Mariners Top 20 Prospects: #13 LHP Paul Fry

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Paul Fry will be an intriguing pitcher to watch this spring in Peoria.

Originally selected in the 17th round of the 2013 draft, Paul Fry has quickly established himself as one of the best relief prospects in baseball. The 23-year-old southpaw was named the Seattle Mariners top minor-league reliever at the end of last season.

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Fry’s professional career began with the Mariners affiliate in the Arizona Rookie League. Fry was reasonably effective in the desert, going 2-3 with a 4.45 ERA across 14 appearances. He struck out 34 and walked 8 in 34 innings of work. Fry allowed 1.441 walks/hits per inning and registered a 4.25 strikeout to walk ratio.

The Waterford, MI native permanently shifted to the bullpen in 2014, and the young lefty flourished in his new role. Fry was electric for the Clinton LumberKings of the Midwest League, going 4-4 and posting a 2.73 ERA across 38 games. He fanned 77, walked 33 and recored a pair of saves in 66 innings. Fry surrendered just 1 home run all season with the LumberKings.

Following his impressive season in Clinton, the Mariners gave Fry an extended look in big league camp last spring. Fry ran with the opportunity, firing 5.1 shutout frames while striking out 4, walking 2 and saving 1 game for the M’s. He limited the opposition to a .211 batting average in Cactus League play.

The St. Clair County Community College alum began the 2015 season with the Mariners’ California League affiliate in Bakersfield. Fry outclassed his opposition, going 4-3 with a 2.13 ERA in 28 appearances. He racked up 70 strikeouts and issued 14 free passes across 55 innings. Fry also added a pair of saves to his impressive stat line with the Blaze.

It was obvious Fry was ready for the next level, and the M’s promoted the talented southpaw to the Jackson Generals in July. He proceeded to pitch the best two months of his career in the Southern League. Fry posted a 1.80 ERA with 7 saves over the course of 22 appearances with Jackson. He averaged a ridiculous 15.5 strikeouts per 9 innings, and walked just 10 hitters in 25 innings.

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2015 was an incredible season for Fry. Combined, he posted a 2.02 ERA and saved 9 games in 50 appearances with the Bakersfield Blaze and Jackson Generals. Fry averaged 12.7 strikeouts per 9 innings and issued just 2.7 free passes per 9 innings. He registered a 4.71 strikeout to walk ratio, and held the opposition to 1.150 walks/hits per inning. Most remarkable of all, Fry allowed 0 home runs in 80 innings pitched.

The Mariners officially named Paul Fry a non-roster invitee to spring training on February 15. Charlie Furbush is currently the only left-handed reliever guaranteed to make the opening day roster, and Fry is a guy to watch this spring. He is definitely a candidate to head north to Seattle at the end of March, but I think Jerry Dipoto will play it safe and send him to Tacoma.

Next: Mariners Season Preview: Wade Miley

Fry may begin the 2016 season with the Tacoma Rainiers, but I fully expect him to finish the campaign in the Emerald City. He is a very polished young arm, and he could develop into a shutdown lefty specialist for the Mariners before long. It should be fun to see how he performs next month in Peoria.