Mariners Minors: Tyler O’Neill Continues to Roll in Jackson

The Maple Ridge, BC product has been unstoppable this season with the Generals, and he continues to reach new heights.

Tyler O’Neill entered the season as the Seattle Mariners’ top power hitting prospect, but he has greatly surpassed even the loftiest expectations so far in 2016. The M’s reigning co-Minor League Player of the Year has made it look easy this season with the Jackson Generals of the Southern League.

The 20-year-old is slashing .321/.384/.557 through 279 plate appearances in 2016. O’Neill has also contributed 18 doubles, 2 triples, 12 home runs, 54 RBI and 4 stolen bases across 63 games this season with Jackson. The highlight of O’Neill’s season occurred earlier this month against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, when he went 3 for 4 with a double, a homer and 8 RBI.

It’s hard to imagine the first half of the season going any better for O’Neill. He has reached base safely in 59 of 63 games in 2016, including the first 28 games of the season. O’Neill has also strung together a pair of hit streaks that lasted at least 10 games. He also plated a run in 8 consecutive games from May 23-31.

Originally selected in the third round of the 2013 draft, O’Neill began his professional career with the Mariners’ affiliate in the Arizona Rookie League. He did a nice job in the desert, slashing .310/.405/.450 across 116 plate appearances. O’Neill also hit 1 home run and drove in 15 runs through 28 games. He struck out 27 times, but showed a mature approach at the plate, nursing 12 free passes.

O’Neill played at three different levels in 2014, but he spent the bulk of the season in Clinton with the LumberKings. O’Neill held his own in the Midwest League, hitting .247 with 13 home runs and 38 RBI across 57 games. He posted a .322 on base percentage and slugged .466 in 245 plate appearances.

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O’Neill was phenomenal last season for the Bakersfield Blaze. He tore apart the California League, posting a .260/.316/.558 slash line with 32 home runs and 87 RBI across 106 games. His 32 home runs not only led the California League, but it was also the highest tally in at any level of the minor-leagues in 2015. O’Neill also showed off some speed on the base paths, legging out 23 extra-base hits and swiping 16 bases.

Most remarkable of all is perhaps the fact that O’Neill missed nearly the entire month of July while he represented Canada at the Pan Am Games. He starred for his home country, hitting 3 home runs and stealing a pair of bases. O’Neill also was considered the best defensive left fielder in the tournament, posting a 1.000 fielding percentage and recording 1 outfield assist in 64 innings.

The 20-year-old was assigned to the Peoria Javelins in the Arizona Fall League after the 2015 season concluded. O’Neill fared remarkably well against the top young players in baseball. He led the Javelins with a .333 batting average while clubbing 3 home runs and driving in 5 runs in just 8 games.

Despite his strong showing in left field at the Pan Am Games, O’Neill is considered to be a work in progress defensively. He was a catcher in high school, so he is still learning to play the outfield. O’Neill may take some interesting routes to fly balls, but he has a strong arm and is more athletic than many would think. There is hope that he will develop into an adequate big league left fielder.

O’Neill bats and throws from the right side. He stands 5’11 and tips the scales at 210 pounds. O’Neill is built like a tank, and it’s clear he spends a lot of his free time in the gym. He is said to possess a very strong work ethic, and his impressive upper body is proof of his commitment.

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The only real concern about O’Neill is his extremely high strikeout rate. He has whiffed 324 times in 1,133 career plate appearances. 2015 was obviously a breakout campaign for O’Neill, but he did swing and miss 137 times in 106 games. His issues making consistent contact continue to haunt him, as he has struck out 64 times far this year.

O’Neill represents an intriguing trade chip for Jerry Dipoto to dangle at this season’s trade deadline as the Mariners hope to make a push for the postseason. Ultimately, I hope O’Neill stays in the Mariners system, but he should generate plenty of interest from rebuilding clubs.

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It’s clear that Tyler O’Neill is a notch above the competition in Jackson. He is still very young, but I think we could see O’Neill finish the 2016 season in Tacoma with the Rainiers. I highly doubt Dipoto races him to Seattle this summer, but it’s possible that O’Neill will be patrolling a corner outfield spot at Safeco Field sometime in 2017.