5 Mariners prospects who raised stock with big seasons in minors

It’s been a rollercoaster of a season for the Seattle Mariners at the big-league level. But throughout all the ups and downs, one thing remained consistent throughout the organization: It was a banner year for M’s prospects.

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Seattle’s farm system generated about as much hype as any this season with a slew of talented players excelling at the lower levels. It’s resulted an MLB-high eight prospects ranked in Baseball America’s top 100 and six in MLB Pipeline’s.

Here’s take a look at five prospects who have had standout 2024 campaigns:

• Brandyn Garcia, LHP

The Mariners have knack for developing pitching, whether it’s first-round picks like Logan Gilbert and George Kirby, or diamonds in the rough like sixth-rounder Bryan Woo. Left-hander Brandyn Garcia appears to be the latest in the latter category.

Garcia, a 24-year-old selected in the 11th round of the 2023 draft, had a spectacular first full pro season. The left-hander started the year with High-A Everett and dominated the Northwest League to the tune of a 6-0 record, 1.84 ERA, 85 strikeouts and only one home run allowed over 68 1/3 innings. His efforts led to a promotion to Double-A Arkansas, and Garcia continued to pitch well while making the jump to the Texas League. In 13 appearances with the Travelers, Garcia was 0-2 with a 2.83 ERA and 49 strikeouts over 47 2/3 innings.

Garcia’s rapid rise in Seattle’s system is similar to Woo’s. He struck out a lot of batters but didn’t have a lot of success otherwise at the college level, posting a 6.09 ERA in three seasons at Quinnipac before spending his final year at Texas A&M as a reliever. With the Aggies, Garcia had a 5.56 ERA in 43 2/3 innings out of the bullpen.

After projecting as a reliever coming out of college, Garcia may be on the path to becoming a starter at the MLB level. He’s the No. 16 overall prospect in Seattle system and the top-rated left-handed pitcher, according to Pipeline.

WELCOME TO THE ROCK, BRANDYN GARCIA 🌟

Final line of his AA debut:

5.0 IP | 0 H | 0 R | 2 BB | 8 K pic.twitter.com/t0kPqoFFYa

— Arkansas Travelers (@ARTravs) July 2, 2024

• Michael Arroyo, 2B/SS

Arroyo has been somewhat overshadowed in the farm system due to a wealth of talent in the middle infield that includes three first-round picks in Cole Young, Tai Peete and the especially impressive Colt Emerson, as well as touted 19-year-old Felnin Celesten, but Arroyo has arguably had the best year of them all.

He performed well enough in Modesto to be promoted to Everett in late June and has been even better at the plate with the AquaSox. In 60 games with Everett, Arroyo is slashing .290/.397/.519 with 15 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs and 40 RBIs. He hit 11 home runs in Modesto before being promoted, and his 23 total homers trails only Jason Vosler among Seattle minor leaguers this year.

The 19-year-old Arroyo, who signed with the Mariners as an international free agent in 2022, hit just three homers over 60 games in the minors last season. If the power numbers keep up, third base could end up being another option for in the future.

Baseball America ranks Arroyo as Seattle’s No. 7 prospect and No. 98 overall, while Pipeline has him as the M’s No. 12 prospect.

Michael Arroyo tees off twice in the same inning for the High-A @EverettAquaSox!

A 2022 international free agent signee by the @Mariners, Arroyo leads all Minor Leaguers age 19 or younger in homers this season (23). pic.twitter.com/eIH2AzPhA6

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 31, 2024

• Lazaro Montes, OF

The hype train has been out there for Montes for a while now – see nickname “Baby Yordan” – and at just 19 years old he’s already ascended to the High-A level and shown the ability hit there. It’s not a big surprise that Montes is having success, but it’s also a very good sign considering his bat carries virtually all of his value as prospect.

The 6-foot-3 outfielder outclassed pitching in Low-A Modesto to start the season, slashing an impressive .309/.411/527 with 13 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs, 72 RBIs and a 59-to-43 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 65 games. But then there were struggles.

Montes was promoted to Everett in late June and was hit just .188 with three extra-base hits through 24 games by the end July. However, the slugging left-handed hitter turned it around with a massive August, posting an absurd .411/.500/.753 slash line with 10 multi-hit games, four doubles, seven home runs and 21 RBIs. The slow start in Everett was a bit concerning, but the ability at his young age to make the adjustments needed for a such massive swing in performance is very impressive.

Pipeline ranks Montes as Seattle’s No. 3 prospect and No. 45 overall, and Baseball America has him as the M’s No. 2 prospect and No. 43 overall.

Lazaro Montes on Thursday night: 2 homers, 4 RBIs
Lazaro Montes on Friday night: 2 homers, 4 RBIs! (so far)

The @Mariners‘ third-ranked prospect ranks second among all Minor Leaguers with 102 RBIs across two levels.@EverettAquaSox | @MsPlayerDev pic.twitter.com/f5BYBjpFP4

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 31, 2024

• Michael Morales, RHP

Morales took steps forward in his second season in Modesto last year, but really made a jump this year while starting year with Everett.

The 2021 third-round pick went 9-1 with a 2.36 ERA, 80 strikeouts, 25 walks and just two home runs allowed over 84 innings with the AquaSox. Morales’ ERA has jumped over a run to 3.88 since being promoted to Arkansas in late June, but his walk rate actually decreased from 3.55 per nine inning in Everett to 2.30 in Arkansas. He also still struck out more than a batter an inning with the Travelers.

Morales is the Mariners’ No. 13 prospect, according to Pipeline.

Michael Morales ties his career high with 🔟 punchouts for the High-A @EverettAquaSox!

The @Mariners‘ No. 12 prospect lowers his ERA to 2.55 and has allowed 1 ER or fewer in six straight starts: pic.twitter.com/f85t7LT7Dy

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 7, 2024

• Logan Evans, RHP

Evans is another late-round pick that has found success in the Mariners’ organization. He pitched just 15 innings between rookie ball and Single-A Modesto last year after being picked in the 12th round, but started this season in Double-A.

The 23-year-old Evans was lights out as a starter to begin 2024. His performance was enough to convince the organization to experiment with using him as a reliever with potential of helping the big-league club this year, but the Mariners changed course and moved Evans back to a starting role.

In 32 appearances (22 starts) with Arkansas, Evans went. 9-5 with a 3.20 ERA, 98 strikeouts and 42 walks over 107 innings.

Pipeline ranks Evans as the M’s No. 10 prospect. Baseball America has him as Seattle’s No. 6 prospect and No. 93 overall.

Logan Evans struck out 7 in 6 perfect innings for the @ARTravs 💪 #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/F4iE9ETv0V

— Mariners Player Development (@MsPlayerDev) August 10, 2024

More on the Seattle Mariners

• Mariners’ Victor Robles is on fire – but he’s also banged up
• Video: Mariners Breakdown – Can they complete push for playoffs?
• The Mariners are coming alive just before it’s too late
• J.P. Crawford helping make a path to big leagues for young players
• Insiders break down why Seattle Mariners’ Woo is so hard to figure out

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