Despite finishing with the second best overall record in the Northwest League this year, the Frogs were unable to clinch a playoff spot this season, falling just short with steady and consistent play that was unable to ever ascend high enough on the standings for a half-season crown. Playing in the compact confines of Everett’s home ballpark, the AquaSox offense posted absolutely massive numbers on the season, leading the league in multiple major categories at the plate including homers, runs, OPS,
and stolen bases. The pitching, though fighting an uphill battle with the aforementioned home ballpark, held their own, and gave them a chance to win on a nightly basis. It’s obviously disappointing to miss the postseason with as good as they played all season, but the individual successes up and down this roster are impossible to ignore and deserve to be celebrated.
Team Performance
First Half Record: 33-33 (+22 Run Differential)
Second Half Record: 34-32 (+37 Run Differential)
Final Record: 67-65
Team ERA: 4.96 (fourth in Northwest League)
Team OPS: .834 (first in Northwest League)
Stat to Know: Led Northwest League with 193 home runs (29 more than second place)
Season Stars
Felnin Celesten
Where else to start than with the newly crowned Northwest League MVP? Celesten had the bounceback of all bounceback seasons and managed to take home some serious hardware this 2026 season after an outstanding year at the plate. Slashing .314/.409/.534 at the level with 18 stolen bases, Celesten’s ranginess at shortstop and switch hitting ability made him a massive threat for the AquaSox for much of the year and ultimately led to his well deserved promotion to Double-A. Despite struggling a bit after his promotion and ending the season on the IL, his 2026 was undoubtedly one for the ages and has positioned him as one of the best prospects in this system.
Luke Stevenson
After a successful stint with the Nuts after his drafting in 2025, Stevenson hit the ground running with the Frogs and got off to a torrid start to his 2026, and despite some struggles in the middle of the year, a strong stretch run to close out the season kept his season numbers in a great spot. Stevenson’s season was largely what most would have expected from the power-hitting backstop: lots of walks, lots of strikeouts, lots of homers, and great defense. The whiff is going to concern some evaluators and could in theory leave him off some Top 100 lists this offseason, but the floor is still rather high considering the quality at which he does everything else on the diamond, and his defense behind the plate alone might just be enough to get him to the big leagues one day. Stevenson is set to slate somewhere in the the top ten organizationally and will look to prove his approach can work against Double-A pitching next season.
Jonny Farmelo
With his first full season in his young professional career, Farmelo mashed his way through the Northwest League and earned his way up to Double-A by season’s end. The speedy centerfielder was aggressive in all facets of the game; his 41 stolen bases were second best in the entire system (five behind Nick Becker), and though his whiff was elevated, he managed to slug just enough to make it work and produce effectively. In an ideal world, Farmelo is able to maintain the level of thump he’s been able to reach while cutting back on the raw whiff rates, but that’s obviously much easier said than done and may prove to be an unsuccessful venture. Should that be the case, Farmelo will need to continue to show he can be an elite defensive centerfielder with major game power and game-changing speed on the basepaths in order to reach his fullest potential, and if his strong end to the year is any indication, he’s well on his way to doing just that.
Sleepers
Brandon Eike
Eike probably deserves to be in the “stars” section for the monstrous year he had for the Frogs, but given he isn’t considered a Top 30 prospect by most all outlets, we’ll highlight him here and show him the love he deserves. Launching 29 homers on the year and slugging his way to an OPS of .892, Eike was a consistent force in the middle of the Everett lineup and proved to be invaluable for this Frogs roster. There’s a ton of swing-and-miss in his profile and the overall abilities outside of the slug are somewhat limited, but if Eike can continue to hit the ball with authority as he ascends through the upper-minors, the raw production may prove to be too good to overlook.
Carlos Jimenez
Yet another deserved “star”, Jimenez’s 2026 was just as good, if not better, than the aforementioned Eike. After a few years of toiling in the low minors, Jimenez put together a truly outstanding year this season, revitalizing his prospect pedigree a bit after some general fatigue. The 23 year old posted a .926 OPS on the year with 20 stolen bases and a K-rate of just 21%. His 14.6% walk rate made him a constant threat on the basepaths, and his simple lefty swing managed to do a ton of damage for him at the plate. He’ll assuredly get a shot to shine at the Double-A level next season, and should he continue to find sustained success, he’ll undoubtedly play himself up prospect boards.
Colton Shaw
The best pitcher on this staff all season, Shaw’s sinker-sweeper combination was just what the doctor ordered for his homer-friendly home ballpark, and he used that tandem to lead the staff in just about every major pitching category. Shaw’s lower launch gives his sinker some wicked action and allows it to tunnel well with his secondaries, making him an incredibly interesting arm to watch for in 2027. The M’s have strongly gravitated toward high-command sinkerballers in recent classes, and though it may just be a blip, it seems to be an organizational preference that they’ve identified as a market inefficiency they can capitalize on. Colton Shaw’s certainly done his part in proving that notion right, and his outstanding 2026 makes him one of a handful in this organization with a very strong “up arrow” next to his name.
