Seattle Mariners: Modesto Offers Fans A Glimpse Into The Future

The Seattle Mariners have gone all-in on their top prospect, Julio Rodriguez. In addition, Jared Kelenic was brought up to the roster last year. Despite, these two top prospects getting the call, the Mariners have the talent in the lower levels of their farm system to compete for years to come.

During recent games against the Stockon Ports and Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, I was able to see firsthand some of the new talents in the Mariners system with the Lo-A Modesto Nuts. Harry Ford leads the bunch, as the Mariners’ first-round pick in 2021. With Ford at the forefront, there are still some other names to get very excited about in the Emerald City.

I’ll first start with the aforementioned Ford. Ford will be a major leaguer in a short time. That’s a given. I’m concerned about his aggressiveness at the plate. Ford started a recent game against Stockton whiffing on two straight fastballs. He wants the big hit to showcase that raw power. A patient approach will get him further along in the system. Ford will get there, it’ll just be a bit of an adjustment period (as with most starting affiliated ball).

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Ford’s long-term position is still up in the air. While Ford is a catcher currently, many predict he will not stick there long-term. His athleticism is off the charts. Seattle could opt to play him anywhere on the field. I’m of the belief they’ll try him out in different spots through his minor league tenure. I saw nothing in my two games of watching him that would make me believe he couldn’t stick at catcher.

Seattle isn’t just about the top-100 prospects you see on MLB Pipeline such as Ford. They have a slew of others who are ready to burst onto the national scene.

Jonatan Clase (20th ranked Mariners prospect according to MLB Pipeline) is a potential impact leadoff hitter (although he did slide down the lineup during the Quakes series). Clase might have the most defined role of any Mariners farm system talent. A pure leadoff hittet, Clase is hitting. 313 in 48 AB’s. A poor K to BB rate is to be expected at Lo-A, which is the case with Clase. Clase does possess a very high BABIP of .441. This signals he will regress, however, his 70-grade speed has allowed him to beat out some tough plays to first.
His true appeal is the speed and his gaudy SB totals (11 in 11 games).

On the pitching side of things, Seattle has some of the best arms in the minors. Matt Brash and Logan Gilbert have already made their MLB debuts. In addition, prospects such as George Kirby, Levi Stoudt, and Adam Macko, are all future pieces to the rotation. Those names are far from the most intriguing pitcher in their system. I give that honor to Michael Morales

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Morales relies on a heavy amount of breaking pitches. He’s regarded as the most advanced prep arm of the 2021 draft class. His fastball tops at 94, however, Morales trusts his curve and changes more than his fastball. It’s impossible to tell if Morales will become a frontline starter given his pitch preferences (especially given Seattle’s depth at SP). He will be advanced quickly through the system. If the off-speed and breaking stuff can continue to miss bats, he could make a case as a 3-4 starter.

There are two other names worth mentioning for Seattle, Mikar Perez, and Edwin Arroyo.

Perez, a hard-hitting 3B, has 30+ homerun potential, and many in the system see this. Given his 5’11 frame that’s hard to see. Perez has some power to that swing. Arroyo, has the same makeup, however, I’m disappointed greatly by his defense. During the two games I watched him, he was very slow to react to balls up the middle. If we are taking bets, Arroyo has the better chance of being a consistent big leaguer once he fine-tunes the infield defense. I’m still very high on Milkar, though.

The Seattle system has many high-end prospects to go along with a slew of quality mid-tier options as well. The depth of the organization is well known in baseball circles.

Image Source: Anthony Stalcup
Marietta Daily Journal