> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Four More Mariners Hitting Prospects Looking to Prove Themselves in Peoria - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/mariners-four-more-hitting-prospects-to-watch-in-peoria/ - Published: 2026-02-24T01:32:23.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T05:56:18.000Z - Author: Callaghan Bluechel - Tags: Analysis, Mariners, Rainiers, Aquasox, Spring Training, Felnin Celesten, Brock Rodden, Victor Labrada, Jared Sundstrom [Embed from Getty Images](https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2245418024?ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) Spring training has started in earnest for the Seattle Mariners, with a few games under their belts and just under a week left in February. Prospects and stars alike have started to get in their reps under the bluest Arizona skies, but with the World Baseball Classic starting up on March 4, some of the hitters further down in the system will get quite a bit of playing time. Now, they’ll mostly be working against prospects and four-A guys from other squads, but their time in Peoria will still give an idea of where they are in their development. This article is the finale of a series of four discussing some of the Mariners’ notable prospect non-roster invites (NRIs) to Spring Training. The other three can be found [here](https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/mariners-five-hitting-prospects-to-keep-tabs-on-2026-spring-training/), [here](https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/mariners-three-prospect-pitchers-to-watch-in-spring-training/), and [here](https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/mariners-three-more-non-roster-pitching-prospects-watch-spring-training/). ### SS Felnin Celesten, 20 years old, High-A. \[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1465"\] ![ Felnin Celesten has a FanGraphs “future value” of 50 and a Baseball America “adjusted grade” of 40 based on a 55 potential grade with high risk. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/felnin-celesten-format-original.png) Felnin Celesten has a FanGraphs “future value” of 50 and a Baseball America “adjusted grade” of 40 based on a 55 potential grade with high risk. \[/caption\] When the M’s released their list of NRIs, Celesten didn’t make an appearance, but some play on Sunday during a 14-8 win over the Cincinnati Reds - he went 1-2 with a double - evidently means he got the invite after all. Celesten has had some big expectations for as long as he has been in the Mariners system, signing for $4.7 million during the 2023 international signing window, but injuries in his signing year and 2024 slowed his start. Most of his 2025 season was spent with the Low-A Modesto Nuts, where he had a .285/.349/.384 slash line, 115 OPS+ (where 100 is league average), five homers, 19 doubles, two triples, 55 RBIs. High-A Everett proved a tougher challenge with Celesten posting .158/.313/.289 slash line and 61 OPS+, so it’s basically certain that he’s going to return to the shores of Possession Sound in April. Peoria still gives an opportunity to see where Celesten’s swing is at and how much refinement he has put into his approach. It’s not like the clock is ticking fast for improvement (he’s not old enough to buy a Rainier) but the pace and nature of growth can tell us something. From what little I’ve seen of him so far this spring, he seems to have settled into a base mechanical system of a fairly prominent leg kick followed by an uppercut with his hands close. The intended effect is to produce power, but much of it so far in his pro career has been doubles power. He seems to be gaining muscle at a good clip, which is a good sign, but the degree of concrete results in Peoria will give a glimpse as to how fast he can move through the system. Everett’s Funko Field is a homer-friendly yard in any case. The power profile is what is expected to decide Celesten’s future, but I’m not so sure he doesn’t have other outs. He has strong enough speed and defense to carve out a floor as a utility bench guy, and while his hitting grades are in the fringe average zone, he has shown solid walk rates in his time in the pros. Still, he hits a few too many grounders and not enough liners, and consistently pulling the ball in the air still eludes him. Other than his ability with the bat, Spring Training gives an opportunity to see where his speed and defense stand. Baseball America has him above average in both, while FanGraphs remains more unimpressed; if he indeed has some good skills with the glove, he could end up as a shortstop, while otherwise, a spot at third base might be more in the cards. While his raw speed is clearly good, he will also have to hone his baserunning skills, as his 21 steals in 30 attempts across both his levels in 2025 marked a 70% success rate - about five percentage points lower than the break-even mark. ### 2B Brock Rodden, 25 years old, Double-A. \[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1465"\] ![ Brock Rodden has a FanGraphs “future value” of 35+ and a Baseball America “adjusted grade” of 35 based on a 45 potential grade with average risk. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/brock-rodden-format-original.png) Brock Rodden has a FanGraphs “future value” of 35+ and a Baseball America “adjusted grade” of 35 based on a 45 potential grade with average risk. \[/caption\] How does one square a below average hit tool with a .295 average and 153 OPS+ in Double-A last year? Well, an unsustainable .404 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) might do the trick. Regressed to the 2025 Texas League average BABIP of .304, his average would have been .230, and regressed to the general MLB average of .290, it would have been .221\. Given that Rodden is a line drive machine, with a 30.3% line drive percentage for the Double-A Arkansas Travelers, we might expect his BABIP to hover a little above average, but his profile still screams regression against better defenders. His swing is somewhat flat, meaning that he’s geared less towards home run power and more towards that line drive contact; combined with a 30.1% strikeout rate and 7.4% walk rate, this gives him a profile that might be pretty reliant on BABIP luck. With all that said, he’s currently slated to start the year with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers and currently forms the fifth line of utility depth behind Brendan Donovan, Leo Rivas, Miles Mastrobuoni, and Ryan Bliss. If Rodden starts reigning in his swing-happy tendencies out of the zone, however, he could become a sneaky weapon in the Mariners’ system. At the very least, he has some good wheels, a trait that always has a place in any organization. Look at Rodden’s patience at the plate during his Peoria at-bats and check his defense wherever the M’s put him: he currently projects best as a second baseman, but can fill in at third and potentially at short. ### Víctor Labrada, 25 years old, Triple-A. Despite a heavily tilted swing that might trick you into thinking he’s a power bat, Labrada is a speed-contact guy at heart. He had almost as many walks as strikeouts for both the Double-A Travelers and Triple-A Rainiers in 2025, and his .295/.407/.427 slash line and 159 OPS+ for Arkansas were quite promising. He didn’t do as well in Tacoma, with a .265/.397/.376 slash and 100 OPS+, but Seattle’s outfield situation is mostly set for 2026, so he will have ample time to develop closer to the Mountain. Labrada, for his part, seems to be in the business of sacrificing a bit of potential raw power so that he can make more contact, and he has a knack for getting the wood on the ball when he needs to. Like Rodden, Labrada has had some inflated luck, with a .331 BABIP during his time with the ‘25 Rainiers. Unlike Rodden, however, Labrada isn’t as much of a line drive aficionado, instead having a fairly high ground ball rate, so we should expect a lower average from him. Given his lack of concrete power and the fact that T-Mobile Park is the double’s public enemy number one, I wouldn’t be surprised if his current approach lacks some play in Seattle. In a world full of contact hitters misdeveloped into a one-size-fits-all power mold, Labrada’s approach is some fresh air. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it; unless his engine sputters in Tacoma this year, he can keep doing what he’s doing. He has lightning speed and has stolen 93 bases in the minors over the last two years, but he probably needs to show some more consistency in Spring and in Tacoma. His 80.9% success rate over those two years was about six percentage points above the break-even line, but a bit more refinement would provide a better hedge against his weaker power. Labrada isn’t likely to get a whole lot of playing time with the big league club in 2026 unless there’s a serious injury bug, but he could end up on the major league roster by mid-year. ### Jared Sundstrom, 24 years old, Double-A. There’s a clear thing to look for in Sundstrom’s spring, and that’s restraint. He got to Double-A on the back of an aggressive approach with a big, looping swing, but a .219/.297/.374 slash line, 104 OPS+, and 29.7% strikeout rate with the Travelers were a stark reality check that his profile needs some work. Perhaps some of it was the pitcher-friendly Arkansas ballpark, however (even when accounting for park factors): he had a .237/.314/.432 line and 111 OPS+ on the road. But when you’re looking at home/road splits in a Double-A prospect, there’s serious work to be done. If Sundstrom is able to shorten up his swing and fight off some of the pitches that he’s currently whiffing at, then he might start off the year in Triple-A; otherwise, he could be set to at least repeat some of the year in Double-A. His bat-to-ball skills are the clear limiting factor for a guy with decent corner outfield defense and solid wheels, so cleanup in that department is what you should be looking at.