Who’s Hot, Who’s Not? A Deep Dive Into Mariners’ Prospects One Month Into 2025 Season
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Arkansas Travelers outfielder Jared Sundstrom celebrates after hitting an RBI single. Credit: Jared Sundstrom/Instagram [/caption]
The first month of the minor league season has come to pass, and the Seattle Mariners have had some immediate standouts in the 2025 campaign, as well as some players who haven’t quite gotten on track over a relatively small sample of games.
Let’s take a look at some players who are hot, and some who are not, at each level for Seattle following the month of April:
Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers
Who’s hot: Tyler Locklear, 1B
Locklear has actually scuffled a bit over the last week, but the overall numbers over the first month can’t be ignored. He’s hitting .293 over the first 30 games, and while he’s only hit two homers, he’s added 12 doubles and even stolen five bases to go with an OPS of .822. Locklear was ineffective to say the least over his 16 games with the Mariners in 2024, but he’d be far from the first player to not succeed in his first taste of MLB action only to go on to have a successful MLB career. You can’t help but note how well he has played while Donovan Solano continues to falter as the platoon bat with Rowdy Tellez at first. At some point - assuming Locklear keeps hitting - the Mariners should give Locklear a shot.
Who’s not: Cole Young, INF and Harry Ford, C
It’s worth noting that Ford has gotten on base at a .382 clip, which is a strong number. It’s also worth noting that Ford has slugged .291 with just four extra-base hits in his 79 at-bats, which is not ideal. Not ideal is being nice. As good as the approach is, while there’s no denying his impressive athleticism, at some point, he has to start driving the baseball.
Young, on the other hand, is getting on at just a .315 clip with a .197 sandwich and .287 slugging percentage showing that not much has gone right for the 21-year old over the first 32 games. He does have a pair of hits in each of the last two games and finally hit his first homer of the 2025 season.
There’s plenty of time for both Ford and Young to turn things around and maybe even help the Mariners this summer, but the early results haven’t exactly been promising. Baseball is hard.
Double-A Arkansas Travelers
Who’s hot: Jared Sundstrom, OF
Calling anyone hot for Arkansas is a little difficult, as this is pretty easily the least talented level for the Mariners right now. Sundstrom is a player I’ve talked about before as being underrated, and he’s off to a solid start to his 2025 campaign. He’s slashed .217/.386/.412 while homering twice and stealing 10 bags over 24 games. The 23-year old has solid tools across the board, and while his most likely landing spot is a fourth outfielder at the highest level, there just might be enough here to suggest he could be a starter someday. Don’t be surprised if Seattle gives the right-hander hitter a chance in Tacoma in the coming months, if not sooner.
Who’s not: Brandyn Garcia, LHP
After a breakout season in 2024 that saw him forge a 2.25 ERA and 134/47 K/BB over 116 innings in 2024, the Mariners have converted Garcia to relief, and the results have been mixed. Mixed might be a bit kind, actually. The 24-year old has posted a 4.66 ERA over nine appearances in 9 2/3 innings, and he’s issued seven walks while allowing two homers, showing the command concerns don’t just go away when you move to the bullpen. One can’t help but be reminded of how much Logan Evans struggled when converting to relief, and it’s possible -- but not a guarantee considering how small the sample is -- that Garcia is better served as a flawed starter than relief option.
High-A Everett Aquasox
Who’s hot: Lazaro Montes, OF
Those of you who have followed me for a while know I was obsessed with Montes’ skill set even before he signed with the Mariners. There’s still a long way to go, but it’s nice to know I’m not crazy. After picking up three hits and a homer Saturday, Montes is now hitting .278/.418/.629 while going deep seven times over 27 games. The massive outfielder has some of the best power of any prospect in baseball, and while he’s assuredly going to strike out a ton because of his long levers and willingness to work counts, the ball jumps off his bat. Jumps seems like not a strong enough term when you see some of the exit velocities. Yes, there are defensive questions, and yes, there’s risk in a player of his size. But with that comes the potential to be a middle-of-the-order hitter whose exceptional pop can play in any park.
Who’s not: Michael Arroyo, INF
Well, kinda. If we’re just going over the last few games, Arroyo doesn’t qualify here, as he’s picked up multiple hits in three of the last four games and he homered twice for Everett on Sunday while seeing his average rise 29 points over those four contests. The fact that average is still just .224 tells you how much he was struggling before then, however, and there’s no denying that Arroyo hasn’t quite lived up to the lofty expectations set from his outstanding 2024 campaign.
There’s also no denying that someone had to go here and everyone else in Everett is playing pretty well. Sorry, Michael. You’re a victim of circumstance.
Low-A Modesto Nuts
Who’s hot: Felnin Celestin, SS
As talented as some of the prospects mentioned and a few who were not are, there’s no doubt in my mind that Celestin is the most talented of them all. That doesn’t make him the best as there are other factors to consider, but the most talented is Celestin, and he’s been playing like it over the first month. After another two-hit game to close out the weekend, Cleestin is now hitting .333 with an .856 OPS, two homers, and six stolen bases while playing 22 games in the California League. Every tool here has a chance to be plus, and it’s worth noting that he doesn’t turn 20 until the middle of September. We need to see it over a full season, but Celestin has a chance to be a special player if everything goes right. Even if a few things go wrong, the future looks awfully bright.
Who’s not: Jeter Martinez, RHP
Yes, the Mariners have a prospect named Jeter Martinez. On top of having that name, he is considered one of the better pitching prospects in the Seattle system, but things have not gone particularly well for Martinez in 2025. Over his four appearances, the 19-year old has given up nine earned runs in his 11 1/3 innings (7.15 ERA), and the main culprit has been free passes with eight of them in that timeframe. When he’s at his best, he shows two plus pitches in his fastball and slider, but calling the command a work in progress is a massive understatement. There’s plenty of time for things to get better both in 2025 and beyond, but right now, those who believe that Martinez is a reliever at the highest level appear to have a case.
