Jarvis Gomez was hot at the plate all summer in the Dominican Summer League, but right now he’s very cold.
In his defense, the San Isidro native is on US soil for the first time, and while it’s currently 90 degrees and rainy in Boca Chica, where the Mariners Dominican complex is located, it’s a bit more brisk on a late September afternoon in Seattle. Perhaps no one warned the 17-year-old that he might want to bring a jacket.
Gomez was in Seattle last month to accept the award for Mariners MiLB Hitter
of the Year, an award he shared with slugger Lazaro Montes, who won the award for the third straight year.
But while Montes has been a prospect sensation since signing out of Cuba in 2022 for a hefty $2.2M bonus, Jarvis (yar-VEES) Gomez isn’t a name even deep-cut prospect aficionados might know.
The 5’11” outfielder signed for a modest $100K, one of the lesser-known names in a draft class where most of the attention was filtered towards outfielder Juan Rijo and infielder Gregory Pio, who signed for a combined $5M, representing about 70% of the Mariners’ total bonus pool in the 2026 signing period. Both Rijo and Pio had solid debut seasons – Pio showcased excellent plate discipline for a 17-year-old, walking more than he struck out, and Rijo hit .310 with 20 extra-base hits. Both were overshadowed, however, by Gomez, who also walked more than he struck out, but hit as many home runs as the other two combined, with six, posting a slash line one might more expect out of a big-bonus signee. His OPS of 1.013 ranked 16th out of over 300 players in the DSL, and he added 17 stolen bases on to that output.
Standing on the big-league field at T-Mobile Park, Gomez didn’t look overwhelmed by the moment, craning his neck around to hopefully catch a glimpse of his favorite player, Julio Rodríguez, and taking in the blue skies – and crisp air – of a picture-perfect fall day in Seattle.
“It’s a dream I had since I was little to be here,” he said. “[Seattle] is a beautiful place with very nice people, everybody’s been very welcoming.”
Gomez will leave the Dominican Republic behind again later this month and make his second trip stateside, heading to the Mariners’ High Performance Camp in Arizona. He says he’s excited to take the next stride in his career, and maybe just a little bit nervous.
“It’s a very big step and a big change,” he said, but says he’s excited for the “more organized” structure of the stateside complex.
But Gomez won’t be making the journey alone; he’ll travel with many of his teammates from the Mariners DSL team, which finished at the top of their division with a 33-23 record, earning a spot in the playoffs. He doesn’t see his trip to the HPC as something he’ll be doing just as part of his personal journey, but rather as a step he’s taking with his teammates from the complex league.
“It was a group effort, a lot of work all between us to achieve what we did.”
Gomez was a steady contributor to one of the better DSL teams the Mariners have put forth in recent years, contributing both at the plate and in the field. His goal at HPC is to focus on strength and conditioning, continuing the work he started in the DSL and adding muscle. Gomez has a level swing that can result in him putting the ball on the ground too often, so it would be nice to see him add in some loft without sacrificing his excellent plate discipline.
Gomez describes himself as an “electrifying” player who doesn’t fear rising to the moment.
“When it’s zero hour, I’m out there and able to show what I can do.”
It’s always a challenge to learn about the prospects in the DSL with the lack of video (other than what the players themselves post), and especially when that player is one who hasn’t been given as much scouting attention as some other players. What does Gomez want Mariners fans to know about him?
“I want them to know that I always give my maximum effort. I always like to support my teammates in difficult moments, and I’m very happy to be playing for the Seattle Mariners.”
