ADVERTISEMENT

SEATTLE MARINERS

One top performer from each Mariners minor league team

With the season in full swing for the Seattle Mariners' minor league affiliates, we highlight one standout prospect from each team.

Watch: Dominic Canzone's Breakout Season + Mariners Trade Deadline Preview w/Jordan Shusterman | 17 mins

The minor league season is in full swing for the affiliates of the Seattle Mariners, who have one of the deepest farm systems in baseball.

With a few weeks of play under their belts, it’s a good time to take a look at which M’s prospects are standing out so far.

Why Seattle Mariners didn’t call up Colt Emerson with Donovan hurt

We’ve picked one player to spotlight from each Mariners minor league team, with a couple parameters in place. First, we’re limited the list to players who are on MLB Pipeline’s list of the top 30 M’s prospects. Second, we’re going to dig just a little deeper, which is to say we’re not going to use this to repeat that 2025 No. 3 overall MLB Draft pick Kade Anderson is on an incredible run to start his career with Double-A Arkansas (click here if you want to read about that).

ADVERTISEMENT

And with that out of the way, here are the four players to know about.

Single-A Inland Empire 66ers: Mason Peters, pitcher

MLB Pipeline prospect ranking: No. 15 Mariners

A fourth-round MLB Draft pick last year out of Dallas Baptist, Peters is now three starts into his pro career, and the last two have especially been good.

On April 10, the 22-year-old left-hander went four scoreless, no-hit innings while striking out nine and walking just one against the Ontario Tower Buzzers, an affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Then on April 17, he followed up with four innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts against the Visalia Rawhide, an affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

ADVERTISEMENT

Peters has a 3.00 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, .171 opponent batting average and 21 strikeouts to three walks (plus a hit batter) over 12 innings this season.

High-A Everett AquaSox: Luke Stevenson, catcher

MLB Pipeline prospect ranking: No. 8 Mariners

Stevenson was already identified by one of the top prospect analysts in baseball, Keith Law of The Athletic, as an M’s farmhand flying under the radar to keep an eye on. But he might not be under the radar for long based on his minor league production since he was drafted last year.

A lefty-swinging backstop picked No. 35 overall by the Mariners out of North Carolina, Stevenson is hitting .353 with a home run, four doubles, a .489 on-base percentage and 1.048 OPS in 10 games and 45 plate appearances for Everett this season.

Stevenson had a strong debut last summer, hitting .280 with a .460 on-base mark and .860 OPS in 22 games with the Mariners’ affiliate at the time in Single-A, the Modesto Nuts.

ADVERTISEMENT

Double-A Arkansas Travelers: Lazaro Montes, outfielder

MLB Pipeline prospect ranking: No. 4 Mariners, No. 38 overall

It hasn’t been the hottest start for Montes, one of the more well-known names in the Mariners farm system, but that’s to be expected in the very pitcher-friendly Texas League. And to the big right fielder’s credit, he’s picked up steam of late. Entering Monday, he has hits in eight of his last nine games, including four doubles.

Since April 14, Montes has raised his average from .167 to .241, and he has a strong .369 on-base percentage and .758 OPS in 16 games and 65 plate appearances.

Montes struggled a bit after getting the call up to Double-A last season, hitting just .213 in 64 games, but he still flexed his power with an eye-popping 14 home runs in that time. He just has one homer to date this season, but his 10 walks to 18 strikeouts is promising.

ADVERTISEMENT

Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers: Brock Rodden, utility

MLB Pipeline prospect ranking: No. 18 Mariners

No. 4 overall MLB Pipeline prospect Colt Emerson is understandably getting most of the attention in Tacoma right now, but there’s another infielder drafted by Seattle in 2023 whose production for the Rainiers is worth highlighting.

Rodden, who was picked in the fifth round out of Wichita State in ’23, is slashing .311/.349/.473 for an .822 OPS in 21 games and 83 plate appearances this season with Tacoma. Rodden’s nine doubles lead the Pacific Coast League, and he’s tied for 12th in the PCL with 23 hits and tied for 20th with 13 RBIs.

The 5-foot-7 Rodden, who is 25, could find himself in Seattle at some point this season should an opportunity arise, and he’s putting himself in good position to get an opportunity considering he has played all over the field this season – seven starts at third base, six at second base, five in left field and three at shortstop.

ADVERTISEMENT

Seattle Mariners coverage

Why this feels like a better start for Mariners’ Julio Rodríguez
Mariners’ Bryce Miller brings the heat in first rehab outing
Mariners Injury Updates: Robles, Vargas and more
Andrés Muñoz, Mariners coach discuss early struggles
Is it time for Seattle Mariners’ Luke Raley to face more lefties?

Brent Stecker Editor, Seattle Sports

Brent Stecker is Lead Editor of SeattleSports.com, a role he has held since 2017. A native of Ephrata, Wash., he joined the Seattle Sports and MyNorthwest.com team in 2013 after six years as a sports reporter for The Wenatchee World.

Comments

0 Comments