Mariners Minor League Wrap Up – Week of 8/15 to 8/21

The rookie leagues fast arppoach the close of their seasons, while most of the system’s teams are just playing out the string and even shutting down top prospects for the year. Aren’t you excited? More below the jump!

Dominican Summer League (Rk)

8/15: Brewers 2, Mariners 1
8/15: Brewers 2, Mariners 1
8/16: Rays 6, Mariners 3
8/17: Athletics 4, Mariners 3
8/18: Mariners 7, Brewers 3
8/19: Mariners 8, Cardinals 2
8/19: Cancelled due to rain.
8/20: Mariners 4, Athletics 3
8/21: Off.

3 wins, 3 losses, 45-24 overall (1st of 4 in Santo Domingo North division).
Off: 4.74 R/G (13th of 33)… Def: 4.00 R/G (6th of 33)

Hitter of the Week
Janelfry Zorrilla: 6-26, 3 doubles, HR, 8 RBI, 5 K

Notable pitching
Ivan Julio: 6.2 IP, 2 H, (2 R), 3 BB, 8 K on 8/15
Jose Torres: 7 IP (shortened CG), 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K on 8/19

Top hitters (League Line 236/339/322):
CF Janelfry Zorrilla (20): 321/405/594 in 263 PA, 13 SB (5 CS)
1B Axel Wel (20): 267/349/444 in 212 PA
3B George Soto (21): 232/345/376 in 221 PA

Top pitchers (League ERA 3.59):
Wander Marte (SP, 19): 38.1 IP, 1 HR, 15 BB, 49 K, 2.10 FIP
Domingo Brazoban (RP, 21): 54.2 IP, 3 HR, 12 BB, 37 K, 3.26 FIP
Jose Torres (SP, 17): 75.1 IP, 2 HR, 26 BB, 42 K, 3.70 FIP

DSL Mariners pitching is close to the bottom of the large summer league in home runs allowed (26, 3rd most) and pitching strikeouts (438, 3rd least). They do, however, have the fewest balks with one across the board.

The DSLMs capped off an 8/15 doubleheader in anti-grand fashion: They got no hit by 20 year old DSL Brewers pitcher Juan Francisco. In a doubleheader shortened 7 inning game, Juan Fran scattered six walks and an unearned run while striking out two and getting only four groundouts to seven flyouts while stranding five runners in scoring position. Dock Ellis and Edwin Jackson think that no hitter was sloppy.

The DSL regular season has concluded, and having fended off the DSL Brewers for the Santo Domingo North Division title the DSLMs have amde the six team DSL playoffs and will face the DSL Cubs #2 squad in a three game series. As the top DSL team not to win a division the DSL Brewers earned a wildcard slot and a three game series with the DSL Orioles. If the DSLMs succeed they will likely play into the weekend, but historically the DSLMs, while they frequent

Arizona Summer League (Rk)

8/15: Mariners 8, Padres 4
8/16: Dodgers 6, Mariners 5
8/17: Off.
8/18: Mariners 5, Cubs 4
8/19: Rangers 4, Mariners 3
8/20: Mariners 4, Rangers 3
8/21: Mariners 6, Cubs 5

4 wins, 2 losses, 24-26 overall (2nd of 4 AZL West, 8.5 GB).
Off: 5.24 R/G (10th of 13)… Def: 6.28 R/G (11th of 13)

Hitter of the Week
Felipe Burin: 10-28, 3 doubles, 4 RBI, 6 K, 11 game hitting streak

Notable pitching
Trevor Miller: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K on 8/18
Richard White: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K on 8/20

Top hitters (League Line 274/350/406):
LF Phillips Castillo: (17) 312/384/500 in 177 PA
2B Felipe Burin (19): 331/397/417 in 157 PA
1B Chris Andreas (23): 336/398/414 in 128 PA

Top pitchers (League ERA 4.72):
Trevor Miller (SP, 20): 49.2 IP, 2 HR, 12 BB, 36 K, 4.31 FIP
Gabe Saquilon (RP, 18): 20.2 IP, 0 HR, 9 BB, 17 K, 4.05 FIP
Yunior De Jesus (RP, 22): 23.0 IP, 1 HR, 5 BB, 16 K, 4.35 FIP

This may not be much of a team but they scrapped their way to a winning week that now gets them in striking distance of a .500 season with one week left despite some relatively poor AZL numbers across the board.

Despite his strong numbers, note that Phillips Castillo has 57 strikeouts, going down on strikes in 32.2% of his plate appearances. To wit, fellow teenager Jose Martinez (18) has a similar 53 whiffs in 179 PAs and is hitting 271/309/361… in a hitter’s paradise. Castillo’s BABIP is a ridiculous .495… he is not yet what his numbers indicate.

Pulaski Mariners (Rk+)

8/15: Off.
8/16: Pulaski 4, Greeneville 3
8/17: Pulaski 13, Greeneville 1
8/18: Greeneville 4, Pulaski 3
8/19: Bluefield 5, Pulaski 3
8/20: Bluefield 13, Pulaski 6
8/21: Bluefield 9, Pulaski 2

2 wins, 4 losses, 26-33 overall (4th of 5 in App East division, 10 GB).
Off: 4.47 R/G (10th of 10)… Def: 5.36 R/G (7th of 10)

Hitter of the Week
Guillermo Pimentel: 9-26, 2 doubles, HR, 7 RBI, 6 K, SB

Notable pitching
Dylan Unsworth: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K on 8/17
Reynaldo Sabala: 3 relief IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K on 8/19

Top hitters (League Line 261/334/404):
CF Jamal Austin: 356/418/403 in 219 PA, 19 SB (8 CS)
2B Daniel Paolini: 272/364/455 in 220 PA
OF Efrain Nuñez: 291/362/512 in 143 PA

Top pitchers (League ERA 4.35):
Angel Raga (RP, 21): 40.0 IP, 4 HR, 8 BB, 42 K, 3.63 FIP
Dylan Unsworth (SP, 18): 51.0 IP, 5 HR, 10 BB, 41 K, 4.07 FIP
Mayckol Guaipe (SP, 20): 52.0 IP, 2 HR, 18 BB, 40 K, 4.28 FIP

For a couple of days (albeit against the woebegone Astros Advanced Rookie affiliate) the PMs looked like last year’s App League powerhouse. But the pitching once again fell to pieces as the GAstros and Blue(field) Jays took advantage. The offense has looked marginally better as the PMs hit the home stretch of a so-so season, but the pitching has remained mostly mediocre.

One notable exception out of the bullpen is Benjamin Cornwell. The 22 year old Georgia alum has rung up 22.1 strong innings (8 BB, 24 K, 3.02 FIP) after cutting down on an early walk problem. This week he had a pair of strong 3 inning relief outings, allowing only 3 hits while striking out 8.

On the flip side, Jamal Austin has cooled like a corpse after a hot start that saw him hit .400 over his first professional month. Austin is 254/273/302 during August and has only one extra base hit since 8/7.

Everett Aquasox (Short Season A)

8/15: Everett 7, Eugene 1
8/16: Everett 5, Eugene 0
8/17: Eugene 8, Everett 3
8/18: Everett 3, Vancouver 2
8/19: Everett 4, Vancouver 3
8/20: Vancouver 13, Everett 9
8/21: Everett 8, Eugene 2

5 wins, 2 losses, 33-31 overall (3rd of 4 in NWL West, 5 GB).
Off: 5.03 R/G (5th of 8)… Def: 4.86 R/G (4th of 8)

Hitter of the Week
Jabari Blash: 6-23, 2 doubles, HR, 8 RBI, 3 BB, 7 K, SB

Notable pitching
Jordan Pries: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K on 8/15
Jose Campos: 6 IP, 5 H, (2 R), 1 BB, 7 K on 8/19
Jordan Pries: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K on 8/21

Top hitters (League Line 256/334/372):
OF Jabari Blash (21): 282/389/584 in 175 PA
OF Mario Yepez (23): 332/377/409 in 232 PA
OF James Wood (23): 264/324/463 in 222 PA

Top pitchers (League ERA 4.09):
Jose Campos (SP, 18): 68.1 IP, 3 HR, 10 BB, 70 K, 2.76 FIP
Stephen Landazuri (SP, 19): 61.1 IP, 4 HR, 24 BB, 59 K, 4.02 FIP
Kyle Hunter (RP, 22): 15.1 IP, 0 HR, 3 BB, 19 K, 1.71 FIP

A hot week gets the Aquasox over .500 and within possible (though not likely) reach of a division title. But a winning season is easily possible, as Everett closes the season with two long interdivision series against so-so Spokane and lowly Yakima.

The hitting wasn’t so much hot as it was timely. Jabari Blash was the highlight despite hitting closer to .250 thanks to a few well timed extra base blasts. He had gone quiet for a couple weeks but remains one of the better Everett bats. Given his struggles earlier this season in Clinton and the recent cooling of his bat I’m not currently as high on him as others are. But he’s got some promise.

The pitching’s been strong as of late. Jose Campos has looked so good that the AquaSox are taking a page from the Mariners’ King’s Court and rolling out their Campos Court promotion for Jose’s 8/25 start.

Though he’s not top three, 21 year old Jordan Pries (this year’s 30th round pick out of Stanford) has looked strong since slotting into the rotation. Yes, he has given up four home runs in only 38.2 IP, but he’s managed at least the minimum five frames in each of his first four starts and his four run five inning rotation debut on 8/3 was the only unpleasant line he’s had in the rotation. He also has 41 K against only 11 BB.

Clinton Lumber Kings (A)

8/15: Clinton 9, Peoria 5
8/16: Off.
8/17: Quad Cities 12, Clinton 10
8/18: Clinton 7, Quad Cities 5
8/19: Clinton 5, Quad Cities 2
8/20: Kane County 7, Clinton 1
8/21: Clinton 7, Kane County 1

4 wins, 2 losses, 30-25 in 2nd half (3rd in MWL West, 2 GB), 54-71 overall.
Off: 3.90 R/G (15th of 16)… Def: 4.41 R/G (10th of 16)

Hitters of the Week
Stefen Romero: 9-24, 3 doubles, HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K, hits in 10 of last 11 games
Kalian Sams: 8-20, 2 doubles, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 4 BB, 7 K

Notable pitching
Anthony Fernandez: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 10 K on 8/19

Top hitters (League Line 249/323/371):
IF Stefen Romero (22): 275/339/468 in 429 PA, 14 SB (8 CS)
RF Kalian Sams (24): 238/304/452 in 313 PA, 25 SB (4 CS)
OF Kevin Rivers (22): 255/340/421 in 286 PA

Top pitchers (League ERA 3.78):
Taijuan Walker (SP, 18): 96.2 IP, 4 HR, 39 BB, 113 K, 2.84 FIP
Anthony Fernandez (SP, 21): 112.2 IP, 4 HR, 39 BB, 91 K, 3.27 FIP
Tyler Burgoon (RP, 22): 56.1 IP, 1 HR, 15 BB, 57 K, 2.39 FIP

Carter Capps made his pro debut on 8/15 and showed promise but had a rough go, just missing the minimum five against Peoria (4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K). His next outing went better, albeit against the only team with a worse offense than Clinton in Kane County. Capps went the minimum five: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. Not bad for a rusty draftee coming off a long negotiation period.

On the flip side, the Mariners have shut down Taijuan Walker for the year, taking him off the active roster with 96.2 IP in the books. There’s no ill signs from Taijuan: The M’s are just taking it easy with the (now) 19 year old’s workload.

High Desert Mavericks (A+)

8/15: Inland Empire 7, High Desert 2
8/16: Inland Empire 7, High Desert 1
8/16: High Desert 7, Inland Empire 5
8/17: High Desert 12, Inland Empire 9
8/18: Off.
8/19: San Jose 5, High Desert 1
8/20: High Desert 2, San Jose 0
8/21: San Jose 4, High Desert 3

3 wins, 4 losses, 20-35 in 2nd half (4th in CAL South, 10.5 GB), 52-73 overall.
Off: 5.54 R/G (5th of 10)… Def: 6.98 R/G (10th of 10)

Hitters of the Week
Denny Almonte: 7-23, 2 doubles, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 7 K, SB (3 CS)
Mario Martinez: 6-24, double, HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 7 K, SB

Notable pitching
Taylor Stanton: 8 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K on 8/21

Top hitters (League Line 276/349/428):
1B Dennis Raben (23): 330/387/599 in 347 PA
LF Daniel Carroll (22): 289/400/442 in 532 PA, 54 SB (13 CS)
CF Denny Almonte (22): 273/303/481 in 486 PA, 16 SB (11 CS)

Top pitchers (League ERA 4.87):
Chris Sorce (SP, 23): 146.1 IP, 16 HR, 37 BB, 91 K, 4.98 FIP
Austin Hudson (RP, 23): 65.2 IP, 2 HR, 25 BB, 46 K, 4.44 FIP
Taylor Stanton (SP, 23): 45.2 IP, 5 HR, 9 BB, 35 K, 4.56 FIP

One note as the Mavs play out the string is Taylor Stanton’s deep work into games. Along with his eight inning gem on Sunday (that the bullpen gave away in the 9th), Stanton went the distance in a seven run loss, facing all 30 batters in the doubleheader shortened 7-1 loss to Inland Empire on 8/16 (7 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 7 K). He also went seven strong in the start previous, an 8/11 win over Stockton (7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K). Prior to that he hadn’t gone past 5.1 IP in any of his High Desert starts.

The key, aside from stubborn patient from manager Jose Moreno? Walks, or lack thereof. His 1.8 BB/9 is 2nd lowest on the team behind hittable reliever Timothy Boyce. His 6.9 K/9 is pedestrian and he has allowed 5 HR in 45.2 IP, but the lack of walks shows a willingness to pound the strike zone, results be damned. If he survives High Desert unscathed, the Mariners could have a promising low-rent prospect in Taylor Stanton.

Jackson Generals (AA)

8/15: Huntsville 1, Jackson 0
8/16: Tennessee 11, Jackson 6
8/17: Tennessee 8, Jackson 6
8/18: Tennessee 4, Jackson 1
8/19: Tennessee 3, Jackson 2
8/20: Tennessee 7, Jackson 4
8/21: Mobile 3, Jackson 2

0 wins, 7 losses, 23-33 (4th of 5 in SOU North, 11.5 GB), 61-65 overall.
Off: 4.44 R/G (7th of 10)… Def: 4.77 R/G (7th of 10)

Hitters of the Week
Vincent Catricala: 9-24, 2 doubles, triple, 2 RBI, 4 BB, 7 K, SB
Scott Savastano: 6-21, double, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K
Gabriel Noriega: 6-27, double, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K

Notable pitching
Andrew Carraway: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K on 8/15

Top hitters (League Line 264/339/400):
UT Vincent Catricala (22): 356/431/596 in 216 PA
2B Scott Savastano (25): 292/362/462 in 375 PA
LF Jake Shaffer (23): 282/325/435 in 465 PA

Top pitchers (League ERA 4.12):
Andrew Carraway (SP, 24): 126.2 IP, 8 HR, 22 BB, 94 K, 3.38 FIP
James Paxton (SP, 22): 39.0 IP, 2 HR, 13 BB, 51 K, 2.44 FIP
Stephen Pryor (RP, 21): 18.0 IP, 0 HR, 7 BB, 23 K, 1.92 FIP

Congratulations on getting swept this week, Jackson. This week of finding different ways to lose firmly planted the Generals below .500 and illustrated the talent drain at the AA level. One problem: hacking. The generals struck out 54 times in their 7 games (7.7 per 9), which over a full season to date would put them at 3rd most in the league, and they did not strike out fewer than 6 times as a team in any of their seven losses. Fortunately even after their strikeout binge their total is a more average 912 (7.2), 5th out of 10 Southern League teams.

Like Taijuan Walker, and as you’ve probably heard by now, James Paxton was also shut down for the year to limit his workload. His 95 IP between Clinton and Jackson in 2011 doesn’t seem like much, but note that prior to signing this spring he had only thrown 17.2 IP in four starts last year with the Grand Prairie AirHogs of the independent American Association (he refused to sign with Toronto when they drafted him in the 1st round of the 2009 draft) so he has some durability to rebuild.

Tacoma Rainiers (AAA)

8/15: Tacoma 3, Iowa 2
8/16: Omaha 3, Tacoma 2
8/17: Omaha 4, Tacoma 2
8/18: Omaha 7, Tacoma 4
8/19: Omaha 3, Tacoma 1
8/20: Reno 8, Tacoma 7
8/21: Reno 4, Tacoma 2

1 win, 6 losses, 63-66 overall (2nd of 4 in PCL Pacific North, 7.5 GB).
Off: 6.26 R/G (3rd of 16)… Def: 5.91 R/G (11th of 16)

Hitters of the Week
Michael Saunders: 10-27, double, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 7 K, SB (CS)
Mike Wilson: 10-29, 2 doubles, BB, 11 K
Greg Halman: 9-27, 2 doubles, 4 BB, 9 K, 2 SB (CS)

Notable pitching
Nate Robertson: 9 IP (CG), 3 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 4 K on 8/15
Anthony Vasquez: 7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K on 8/16
Forrest Snow: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K on 8/17
Steve Delabar: 9 batters faced, 4 hits allowed, 5 K on 8/18
Jarrett Grube: 7 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K on 8/19

Top hitters (League Line 286/359/450):
RF Mike Wilson (28): 327/410/548 in 324 PA
3B Alex Liddi (22): 256/330/494 in 568 PA
1B Johan Limonta (27): 322/382/470 in 397 PA

Top pitchers (League ERA 5.15):
Cesar Jimenez (RP, 26): 67.2 IP, 3 HR, 34 BB, 77 K, 3.59 FIP
Scott Patterson (RP, 32): 39.1 IP, 4 HR, 6 BB, 47 K, 3.17 FIP
Chris Seddon (SP, 27): 131.2 IP, 20 HR, 61 BB, 104 K, 5.62 FIP

Notice all those great pitching performances? Notice that 1 win and 6 losses on the week? Yeah, stop me if this sounds familiar: The staff pitched mostly well, but the team had trouble scoring runs, and the bullpen had meltdown problems. Add in a small handful of bad starting performances, and you have a recipe for losing.

Mike Wilson and Michael Saunders had hot weeks but only of the unsustainable BABIP variety, as nearly all of their hitting output came from singles. Also, the top hitters this week generated a fair share of wind power, which given Puget Sound’s commitment to renewable energy might warrant further investigation. Michael Saunders may have a future in Seattle yet!

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That is all for this week! Until next Monday….