Who to watch in Mariners' Spring Breakout game

This story was excerpted from Daniel Kramer’s Mariners Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Spring Breakout is on the horizon, with many of the Mariners’ Top 30 prospects by MLB Pipeline set to take center stage on Friday against a similar group of promising Padres.

Here’s everything to know about the first-ever event.

How to watch: MLB Network, MLB Digital (MLB.TV, MLB.com, MLB App), ROOT Sports and Mariners Radio Network (710 Seattle Sports)

Hitter to watch: SS Felnin Celesten (Mariners’ No. 5 prospect)

There are some that have suggested Celesten arrived with more tools and upside than any international prospect that Seattle has acquired under president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto’s front office when he agreed to a $4.7 million bonus in the 2023 signing period. Celesten was slated to play in the Dominican Summer League last year before suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain just before the season’s start, which sidelined him from any pro games. In that context, this will be his first action against comparable talent.

Pitcher to watch: RHP Logan Evans (No. 20)

A 12th-round Draft pick last year, Evans made a strong first impression in his pro debut last year, jumping quickly from the Arizona Complex League to Single-A Modesto, where he had 13 strikeouts in 12 innings. Above his pure stuff -- which includes a two-seam fastball that sits in the 93-94 mph range, a slider he attacks lefties with and a cutter to righties -- Evans showed an advanced acumen with pitch shapes and location strategy. He also leverages his 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame, much like Logan Gilbert.

Matchup to watch: Mariners pitchers vs. Ethan Salas

Salas has taken the Minors by storm sheerly by his age, having made his pro debut last May for Single-A Lake Elsinore at just 16 years old and finishing the season at Double-A San Antonio to work closely with San Diego’s rising pitchers. The catcher is ranked MLB Pipeline’s No. 8 overall prospect and will be closely followed throughout the game, so however Seattle’s arms attack him will be of intrigue.

What else to watch: Tools from the rest of the Mariners prospects

• Cole Young’s (No. 1) bat: He’s played his way into more Cactus League reps, even though he won’t break camp with the big league club. Young’s 21 at-bats this spring are more than everyday starters J.P. Crawford, Cal Raleigh, Mitch Garver and Jorge Polanco, underscoring how much of an opportunity that the Mariners want to give him -- potentially to contribute later this season.

• Harry Ford’s (No. 2) arm: Ford’s defensive strides have manifested with a few impressive caught stealings, including one from his knees and another with a 1.87 sec pop time, well above the league average (2.00 sec). Moreover, Ford showed during last year’s World Baseball Classic that he relishes a bigger stage.

• Lazaro Montes’ (No. 4) power: With exit velocity readings beyond 110 mph last season, nobody in Seattle’s system hits the ball harder. It’s led to lofty -- and self-professed -- comparisons to one of the game’s best lefty sluggers, another Cuba native who also plays in the American League West.

• Jonny Farmelo’s (No. 6) speed: He already has a standup triple and stolen base in five Cactus League games, and he’s seen more action than most had envisioned given that he was in high school at this time last year. Farmelo’s speed has been touted among the fastest in the organization, Majors or Minors.

• Brody Hopkins’ (No. 26) athleticism: He’s the one player that Farmelo wanted to challenge in a foot race during the Mariners’ high-performance camp in January, and he’s a pitcher. That’s right. Once a two-way player, Hopkins was selected exclusively for his arm in the sixth round of the Draft last year.