Tacoma Rainiers
The Rainiers managed a split this week, debuting their shiny new star prospects in hitter-friendly Las Vegas. Esteemed sluggers Lazaro Montes and Michael Arroyo donned the Rainiers jersey for the first time in their young careers, putting them just a short drive and a handful of AB’s from a big league promotion. There’s not yet a meaningful sample to draw any real conclusions (especially in such an extreme hitting environment), but each of them has already launched their first PCL homer and are looking
more and more comfortable by the game. They’re must see TV.
Not to be outdone, red-hot Ryan Bliss was on fire at the plate this week, collecting 18 (!!!) hits in the six game slate. This wasn’t just empty contact either; Bliss managed a homer, a triple, and five doubles on the week with a pair of stolen bases to boot. He’s been absolutely unbelievable this month and is beginning to look a bit more like the player he’s been in the past. Though his season numbers are still in a tough spot, look for him to continue this torrid stretch and regrow his stock as a potential major league contributor.
Arkansas Travelers
The Travs wound up splitting the series this week despite missing their fearless rotation leaders in Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan to the Futures Game on Sunday Morning. Both Sloan and Anderson appeared in the game, working scoreless innings, and Anderson let the opposing hitters know exactly what he thought of them with an ice cold walk off the mound in the first inning of action.
Compounding the temporary leave of absence from the rotation leaders, this is the first iteration of the Travs lineup without the tandem of the aforementioned Montes and Arroyo, each of whom more than earned their promotion up to Triple-A. Despite the current lack of star power, there’s plenty of names that have really turned into contributors; Charlie Pagliarini, Caleb Cali, and Hunter Fitz-Gerald don’t get a lot of buzz in prospect circles for various reasons, but each of them have really produced and have carved out a nice niche in this system. They’re one’s to watch out for as under-the-radar organizational depth.
Everett AquaSox
Another week, another split for the stagnant AquaSox this week. This squad is so immensely talented on the offensive side of the ball, but it’s been a mixed bag from the pitching staff this season. Certainly not an easy environment to pitch in due to the Baby Park conditions of Everett’s home field, but they’ll need a bit more from the staff if they really want to get things rolling.
After a rough few months at the dish, top prospect Luke Stevenson has looked great at the plate this month and is finally stringing some really nice AB’s together. Whether it’s intentional or not, Stevenson seems to have gotten less passive at the plate and is seeking out damage rather than waiting for the “perfect pitch”; having run massive walk rates up to this point, Stevenson’s walk rate has considerably diminished in the month of July, and his numbers have subsequently taken off. This could very easily be a product of a small sample size, but if a tangible change actually has been made, to see such strong results is a fantastic sign. On the month, Stevenson is slashing .351/.415/.730, good for an OPS of 1.145. With a strong defensive foundation, the potential with Stevenson remains sky high.
Yet another prospect with seemingly limitless potential, Jonny Farmelo logged yet another successful series at the dish, popping a homer in the middle of a six-hit week. Farmelo’s really gotten into some great power this year, and the underlying metrics seem to back that production up; he’s been rocketing the ball all over the ballpark and letting his exceptional speed on the basepaths turn singles into doubles and doubles into triples. He’s an electrifying player that should probably get a look at Double-A Arkansas once all the draftees are assigned to their new homes.
Inland Empire 66ers
The 66ers dropped the series by a score of 4-2 this week, though they managed to play in one of the most chaotic games of baseball I’ve ever seen. Almost immediately falling behind 16-0, IE managed to post an 11 run seventh inning to cut the lead to just two, then immediately give up a six spot in the bottom of the eighth to seemingly put the game out of reach. Comically, they managed seven more runs in the ninth, but came up short, losing by a final score of 22-21. 33 total hits, 20 walks, 6 errors, and 43 runs. What a ride.
This team is about to look considerably different in the coming weeks; the M’s went exceptionally heavy on the college demographic in this past weekend’s draft, and their particular emphasis on hitters means their lower minors rosters are going to get crowded quick. Lots of fun new names, but the roster composition could be a bit tricky to sort out unless there’s a large of contingency of these draft guys that end up being “dev only”, high performance camp types. Regardless, this team absolutely needs an infusion of talent; they’ve really struggled to find consistency this year, and some big-time bats would work wonders for this lineup.
For those that have been curious, Jackson Steensma made his return to the mound after receiving a shot in his arm for some discomfort. He logged two scoreless innings and should be on a slow ramp up in the coming weeks.
ACL Mariners
It was an objectively brutal week for star prospect Nick Becker; logging 20 PA’s, he struck out 11 times and managed just two hits (a double and a homer, for what it’s worth). Flush that one and move on.
On a more positive note, Yorger Bautista has been much better this month and seems to be getting some positive regression come his way after some unfortunate luck early in the season. Slashing .355/.375/.548 on the month, Bautista has lowered his K% significantly and may have turned a corner offensively. If everything clicks with him, he could be one of the better prospects in this entire system. Hopefully he closes out 2026 with a bang and cements himself as a future foundational talent.
Strong candidate for the all name team, OF Brayden Corn has been quite good for the Baby M’s this season and looks like he’ll be getting a shot at affiliate ball sooner than later. He was a 15th rounder last season, and though it’s not overwhelmingly loud tools, he’s posted a .932 OPS with 10 stolen bases.
DSL Mariners
It may sound like a broken record at this point, but this DSL roster absolutely mashes. It wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if this team produces several notable prospects in the coming years, and unheralded guys like Elias Perez and Fabian Gonzalez are playing themselves into the spotlight. Gregory Pio and Juan Rijo are still leading the way, but this is as fun of a roster as we’ve seen since Lazaro Montes and Michael Arroyo were making their professional debuts nearly a half decade ago.
