Mariners Minor League Recap, Week 22: September 2 - September 8

Tai Peete is cooking, Colt Emerson shines, and the Travelers clinch

The end of the minor league season is here! For both the Nuts and the AquaSox, regular season play has come to a close, but Modesto has earned their shot at the playoffs and both Arkansas and Tacoma have some more time left on their schedule. The future recaps might look a little lighter moving forward, but I’m hopeful the playoff runs can give me the opportunity to cover as much minor league baseball as possible. Let’s start with Tacoma, who’s in a bit of a precarious spot.

Tacoma Rainiers

33-30, 2nd in PCL West

Tacoma managed a split this week, but they’ll need to kick things into gear if they want to get themselves into the playoffs. With only a few weeks of season left and a 3.5 game deficit it isn’t looking amazing, but it’s also far from impossible. I’m choosing to keep the faith and hope for a late season push for the ages.

This was a tough week for most of the of key contributors to this lineup, but Dominic Canzone continues to rake in his stint down in Tacoma. He’s up to a 1.024 OPS in the minors this season and looks unstoppable at the plate right now. I’d have to figure he’ll be up in the majors relatively soon, but until then, let’s hope he keeps this up. The Rainiers are going to need all the help they can get.

Arkansas Travelers

39-24, 1st in Texas League North

What a way to close things out! Surging with a 5-1 series victory, the Travs managed to chase down the Springfield Cardinals and have grabbed the lead for the second half title. Clinching their playoff spot earlier this week with an insurmountable 8.5 game lead over third place, the Travs are playing some of their best ball and will look to make some noise in the playoffs. With as sound as their pitching is and bats that are hitting their stride, I’m certain that nobody wants to face this team right now.

Having collected a hit in every game this month, Harry Ford has been heating up the past few weeks and is looking much more like his old self. Ford has been lacking in the power department all season and has gotten people worried about his hitting profile at the next level, however I’m less concerned than most. Ford has continued to run excellent plate discipline numbers all year and the home ballpark he plays in most of his games is not conducive to his game. In fact, he’s been about 10% better on the road than he has at home. Considering he’s still tremendously young for the level and has managed 32 stolen bags as a primary catcher, I’m quite bullish on his outlook moving forward.

Perhaps the most slept on performer in the entire system, Juan Mercedes twirled a gem this week, punching out 10 batters across seven shutout innings. Mercedes lowered his season ERA to 2.86 and is absolutely in the conversation for minor league pitcher of the year in the Seattle system. It’s tricky to pick exactly who they’ll select for the award with how many tremendous seasons Mariner pitchers have had, but Mercedes has really flown under the radar this season and deserves some praise for his accomplishments. Whether Mercedes is the guy or not, it’s tough to argue it won’t be a current Traveler; Brandyn Garcia, Logan Evans, Michael Morales, and Mercedes are the four I would bet will be the finalists.

The Double-A playoffs don’t begin until next week, but the Travs still have a low stakes series against Northwest Arkansas before they can get to the exciting games. I wouldn’t be shocked if players get some lighter loads this week to get guys fully geared up for the impending playoff run. If someone’s out of the lineup or misses a start, I wouldn’t get overly concerned.

Everett AquaSox

32-34, 4th in Northwest League

The lone affiliate to not earn their way into the playoffs (I’m keeping the faith with Tacoma for now), Everett was marred by inconsistency all season, often blowing close games they probably should have won then blowing teams out the next night. There were certainly some sterling performers on this team (with many of them finding their way up to Arkansas throughout the season), but I’d like to think next season’s team will be much more formidable. Here’s to a better 2025.

After a tough introduction to Hi-A, Colt Emerson started going good right as the Frogs’ season was shutting down. In his final seven games, Emerson hit .364 with an .855 OPS and brought his strikeouts back down to solid levels. I’m curious to see where his walk rate settles in his future seasons, but I’d be willing to bet it’ll be pretty darn high. The young shortstop has evolved into the club’s consensus top prospect and will look to prove his lofty rise right next season.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve pondered what next year’s Everett roster could look like. As one of the better options for seeing relevant prospects in the PNW, the 2025 AquaSox should be eerily similar to the 2023 Modesto Nuts team and will be jam packed with prospect pedigree for the prospect lovers to get out and see. Colt Emerson will assuredly start in Everett again, Jonny Farmelo should be recovered from his injury, and Tai Peete has earned a shot at the next level. I’m confident Lazaro will get more run in Everett, but Arroyo seems likely to be heading to Arkansas to start next season. A handful of the recent draftees will join Everett’s pitching staff and I wouldn’t be shocked if Jurrangelo Cijntje got the call later on in the season. The season just ended, but it’s hard not to get excited about the next wave of prospects being so close to the majority of fans. If you can, get out and watch these guys live!

Modesto Nuts

32-34, 2nd in California League North

Modesto starts their playoff run on Tuesday, taking on an imposing San Jose team that took the second half title on the backs of some big time prospects. While the second half has been somewhat of a struggle for Modesto, they did manage to take five of six against the lowly Stockton Ports and perhaps can build off this success against a much stronger opponent. It’s a best-of-three bout so the format definitely favors Modesto, but San Jose is no joke. I’ll be rooting for them hard the next few days, hopefully willing them across the finish line for a second straight championship.

If they want to have a shot at making this playoff run meaningful, they’ll have to do it on the back of one Tai Peete, who’s looking like he’s putting some things together and playing some fantastic baseball right now. Peete closed out the month with a .346/.414/.538 slash, all while adjusting to a new position in the outfield. The speed is real, the defensive tools are there, and the power continues to show up more in games. 45/50 stolen bases doesn’t just happen on it’s own. It’s a fringy hit tool right now, but his athleticism provides hope of the bat-to-ball showing up more consistently in the future.

I’ve got no clue who will take the ball on the mound for the Nuts for game one, but I’d expect Ashton Izzi to get the ball for game two. He’s had a remarkable year and looks like one of the bigger success stories on the mound this season. The strikeouts never really showed up for him, but he navigated games exceptionally well and has been Modesto’s best arm all season. He and his 2.85 ERA will be getting the call up to Everett to start next season.

That conclude the round up this week. We’ve got playoffs starting this week, so try to tune into the Nuts games if you’ve got the time. GOMS!!