troy Taylor (No. 29)

With Young and Ford gone, Everett isn’t as loaded, but Dipoto included Morales among the system’s arms to follow this season. A third-round Draft pick and projectable high-school arm in 2021, Morales struggled to find his footing at first but rebounded in ‘23 and had a strong spring, particularly with a velocity increase into the mid-90s.

“His stuff gets a little bit better every year,” Dipoto said.

Single-A Modesto Nuts
Opening Day: Friday, 7:05 p.m. PT at Stockton

Player to watch: INF Colt Emerson (Mariners No. 3, MLB No. 83)
Pitcher to watch: RHP Brody Hopkins (No. 26)
Other Top 30 prospects on the roster: OF Lazaro Montes (No. 4), OF Jonny Farmelo (No. 6), INF Tai Peete (No. 7), INF Michael Arroyo (No. 9), INF Luis Suisbel (No. 30)

The Nuts will look to run back their California League title with many of the key contributors in 2023, though it sounds like if things go well, the group that comprised the top of Seattle’s ‘23 Draft class might not be there for long.

“Modesto is going to be about as well-stocked as a prospect team as we've ever had,” Dipoto said. “This rivals anything that we've had in our years in the system. You could argue that there's a legitimate Major League prospect at every position on the field.”