Prospect Noelvi Marte hits 3 HRs, drives in 9

His birth certificate may say he's still a teenager, but on the diamond Mariners prospect Noelvi Marte is all grown up.

MLB's No. 82 overall prospect produced one of the best offensive performances in the Minors this season, blasting three homers and driving in nine runs during a 4-for-5 night as Low-A Modesto fell to Stockton, 16-15, in a wild affair at Banner Island Ballpark.

The four hits were a season high for Marte, who equaled his personal best established in 2019 during his time in the Dominican Summer League.

The 19-year-old's evening began productively, albeit innocently enough, with an RBI single that produced the game's first run in the opening frame. Marte's first career grand slam in the second inning began his homer barrage, which continued with a solo shot in the fourth and concluded with a go-ahead jack in the sixth.

The fourth-ranked prospect in Seattle's system had two more chances to become the first Minor Leaguer to hit four long balls in a game since Yasmany Tomás in 2019. However, Marte walked and scored a career-high fifth run in the eighth and popped out in the ninth, leaving him as the 23rd Minor Leaguer to hit three roundtrippers in one game this year.

The offensive outburst was notable for more than just the obvious. The 6-foot-1, 181-pound shortstop surpassed his long ball total and equaled his RBI output from the entire month of July when he he amassed 114 at-bats and appeared in 26 games.

Signed out of the Dominican Republic as international free agent in 2018, Marte impressed the following year in his professional debut in his home country, batting .309/.371/.511 with 31 extra-base hits, 54 RBIs and 17 stolen bases in 65 games.

Even after a subpar July in which he hit .219 with a .586 OPS, he's blossomed into one of baseball's most exciting young prospects. Marte is batting .277/.361/.482 with 31 extra-base hits, 54 RBIs and 15 stolen bases in 73 games for Modesto.

His 15 homers are tied for second in the Low-A West with Rancho Cucamonga's Jonny Deluca, three behind Giants top prospect Marco Luciano.