With the Mariners winding towards the end of another disappointing season, there’s some fun on the horizon with the promise of the Arizona Fall League, a unique monthlong league that’s often called “prospect graduate school.” The AFL is an opportunity for teams to get extra reps in for prospects who have missed regular-season time due to injury, are undergoing a position change, or for whom they just want to accelerate the developmental timetable. This year’s league starts on October 3 and runs all the way
through November 14; you can see the complete schedule here.
This year the Mariners will be sending eight players to the AFL: C/OF Boston Smith, RHP Ty Cummings; LHP Reid Easterly; 1B/3B Brandon Eike; C/1B Matthew Ellis; RHP Jose Geraldo; LHP Calvin Schapira; RHP Adam Smith
What’s unique about the Fall League is every team participates, meaning if you only ever go to Cactus League spring training, this is a rare opportunity to see players from Grapefruit League teams. The Mariners play as part of the Peoria Javelinas, along with their complex-mates the Padres; they’re joined by the Reds, Orioles, and Cardinals, the latter two of whom don’t usually play in Arizona.
If you have the ability to go, I highly recommend it; a trip to the Fall League is a unique experience. Smaller and less crowded than spring training (and therefore significantly less expensive), I’ve heard the AFL described as “what spring training used to be” – meaning there’s a real opportunity to meet players and interact with them. Exposure to players isn’t limited to those selected for the Fall League, either; the Mariners run various camps during this time in-between the end of the minor-league season and the ramp up to spring training, so there’s a good chance you’ll see other prospects from the farm system around on the backfields or in attendance at the games. If you can’t make it down, the games will be streamed on MLB.com.
And obviously, you’ll have a chance to see non-Mariners top prospects, as well. This year the highest-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline is Dodgers outfielder Eduardo Quintero (19), followed by former Dodger prospect now Tigers prospect (traded in the Tarik Skubal deal) outfielder Zyhir Hope (27). If you want to scout some AL West competition, the Angels are sending shortstop Arjun Nimmala (37), acquired in the Jose Soriano deal. The only top-100 prospect playing for Peoria will come from the Orioles, OF/1B Ike Irish, who just sneaks in at number 99.
The highest-ranked prospect the Mariners will be sending is catching prospect Boston Smith, who just misses Top 100 consideration, but should be in it after a strong season at Double-A split between Birmingham in the Southern League and Arkansas in the Texas League. Smith has posted some impressive power numbers and barrel rates, but there are also concerns about the amount of swing-and-miss in his game. But the main thing the Mariners are likely interested in is getting him more reps behind the dish to see if he can stick at catcher. He’ll also have the opportunity to spend time around his new organization and gain comfort with the staff and facilities before spring training (whenever that might be).
Now into some deeper cuts to round out the rest of the Mariners contingent. Besides Smith, the Mariners are only sending two other position players: 1B/3B Brandon Eike, and C/1B Matthew Ellis. Eike is a 2024 13th-rounder out of VCU who has been jokingly described as “Tyler Locklear Lite” as the two share an alma mater. After striking out over 30% of the time at High-A in 2025, the organization sent him to repeat the level to see if his aggressive style at the plate could be married with some better plate discipline, and he responded by cutting down his strikeouts and winning Northwest Player of the Month for August. Eike was likely due a promotion to Double-A at some time this season after smashing 24 homers in the bandboxes of the Northwest League, but instead he’ll get a chance to show off his power on a national stage. Eike is primarily a first baseman but did see about 200 innings at the hot corner this year for Everett. Similarly, Ellis split time between two positions, catcher and first base for the AquaSox this year, primarily because of a Luke Stevenson-shaped boulder at the catching position; expect him to get more reps at catcher in the AFL.
Everyone else the Mariners are sending will be throwing baseballs. The name you might be most familiar with is righty Ty Cummings, drafted by the Mariners and sent to the Rays for Randy Arozarena, and then re-acquired for Casey Legumina because the Mariners simply must possess every former Campbell Camel in professional baseball. The name I’m most interested in is lefty Reid Easterly, a Duke product signed as an UDFA last July, who came out of nowhere this year and shoved at High-A as a 24-year-old, winning the organization’s MiLB Reliever of the Month award in July. If his stuff plays against the advanced bats in the Fall League, I’m prepared to label him a spring training dark horse candidate for a fringe bullpen role.
Another lefty, Calvin Schapira, had a big uptick in his strikeouts this year at Everett, but an attendant uptick in his walks. Similarly, righty José Geraldo has been grinding in the low minors since being signed as an international free agent in 2021; he’s got strikeout stuff but command issues. Adam Smith is a former indy ball player who is probably the best professional baseball player who also shares his name with an 18th century Scottish father of economics.
