Within the Mariners’ organization, 2008 has proven to be a bit more interesting down on the farm than with the parent club. As Seattle wallows several games below .500 three and a half weeks in, several minor league youngsters have gotten off to strong springs. Only time will tell the difference between a true blooming and a simple hot streak, but that shouldn’t take away from their accomplishments thus far. Considering the M’s woes, the development of a brighter future just makes their toiling that much more exciting. Here are the updates through April.

Jeff Clement

What more could you want from his bat so far? (Are you listening Bill?) With just under 100 PA’s, he’s hitting .397 with 13 XBH (including 5 homers) and a ludicrous 12:22 K:BB ratio, resulting in an OBP well over .500. If he was “knocking on the door” last year, he’s premeditating arson this year and with Johjima officially here to stay, no one’s caring as much about Clement’s glove anymore. With the offense in Seattle such a blatant liability, it’s safe to say Vidro’s days are even less than numbered.

Ryan Feierabend

This is most likely a case of a player mastering a level. Though he’s just 22, he’s already accumulated extensive major league experience while starting his 2nd straight season in Tacoma. Still, he’s put up stellar numbers in the slugger-packed PCL, with a 1.80 ERA and a 19:8 K:BB ratio through 4 starts and 25 innings. Expect his BAA to rise from the .213 mark it’s at currently, but all in all he’s rounding out into a solid lefty and is likely to be trade bait on the off-chance the Mariners are still sticking around in July.

Michael Saunders

He may be even better than most of us thought. The 21-year-old center fielder got off to a slow, o-fer 4-game start but has since exploded to push his average to .306 with 10 XBH in 85 AB’s while leading off for West Tennessee. What’s more, he’s drawing plenty of walks (OBP just over .400), something rarely seen in young hitters, while adding 5 steals. His profile is starting to look a lot like that of Grady Sizemore, but while he won’t quite hit for as much power or steal as many bases, he’s showing the consistent ability to hit for average in spite of his strikeout totals, something with which he still has plenty of time to improve.

Luis Valbuena

Where did this come from all of a sudden? Valbuena’s always been known for solid defense and an excellent batting eye, but for the first time in his career he’s putting it all together at the plate, hitting for average (.338) and power (4 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR) as a second baseman while retaining his patient approach (13 BB in 78 PA’s). It could just be that he’s more comfortable with the level, repeating AA after spending all of 2007 with West Tennessee, but keep in mind that Valbuena is only 22, still well below the age of most players there. If he can sustain even a fraction of this newfound power, he’ll jump ahead of Chen and maybe even challenge Lopez later this year should Lopez falter again.

Doug Fister

Age-wise, he’s pretty much on par, maybe even a little older having turned 24 in February. Still, he’s getting whiffs and keeping the ball under strict control this April, sporting a tidy 1.52 ERA through 5 starts. His 24:5 K:BB ratio is nothing short of genius, as is his 0.84 WHIP. Much like Feierabend, he’s repeating at West Tennessee, so it’s likely he’s just outgrowing his level, but certain indicators have him potentially bringing much of his success with him to Tacoma. He’s 6′8”, still filling out his frame and appears to have come up with an excellent plan on the mound: going after hitters and keeping the ball down. Case and point, his ground out to fly out ratio is a solid 1.5, and he’s given up just one home run this year after allowing 14 in 131.0 IP in 2007.

Carlos Peguero

He’s done prrrreetty much what we all expected. Playing in the hitter’s paradise we call High Desert, the 21-year-old has increased his hitting considerably, batting over .300 and slugging .536 going into Monday. The numbers are probably inflated, as he still strikes out far too often (30 K’s) while not showing enough patience (3 BB’s). He’s hardly in a do-or-die situation, but you’d hope that after a couple seasons of witnessing the same problem that the coaching staff would be on him enough to improve, even a little. Still, he’s hitting for power, swiping a base here and there and has been, at the least, the most consistent young Maverick hitter so far, Carlos Triunfel included.

Kyle Parker

Even being a bit old for the level, this one’s still a major surprise. The just-turned 23-year-old righty has absolutely dominated the California League to the tune of a 2.12 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, and a 32:8 K:BB ratio over just 29.2 IP. Robert Rohrbaugh was called to AA in 2006 very quickly after a similar mastery, so expect Parker to follow more or less the same time-frame should he keep it up another month, the difference being that Parker actually has better stuff in support of his development.

Juan Ramirez

A 3.74 ERA is really just decent for the pitcher-friendly Midwest League, but it looks a lot better coming from an inexperienced teenager. That’s exactly what Ramirez is in relative terms, but has still managed to better hone his stuff after a rough first appearance. Now in the rotation, which wonderboy Phillipe Aumont has yet to join, Ramirez has missed plenty of bats while still being able to considerably slash his walk rate. In Monday’s start, he gave his team 7 solid frames, giving up 3 runs on just 5 hits and 2 walks while punching out nine. His K:BB ratio through 4 appearances is now 22:8 in 21.2 innings.

Phillipe Aumont

Rotation or not, Aumont has undoubtedly impressed through his first 4 appearances. His work has been low-pressure oriented during his pro debut, working mostly as a reliever, but the early returns have to be satisfying to a fan base that lost Tillman and Butler over the winter. No earned runs have yet come across the plate against him and in 11.2 IP he’s punched out 13 hitters while walking just four. He’s also allowed just 7 hits - five in his second appearance alone (1.2 IP). Save for that hiccup, he’s been downright nasty. If nothing else, the team clearly made the right choice with him.

Michael Pineda

Who? Exactly. He toiled all of 2007 in the Dominican Republic, hurling for the DSL Mariners, but apparently showed enough promise to warrant an immediate promotion to full-season ball at the age of 19. So far he’s proven worthy, with a 9:2 K:BB ratio and just one run allowed through his first 12 IP. If that weren’t enough, he’s the perfect prototype, standing at 6′5” and a projectable 180 lbs. He’s very likely a project due to his relative inexperience, but so far so good, providing the best numbers overall of Wisconsin’s teenage, right-handed trio.