Mariners News: Pair of M’s Prospects Named to MLB Futures Game

Jul 16, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; The Canadian dugout reacts as Canada left fielder Tyler O Neill (13) hits a solo home run in the fifth inning against Puerto Rico during the 2015 Pan Am Games at Ajax Pan Am Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 16, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; The Canadian dugout reacts as Canada left fielder Tyler O Neill (13) hits a solo home run in the fifth inning against Puerto Rico during the 2015 Pan Am Games at Ajax Pan Am Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

A pair of Mariners’ prospects will be present at the 2016 Futures Game next month in San Diego.

Tyler O’Neill and Dylan Unsworth will represent the Seattle Mariners at the 2016 MLB Futures Game in San Deigo, CA on July 10th at Petco Park. The Futures Game is the top showcase of young talent in baseball. Ketel Marte and Edwin Diaz participated in the event last summer. O’Neill and Unsworth will both suit up for the World squad and battle the top prospects from the United States.

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.

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The 20-year-old is slashing .310/.371/.532 through 284 at bats in 2016. O’Neill has also contributed 20 doubles, 2 triples, 13 home runs, 59 RBI and 5 stolen bases across 73 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 the Langley, BC native. He has reached base safely in 67 of 73 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.

Dylan Unsworth is a South African born right-handed pitcher that has rapidly made a name for himself this season with the Jackson Generals. After posting a 4.34 ERA last season in Jackson, he is currently 3-1 with a 1.16 ERA across 9 outings with the Generals this season.

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The 23-year-old pitched 8 scoreless innings for South Africa this past February in the World Baseball Classic qualifier, and he has springboarded off that success. Unsworth has fanned 35 and issued just 7 free passes in 46.2 innings pitched this season. He has limited the opposition to 1.05 walks/hits per inning, and a .241 batting average.

Unsworth is on the 7-day disabled list right now, but he should be available to pitch in the Futures Game next month. He may not possess overpowering stuff, but Unsworth has demonstrated elite command of his arsenal this season. If he can continue to pitch with pinpoint control, Unsworth could be a useful arm for the Mariners’ rotation or bullpen in the near future.

It will be very interesting to see how Tyler O’Neill and Dylan Unsworth fare against the best prospects in baseball. O’Neill’s immense raw power makes him one of the more exciting prospects in the Mariners’ system, and he should get a chance to start in a corner outfield spot for the World side.

Next: M’s Sink Pirates in Seattle

The first pitch in the 18th edition of the MLB Futures Game is scheduled for 4 pm PT on July 10 from Petco Park in San Diego. Fans can watch live on MLB Network, and MLB.tv subscribers can tune in worldwide on connected devices.