2025 Mariners Minor League Recap, April 21 - April 27

Is Locklear knocking down the door?

It was another busy week down on the farm for the Mariner affiliates. Let’s kick things off with a Rainiers team that’s showing some serious promise.

Tacoma Rainiers

11-16

If you’re curious on how Tyler Locklear is doing, I have great new for you. After a fantastic week that saw him go 10-24 with six doubles, Locklear has moved himself ever so close to Seattle. One great week against Triple-A competition isn’t necessarily reason for promotion, however to see Locklear find this much success is a welcome sight. His combination of slug and plate discipline while maintaining a healthy amount of bat-to-ball is something I’m sure the organization is looking for and is a sign of fantastic things to come. Assuming he’s able to keep this trend up, Locklear is all but assured to find his way on to the big league roster at some point in the near future.

Matt Brash is en route! Collecting his fifth appearance for Triple-A Tacoma, Brash has been working to rehab his elbow after TJ surgery this past year. The numbers haven’t been overwhelming, however it’s easy to see how electric his stuff has been in his limited time on the bump. I’d imagine he makes his way to the big league club in the next week or so, however I wouldn’t expect him to jump into late inning duties immediately. His stuff is as nasty as ever, but it will take time for him to fully find his command against big league opponents. He’s sure to provide a huge boost to this bullpen, but don’t be shocked if he hits a few road bumps on his way to regaining his elite status in the backend of the ‘pen.

Arkansas Travelers

14-7

A split ain’t half bad! Drawing this week’s bout against Midland, the Travs managed to hold on to first place in the division and continue to prove their winning ways have no correlation to the national prospect rankings. It’s largely a group of players who have yet to consistently prove themselves at the professional level, yet it’s hard to argue with their performance thus far. I’m rooting hard for this group of guys to put it all together and make the most out of a Seattle development program that’s found recent success with profiles similar to the bulk of the Arkansas roster.

Garrett Hill has well deserved a shoutout after his excellent start to the season. Pitching to a 1.02 ERA so far, Hill has been a stalwart for this Travs rotation and has provided much needed length for a team that lacks bonafide starters. A 29 year old career minor leaguer, Hill is looking to break through and prove himself as a big league contributor. I’d assume a Triple-A promotion is on the horizon, however if not, he’s sure to be a massive part of this Arkasnsas rotation.

Look out for Juan Burgos, y’all. Burgos is a name I’ve followed closely for the past several years and should be a legitimate big league arm in no time. The right hander is up to 98 with the fastball and his slider is at worst a big league pitch out of the bullpen. He’s flown under the radar for quite some time, however he’s assuredly one to monitor as a potential reliever for the big league squad. He’s yet to allow a run this year and has proved remarkably consistent throughout the course of his professional career.

Everett AquaSox

8-13

With a 3-3 draw this week, the Frogs are trending in the right direction after a rocky start to the season in the win column. Their talent is undeniable (and soon growing!), but to see some positive trends out of the bigger names on the squad is an excellent sight.

Jonny Farmelo is (almost) here! Our very own Kate Preusser is reporting that top prospect Jonny Farmelo is set to make his season debut in Everett this coming Tuesday after rehabbing a torn ACL. One of the highest ceiling prospects in the game, Farmelo possesses a rare combination of speed and power that has many evaluators bullish on his upside. Recovering from an injury of this nature is no joke, but we’re hopeful Farmelo is able to pick up right where he left off and dominate his next level of competition.

Colt Emerson hasn’t been quite the player we expected him to be early on this season, but he had a really solid week against Toronto’s affiliate that saw his collect eight knocks on the series. The power is yet to show up consistently, but his natural instincts at the plate are undeniable and his defense at shortstop has looked much improved from last season. Now a true above average defender at shortstop, Emerson has all the upside in the world and should prove to be a serious threat for the AquaSox moving forward.

Modesto Nuts

15-6

Still atop the California League North, the Nuts split with the Ports this week and continue to be a boatload of fun each and every night. They might not be getting it done with names the average fan is familiar with, but this squad continues to find themselves in the win column with regularity. With a loaded summer draft impending, look for the Nuts to continue their dominant ways throughout the rest of this season.

It may not come as a shock to those who have followed along closely this minor league season, but Felnin Celesten looks the part of a certified top prospect. Batting .343 on the year, Celesten has been barreling up baseballs and is quickly moving his way up the prospect ladder. I’d love to see a larger sample size of this success, but with as much pedigree as he has in the prospect world, I’m not sure how much he’ll need to prove before he’s a top three prospect organizationally. Don’t be shocked if he’s among the “untouchables” come this year’s trade deadline.

Big shout out to last year’s 18th rounder Matt Tiberia. We at LL weren’t able to give him his deserved flowers due to a serious dearth of information online surrounding the right hander out of Lynn, Florida, however he’s been absolute nails thus far. With a 2.00 ERA and projectable frame, he’s one to keep an eye out for the remainder of this season.

That wraps up this week’s recap. GOMS!