Dr. Nick voice Hiiiii Everybodyyyy! With Max off celebrating grad school on a backpacking trip, here’s your week in the Mariners’ minor league system, and there was plenty going on across the affiliates.
Tacoma kept grinding through a stretch that started ugly against Sacramento, dropping the first three games before flipping the script and taking the final three to split the series. The Rainiers are still out of playoff contention, and the big-league club keeps raiding the roster to cover holes in T-Mobile’s infield and the bullpen. Brock Rodden, Patrick Wisdom, Leo Rivas, and Jhonny Pereda are all up with Seattle right now.
The bats in Tacoma still had some juice. Michael Arroyo snapped back into his usual bat-to-ball rhythm after a slight dip, finishing with five hits, including a home run, plus a walk and two strikeouts.
Lazaro Montes leaned hard into the boom-or-bust life and came away with six hits, two homers, five strikeouts, and four walks. His best day came in the 15-11 win on the 22nd, when he went 3-for-3 with a homer and two walks.
He also made a little history with a single clocked at 116.5 mph, the second-hardest-hit ball in MiLB this season.
Ryan Bliss kept piling on hits, too, and spent the week dueling Arroyo for Tacoma’s OBP crown. He had seven knocks overall, with three of them coming in that 15-11 game, where he launched two homers and two doubles. Bliss also drew four walks and struck out only three times.
J.P. Crawford began a rehab assignment and went 4-for-11 with three of those hits coming in the same 15-11 outburst, while striking out twice.
Cooper Criswell made his first rehab appearance as well, pitching for the first time since June 8. It was a rough introduction to the PCL, but the bigger point is that he’s back on the mound.
On the mound, Tacoma’s week was uneven, but Gabe Moser turned in the best start of the bunch in a 2-1 loss, which was one of the few low-scoring games in the series. He worked six innings of two-run ball, didn’t issue a walk, and kept Sacramento from doing much damage. If Seattle needs a stretched-out starter and Woo lands on the IL, Moser is at least a name to keep in mind.
Arkansas had a much harsher week. The Travelers lost their best starter when Kade Anderson got the call to Seattle, then got swept by the league-leading Springfield Cardinals.
The top bats struggled in that one. Felnin Celesten managed just three hits and struck out 10 times, with at least one punchout in every game. Jonny Farmelo had an even rougher go of it, finishing with two singles, eight strikeouts, a golden sombrero, and an ejection from a game with a wandering strike zone.
Boston Smith, though, keeps making noise. He put together another strong series with six hits in six games, including a homer and a triple.
That homer pushed him to 30 on the season. He struck out nine times and walked five times, but the power keeps showing up.
Also, his Travelers headshot does not include the rec specs, and that complaint remains on the record.
Ryan Sloan responded well to Kade Anderson’s departure, striking out 11 over five innings in his first outing since his rotation mate headed to Seattle. The only run against him came on a solo homer. Teddy McGraw also checked in with two appearances, including a longer 1.2-inning outing, and he didn’t allow a hit while striking out two in that extended stint.
Everett had a tougher week too, managing only two wins in the series. Korbyn Dickerson still put together a solid line with six hits, though he also struck out nine times. Luke Stevenson had a quieter stretch with three hits and nine strikeouts, but two of those hits left the yard, and he also drew five walks, including three in one game.
In Inland Empire, the 66ers have turned their season around in the second half. After sitting 10 games under .500 in the first half and stuck in the division cellar, they’re now at .500 and in second place in the second half. This week, though, Ontario’s affiliate had the upper hand, and the 66ers won only two games.
Ace Reese stayed on track in pro ball, collecting six hits. His best game featured three hits, and they were all extra-base damage: two doubles and a homer.
In one of the games where he didn’t get a hit, he made up for it by drawing four walks. He also struck out five times.
Yorger Bautista, now in his second series since moving up from rookie ball earlier this month, looked good with five hits, a pair of doubles, and two walks. The strikeouts are piling up, though - he had nine in this series, and that’s something to watch.
Nick Becker had a rougher go. He played in four games, went hitless, and struck out five times. He did, however, draw three walks and steal two bases.
The DSL Mariners made a strong playoff push, opened with a 20-0 blowout win, and then saw their season end on Sunday. Jarvis Gomez was the headliner in that opener, going 4-for-4 with a triple, and Juan Rijo added two hits.
The Baby M’s followed that with an 8-7 win, with Gomez and Rijo again leading the way and Gomez adding a homer. But the Brewers Prospects shut things down with a 5-2 win to end pool play.
Even with the finish, this was a fun DSL season, and Gomez is one to keep tucked away in the memory bank.
In Other News...
Mariners Just Took A Brutal Colt Emerson Hit
The Mariners got hit with a tough development around Colt Emerson, who is set to undergo season-ending wrist surgery after landing on the 10-day injured list. Seattle plans to move him to the 60-day injured list, a necessary roster move as the club continues sorting out its infield picture and works to create room on the active roster.
Emerson had been one of the more closely watched young names in the organization, so the setback lands at a tricky moment for a team already juggling personnel. The hope now is that hell be back on track for spring training next season, even as Seattle tries to steady the middle of the diamond with J.P. Crawford nearing his return from the injured list. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners May Need A Roster Shakeup After Deadline Bat Disappoints
Taylor Wards arrival at the trade deadline was supposed to give the Mariners a boost, but the early returns have been far quieter than hoped. He has hit just .136 and has been limited by leg soreness, leaving Seattle still searching for a steadier bat as the stretch run approaches.
Lazaro Montes has continued to make a strong case for himself in the minors, where the offensive production has been hard to ignore. With 37 home runs and a hefty OPS at Triple-A Tacoma, hes the kind of internal option that could force a decision when rosters expand on September 1, even if the Mariners have not announced any move yet. [Read more 🡒]
Kade Andersons Mariners Debut Put One Pitch Under Immediate Scrutiny
Kade Andersons first big-league start came with plenty of the usual debut nerves, but the Mariners also had reason to watch it through a more technical lens after he was summoned from Double-A. He worked 5.2 innings and allowed three earned runs, a solid enough introduction on the surface, yet the transition from the minors to the majors can ask more of a pitcher than just a longer lineup and louder park.
One of the first things clubs examine is the baseball itself, because the major league ball can behave differently enough to alter spin, vertical break and overall pitch movement. For pitchers like Anderson who move straight from Double-A to Seattle, that adjustment can show up immediately in the data, with spin and extension often taking a hit as they get used to the new feel and flight of the ball. [Read more 🡒]