Mariners Tyler O’Neil 1st Half Fall League Update

For the Mariners and GM, Jerry Dipoto, having Tyler O’Neil as a future pawn in the M’s lineup can only make them smile. This is what O’Neil has accomplished in the first half of the AFL season.

There isn’t much more that Tyler O’Neil could have done this past year. He won Baseball of America’s Player of the Year, he led the Jackson Generals to a Southern League Championship and even earned the series MVP on route to hoisting that trophy. The Mariners want him to keep excelling during the AFL season.

His twenty-four home runs and one hundred-two RBI were incredible over the summer season. How could he ever live up to those numbers in the AFL season? Well, he’s trying his best to be the top dog in this league as he was over the summer, and so far, he’s in a good position to make a move for the MVP of the Arizona Fall League.

Here is where the number two prospect, Tyler O’Neil stands after his first fourteen games over the first half of the AFL season.

Tyler O’Neil

To no one’s surprise, O’Neil exploded out of the gate this AFL season. In his first four games, O’Neil blasted two home runs and two doubles as part of his six total hits. It was the kind of start that made you believe that O’Neil was going to blow the competition out of the water. Unfortunately for the star prospect, his power numbers would come down to earth.

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In the next game (his fifth of the AFL season) he smashed another homer, but he couldn’t hit another in the following nine matches. He also began to tally fewer and fewer RBI over those nine games. In those nine ball games, he only added four more RBI.

O’Neil’s biggest issue this fall has been his strikeouts. In his first four games alone, he was fanned eight times. In his last ten games, he had ten more K’s. This is no surprise, though.

In his MVP season, he struck out one hundred and fifty times in one hundred and thirty games. Of course, this is often the dilemma for most power hitters.

Next: Mariners Drew Jackson 1st Half Fall Update

His overall numbers of 19-59 at the plate, three home runs, nine RBI and five doubles are very good. His season so far is just more reinforcement that Tyler O’Neil could be the future star on the Mariners roster. The only question really is: When will it happen?