Kelenic, Gilbert win Mariners' Minors awards

SEATTLE -- The Mariners’ top two prospects, outfielder Jarred Kelenic and right-hander Logan Gilbert, received the club’s top Minor League honors on Tuesday as Kelenic received the Ken Griffey Jr. Hitter of the Year hardware and Gilbert was the Jamie Moyer Pitcher of the Year selection.

Kelenic, the Mariners’ No. 1 prospect per MLB Pipeline, hit .291/.364/.540 with 23 homers and 68 RBIs in 117 games as the 20-year-old split time between Class A West Virginia, Class A Advanced Modesto and Double-A Arkansas after being acquired from the Mets in the Robinson Cano/Edwin Diaz trade in December.

Gilbert, ranked as Seattle’s No. 2 prospect, also jumped from West Virginia to Modesto before finishing the season with Arkansas. The 22-year-old went a combined 10-5 with a 2.13 ERA in 135 innings over 26 starts in his first season in pro ball after being drafted in the first round by Seattle in 2018.

Infielder Joe Rizzo received the Alvin Davis “Mr. Mariner” Award for exemplary play and leadership skills, while infielder Donnie Walton earned the Dan Wilson Community Service Award.

Rizzo, 21, hit .295/.354/423 with 10 homers and 63 RBIs in 129 games for Modesto. Walton, 25, batted .300/.390/.427 with 11 homers and 50 RBIs in 124 games for Arkansas and was lauded for his community work in Little Rock involving youth baseball camps as well as the local Ronald McDonald House, Boys and Girls Clubs, Habitat for Humanity and a food and clothing drive for the Dominican Republic.

Infielder Connor Hoover received the Edgar Martinez “Rake Report” Award and right-hander Penn Murfee won the “60 ft. 6 in. Club” Award as the top hitter and pitcher in the annual control-the-zone competition the Mariners have held for the past four years. By winning those competitions, Hoover and Murfee will be given invitations to Major League camp next spring.

Hoover spent most of his season at Class A short season Everett, but also appeared in games for all six of Seattle’s Minor League affiliates. Murfee pitched primarily for Modesto, but also competed in games for Arkansas and Triple-A Tacoma.

The other Minor League award went to Modesto pitching coach Rob Marcello, who received the Dave Henderson Staff Member of the Year honor in his first season in the organization.

All seven award winners will be honored in a pregame ceremony at T-Mobile Park prior to the Mariners game against the A’s on Sept. 27.