2025 Mariners Minor League Recap, May 26 - June 1

Sir Harry stays hot

Welcome back to our weekly Seattle Mariners minor league recap. We’ve already seen the promotion of top prospect Cole Young this week and there’s plenty more that needs covering. Let’s kick it down to Tacoma as they enjoy their best week in years.

Tacoma Rainiers

27-30

It’s a sweep! Despite losing perhaps their hottest hitter in Cole Young to the majors, the Rainiers were able to lock down their first six game sweep in a series since 2021 over the Salt Lake Bees. The Rainiers haven’t fully clicked this season, however with Harry Ford swinging a scorching hot bat and the rest of the team starting to chip in, there’s enough talent on this roster to get in the win column far more often. Maybe not this half, but a second half push for a playoff spot is certainly on the table.

The aforementioned Sir Harry Ford has been utterly pummeling baseballs for the greater part of a month. Finishing May with a slashline of .411/.475/.644 (!!!!) on the month is an unbelievable run to be on, however he’s really shown no sign of slowing down. With his absence from the lineup in Sunday’s game the conjecture of a promotion has been swirling, and I have to say it’s not unwarranted. I’m not sure exactly how it would look unless they were to IL someone and essentially make Garver an overpaid bench bat, however it wouldn’t necessarily shock me if they went for it and just gave him AB’s because they think he’s one of the best ~10ish hitters in the organization. Getting to the power has always been the key for Ford’s outlook and he’s found it during this stretch. It’s pretty remarkable to see how good of a player he can be when everything clicks. Still just 22 years old until next February, this might be the brightest Ford’s future has ever looked in the Seattle organization.

The unfortunate other side of the coin in prospect land is the Tyler Locklear situation. Despite his nice week in Salt Lake (7-19 with a homer. Encouraging!), Locklear has been objectively worse than last year’s frustrating season in Triple-A. I don’t think the team is ready to give up on him (nor should they), however the reality of the situation is he’s not an option to take over at first base in the major leagues. I’m rooting for him to turn things around and get back to his former self as he’s one of my favorite hitters to watch when he’s going right, but he’ll need to prove he’s made an adjustment before he’s in consideration for the big leagues. I’m officially tabling that conversation until further notice.

Arkansas Travelers

26-25

The Travs dropped the series this week to their in-state rivals of NW Arkansas but still find themselves in second place within their division. It’s been tough going for the Travs the past month and change, seemingly unable to capitalize on their blazing hot start, however they’re still within striking distance of securing a playoff spot due to the extreme parity in the Texas League North. They’ll have to fend off three other teams within a game of the top spot, but I say they’ve got as good of a shot as any. Why not the Travs?

It’s time for some Victor Labrada love in this series. I’ve been hesitant with Labrada as he is a bit older than the typical prospect and has been relatively streaky in his career, however his production in Arkansas is to the point where I cannot ignore it any longer. Now slashing .293/.416/.445 on the year with 21 bags in 49 games, Labrada is looking mighty comfortable in his second taste of Arkansas and is a promotion candidate once the expected mid-season promotion wave happens in the next month or two. I’m not exactly sure what Labrada is at the big league level, however if he gets to that point we’re talking about an absolute win. At worst, he’s interesting filler that could be a base stealing threat off the bench with some OBP skills. Definitely a good guy to have in the organization.

He’s been lost in the shuffle a bit, but Juan Burgos has fully emerged as an interesting relief prospect for the Mariners. He’s been good for several years now, however it’s been another level this season. With a 0.90 ERA on the season and a fastball that’s been up to 98, Burgos isn’t a huge strikeout guy but uses his cutter and slider combo to induce soft contact. There’s some inherent boost he’s getting from pitching in Arkansas instead of Funko Field, however he’s performed this well with lower K and GB rates than his career norms. Assuming everything balances out, we could see a truly special season from the young right hander.

Everett AquaSox

24-26

It was another split series for the Frogs this week, a fate they’ve fared an awful lot this season. While it’s not a bad outcome overall, with as much talent as they’ve got offensively, you’d like to see them win a few more games. Hopefully they’re able to push a few more of these losses into the win column and start collecting some series wins.

Though he only managed four hits on the week, two of Michael Arroyo’s knocks managed to get over the wall for homers, putting his season total at nine. Arroyo has been the steadiest producer at the plate over the past calendar month and looks like every bit of the player he was last season. There isn’t a bat I’m more confident in in this system currently, and even though he’s got some fairly considerable defensive limitation, I still consider him one of the premiere prospects within this organization. He’s that good.

The dark cloud(s) lingering over this team are starting to grow in number, with this week providing one potentially very scary development in the form of Jurrangelo Cijntje’s right arm. Exiting the game with “general soreness” after having a rocky start, Cijntje’s health becomes of utmost importance for his development. It sounds as though it was more precautionary than anything, however you hate to see this sort of thing happen in any capacity. In similar news, superstar Jonny Farmelo hasn’t seen the field in nearly a week and a half, something that isn’t exactly encouraging to see considering he’s coming off an ACL tear from last season. It could just be precautionary rest, however the longer he sits, the more I worry. Hopefully both he and Jurrangelo can get back to the field soon.

Modesto Nuts

31-20

The Nuts took on a tough Rancho Cucamonga team this week and managed a split to preserve their lead in the California League North division. They just keep getting things done. Even if it’s not a series win, they’re rarely dropping series regardless of who they’re playing. They’ve got a narrow division lead, but they’ve got a golden opportunity this week to put some separation between themselves and the second place Giants. Hopefully they can capitalize.

It’s a pitching only kind of day for the Nuts. Matt Tiberia has been miraculous for this Nuts rotation, providing a steady presence each and every start he makes. Now with a 2.21 ERA on the season, the slender right hander is running a 52.7% GB rate on the year and has routinely limited hard contact. Yet to allow a homer all season, Tiberia is looking like an 18th round revelation out of Division II Lynn University and may just be this season’s pitching lab success story.

Ryan Sloan doesn’t have the shiny ERA that a lot of top prospects might have, but I think you’d be hard pressed to find a 19 year old that’s got a brighter future on the mound than he does. Sloan’s been the victim of some Cal League nonsense and weird batted ball luck so his numbers aren’t immaculate, but I’ve been thoroughly impressed with what I’ve seen from him. His slider is absolutely wicked, the changeup has great shape and is improving with added reps, and obviously the fastball and it’s high octane velocity is going to play at any level. Between the arsenal, youth, and person, I’m all in on Ryan Sloan. He’ll be a top prospect in all of baseball in no time.

ACL Mariners

Teddy McGraw is pitching! McGaw has now logged six innings in the complex league on his rehab assignment and should be slated to join an affiliate relatively soon. I’d assume they send him to Everett given his age, however with how little he’s actually pitched, I’d say anything is on the table. Just stay healthy!!!

Chia Shi-Shen has been nasty for the Baby M’s this season and has emerged as a serious pitching prospect down on the farm. Shen has a projectable 6’3 frame and is hitting the mid-90’s with his fastball from the right side. A late signing in the 2024 class out of Taiwan, Shen is a name to know for the future.

It’s time to promote George Feliz. There’s nothing left to prove in the complex league. .329 average. .441 OBP. 1.059 OPS. Third go of the ACL overall. Just send him up to Modesto and see what he can do.

That concludes our weekly recap of the Mariners minor leagues! The DSL kicks off this week, marking the start of both Kendry Martinez and Yorger Bautista’s professional careers. GOMS!!