Mariners Minor League Recap, Week 7: May 14-19

Brock Rodden, Spencer Packard, and Michael Chavis all show consistency at the dish

Max is out of the country for the next couple weeks scouting some foreign prospects so I’ll be covering the MiLB beat for a minute here, which honestly sounds like a pretty nice blow after watching the Orioles beat up the big-league club with the Yankees looming next.

Tacoma Rainiers

24-21, second in PCL West

After being on the road for a while, the Rainiers are back for a lengthy homestand. They kicked it off this week against Salt Lake, the Angels affiliate, splitting the series against the Bees. The Rainiers got big-league reinforcements in the way of both players reassigned to the level and rehabbing big leaguers. Emerson Hancock opened the series and got off to a bumpy start, walking the bases full in the first before getting himself out of the jam and going on to post six solid scoreless innings, allowing no extra-base hits. Unfortunately, the bullpen almost spoiled Hancock’s gem, allowing five runs to score in the final three innings; thankfully, Tacoma built insurance runs in the back half of the game as well and were able to weather an 8-5 win. Rehabbing big-leaguers J.P. Crawford and Dominic Canzone each contributed a hit in the win; Jonatan Clase and Michael Chavis each doubled.

RHP Levi Stoudt had the bulk for Game 2 of the series, also a win, giving up three runs over 5.1 innings. RHP Collin Snider, who’s been pitching with the Rainiers since coming off the IL with a knee contusion, worked two innings as an opener for that game, giving up a run on two hits. Snider is currently on the temporarily inactive list (often utilized when a player has a personal matter to attend to), but he’s one to watch for when the Mariners inevitably need bullpen reinforcements; he has 14 strikeouts in 10 innings of work.

Tacoma lost the next two games of that series before winning the next. Emerson Hancock did everything he could to help deliver the win in the series finale, giving up just two runs over six innings and striking out seven, but the bullpen couldn’t hold the line in the tenth inning. The Rainiers were also absent Jonatan Clase for those final two games, pulled to join the taxi squad while the team decides whether or not Jorge Polanco will go on the IL.

Hot hitter alert: This is going to feel like I’m copying Max’s homework, but Michael Chavis had another solid week. Chavis has been flirting with hitting .300 over May; he had hits in four of five games this series, including two doubles. He also continues to impress with the glove at the hot corner, and it’s a wonder Perry Hill hasn’t already gone to Tacoma with a large canvas sack marked “For Kidnapping” and hauled Chavis and his sterling glove back to Seattle.

Next up: Tacoma stays at home, welcoming in the Las Vegas Aviators for the week.

Arkansas Travelers

21-17, second in Texas League North

The Travelers swapped their normal identity for the “Mad Mallards” this week with...so-so results, splitting a series with their in-state rivals, the NW Arkansas Naturals. Cole Young continues to adjust to the level, collecting half his hits for the month of May in this one series, including a three-hit effort including the walkoff winner in the opener, an extra-innings win started by LHP Reid VanScoter. Tyler Locklear helped the team to victory in that opener as well with a tie-breaking three-run home run, and Alberto Rodríguez had a four-hit day. Berto kicked in another two hits the next day, but it wasn’t enough as the Travs failed to score even one run, spoiling a fine effort from RHP Juan Mercedes, who gave up just two runs in five inning, and RHP Garrett Davila, who went two scoreless with four strikeouts.

The Travs pulled off an extra-innings win in a bullpen game for Game Three, propelled by a walkoff home run by Spencer Packard. Packard earns this week’s “hot hitter” award for Arkansas; he had a hit in all but one game of this series, and made up for that one game with a two-hit effort in the game he walked off.

Arkansa dropped Game Four, failing to score a run and spoiling a solid effort from RHP Logan Evans, who gave up two runs over 5.2 innings with just two runs allowed and six strikeouts. A three-hit day, including two home runs, by Spencer Packard helped the Travs cruise to a win in Game Five, but they dropped Sunday’s series finale; Harry Ford had a four-hit game in the losing effort.

Next up: The Travs, uh, travel to Corpus Christi to face the Astros-affiliated Hooks, currently at the bottom of the Texas League.

Everett AquaSox

17-21, last in the Northwest League

The Frogs actually had a solid week, winning their series against the Eugene Emeralds. They opened with an extra-innings win thanks to a walkoff double off the bat of slugger Gabriel Moncada. It was a bright spot for Moncada, who has been struggling to get the bat going in May, recording just five hits for the month. The AquaSox pulled off another walkoff win in Game 2, this time with Jared Sundstrom delivering the walk-off double. After dropping a one-run decision of their own in Game 3, the Frogs rebounded for a win in Game 4, spurred by a huge day from OF Victor Labrada—a single, double, and home run, and three stolen bases from the Cuban speedster. Labrada’s pro career has stalled out as he’s struggled to make more powerful contact, something he seems intent on doing this season.

Hot hitter alert:

2B Brock Rodden is making a strong case for a promotion to Double-A. He had hits in all but one game this series, and all but one of those were multi-hit games, including a three-hit effort in Saturday’s big win where he was a homer from the cycle.

Promotion alert: 2023 16th-rounder 3B Caleb Cali has been assigned to Everett after crushing down at Modesto. He’s yet to record a hit at the level, but hopefully we’ll be bringing you that update next week.

Pitching performance of the week:

RHP Michael Morales spun a gem in Game 5, going six innings and allowing no runs on just four hits, striking out a career-high 10 batters. The AquaSox offense backed him up with a strong offensive performance as Everett cruised to a 10-5 win.

Next up: The Frogs welcome in the Tri-City Dust Devils for another fun homestand at Funko Field.

Modesto Nuts

24-13, first in California League North

The Nuts continue to lord the Cal League, but their dominance is threatened by a consistently-good Fresno team, especially after Modesto dropped five straight games in a row—an almost unheard-of feat for this team. The Nuts opened strong with a win backed by Will Schomberg, who’s been the ace of Modesto’s staff. But things went south fast after that; the Nuts got blown out, 16-5, in Game 2, and then lost a closer game, 7-5, the next day, with RHP Ashton Izzi getting touched up for five runs over 4.1 innings; both he and RHP Michael Limoncelli walked more (4) than they struck out (1). Meanwhile, the Nuts hitters struck out 12 times, doing an unfortunate impression of their big-league counterparts. Things didn’t get better in Game 3, when the bullpen and offense spoiled a solid start from RHP Brady Hopkins that earns Pitching Performance of the Week awards: Hopkins struck out six over six innings, walking just one and only allowing two runs.

In that game, Nuts hitters struck out 12 times and only mustered two runs despite a three-hit day from INF Milkar Perez. They were equally feckless in a 12-1 loss the next night despite a two-hit effort from OF Lazaro Montes, who continues to hit well: Montes had a hit in every game this series, with two three-hit games, earning him Hot Hitter of the Week honors. We Love Laz:

Up next: After dropping the finale of the series, spoiling a solid effort from Schomberg, who struck out seven and gave up no runs over four innings, the Nuts will take a day to lick their wounds and try to bounce back on the road against a very good Rancho Cucamonga team.

ACL Mariners:

8-3, first in ACL - West

The buzz is that top prospect Felnin Celesten is going to be promoted any day now, so if you’re an Arizona-based reader, go see him on the backfields while you can; otherwise, rejoice, because soon you’ll get to see one of the most exciting prospects in the system on a nightly basis, as long as you have an MiLB TV subscription (a great value! A very fun thing to have on days when the big-league team lays an egg!). The Baby Mariners—who have their own Baby Trident—own the best record in the entire ACL, thanks largely to the contributions from Celesten, who hit in every game he played in this week. Also tearing it up: OF Carlos Jímenez, playing stateside for the first time. Pitching-wise, top prospect Jeter Martinez improved on his performance from last week, again going three innings but this time allowing no runs on no hits while striking out seven and walking just one.