One of the Seattle Mariners International Free Agent signings from 2022 was Colombian infielder Michael Arroyo. He is a 5-foot-8 middle infielder who is still just 18 years old. Arroyo spent last season in the Dominican Summer League where he played in 50 games and had just under 200 plate appearances. He would slash .314/.457/.484 with 16 extra base hits, 4 of which were home runs.
This year he did not play in any official games until the Arizona Complex League started, and he was not in the ACL for long. The young righty infielder only played in four games at the Complex level before being promoted to Low-A Modesto. He has already impressed by hitting two doubles and a triple in three games with the Nuts.
MLB Pipeline said, “Some in the organization believe that Arroyo is the right-handed-hitting version of Cole Young.” If Arroyo can continue to hit at a high level he could rise up prospect ranks. Even though it is just a seven game sample size so far, reaching full season ball at 18 years old is promising.
Modesto Nuts (A) – California League
| RANK | PLAYER | POS | STATS |
| 4 | Michael Arroyo | SS | .458/.536/.750, HR, 7.1% BB, 3.6% K |
| 5 | Cole Young | SS | .274/.409/.434, 3 HR, 14.9% BB, 13.9% K |
| 9 | Gabriel Gonzalez | OF | .333/.392/.488, 4 HR 7.2% BB, 15.2% K |
| 18 | Michael Morales | RHP | 11 GS, 55.1 IP, 4.23 ERA, 24% K, 9.1% BB |
| 28 | Tyler Gough | RHP | 9 G, 8 GS, 28 IP, 6.11 ERA, 17.7% K, 11.3% BB |
| 35 | Milkar Perez | 3B | .260/.392/.344, 15.5% BB, 25.3% K |
| 36 | Josh Hood | SS/3B | .261/.339/.406, 4 HR, 10.7% BB, 21% K |
| 48 | Tatem Levins | C | .288/.367/.523, 5 HR 11.7% BB, 21.1% K |
Everett AquaSox (A+) — Northwest League
| RANK | PLAYER | POS | STATS |
| 1 | Harry Ford | C | .252/.416/.422, 8 HR, 19.5% BB, 19.5% K |
| 8 | Axel Sanchez | SS | .200/.300/.307, 2 HR, 10% BB, 30% K |
| 13 | Tyler Locklear | 3B | .311/.419/.572, 11 HR, 12.4% BB, 22.1% K |
| 25 | Hogan Windish | 2B | .237/.359/.458, 6 HR, 12.7% BB, 31% K |
| 29 | Alberto Rodriguez | OF | .301/.385/.586, 10 HR, 9.5% BB, 23.3% K |
| 38 | Walking Cabrera | OF | .238/.298/.431, 7 HR, 8.3% BB, 32% K |
Arkansas Travelers (AA) – Texas League
| RANK | PLAYER | POS | STATS |
| 6 | Bryan Woo | RHP | 9 GS, 44 IP, 2.05 ERA, 34.3% K, 7% BB |
| 7 | Emerson Hancock | RHP | 12 GS, 52.1 IP, 4.99 ERA, 27.6% K, 12.7% BB |
| 12 | Prelander Berroa | RHP | 15 G, 5 GS, 35 IP, 3.86 ERA, 35.9% K, 19.2% BB |
| 14 | Jonatan Clase | OF | .262/.376/.569, 16 HR, 14.5% BB, 30.5% K |
| 21 | Robert Perez Jr. | 1B | .260/.325/.457, 9 HR, 6.4% BB, 30.5% K |
| 22 | Isaiah Campbell | RHP | 17 G, 18 IP, 3.50 ERA, 25.7% K, 5.4% BB |
| 26 | Juan Mercedes | RHP | 12 G, 11 GS, 57 IP, 5.05 ERA, 23.7% K, 7.4% BB |
| 33 | Travis Kuhn | RHP | 21 G, 24 IP, 3.00 ERA, 19% K, 12% BB |
| 45 | Spencer Packard | OF | .249/.387/.408, 6 HR, 16% BB, 19.3% K |
Tacoma Rainiers (AAA) – Pacific Coast League
| RANK | PLAYER | POS | STATS |
| 15 | Taylor Dollard | RHP | 3 GS, 8.1 IP, 7.56 ERA, 22.2 K%, 8.3% BB |
| 19 | Juan Then | RHP | 10 G, 13.2 IP, 7.90 ERA, 23.5% K, 10.3% BB |
| 20 | Cade Marlowe | OF | .224/.286/.383, 4 HR, 7.4% BB, 29.1% K |
| 24 | Zach DeLoach | OF | .300/.412/.436, 5 HR, 15.% BB, 28.1% K |
| 40 | Stephen Kolek | RHP | 18 G, 26.1 IP, 8.20 ERA, 20.6% K, 12.7% BB |
| UR | Brian O’Keefe | C | .239/.341/.473, 11 HR, 13.2% BB, 25% K |
| UR | Jake Scheiner | INF/OF | .287/.394/.578, 17 HR, 14.2% BB, 22.6% K |
Mariners Draft Spotlight
The MLB draft is getting closer and the Mariners will have some very interesting choices to make with the 22nd, 29th, and 30th overall selections. One thing we have seen the Mariners target in the last few drafts is athleticism. We saw Seattle take Harry Ford, a catcher who is known for his athleticism, as well as young shortstops Edwin Arroyo and Cole Young. If the Mariners want to go with another athletic shortstop, they could go with Nebraska shortstop Brice Matthews.
Matthews is a 6-foot 190 pound shortstop who is a high level athlete. He was a star high school quarterback, and Joe Doyle of Future Stars Series notes that, “Matthews offers a highly athletic, twitchy frame up the middle with elite footwork, the ability to move laterally and of course the arm strength to make all of the throws.” His athleticism allows him to make a ton of plays at shortstop and could keep him up the middle in the future.
The Houston native is not an elite offensive prospect, but according to Doyle his “Bat speed stands out instantly with strong hands and bat control that allows him to utilize the entire field. Advanced makeup, elite strength and elite defensive actions give Matthews a solid ceiling, but he’ll need to curb the swing and miss in his game if he’s to survive in professional baseball.” Doyle ranks Matthews as his 30th best prospect right now because of his helium recently.
Nobody has flown up MLB Draft Boards quicker than Brice Matthews 📈 pic.twitter.com/4PcfOR7ygl
— 11Point7: The College Baseball Podcast 🎙 (@11point7) May 10, 2023
Mariners Prospects in the News
MLB Pipeline highlighted one 2022 draft pick from each organization that has been impressive this season, including a Mariners first baseman.
Baseball America came out with a new Top 30 Mariners prospects ranking.
Daniel Kramer of MLB.com shined a light on a reliever’s long road to the big leagues with Seattle.
Curtis Christianson
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