Mariners Minors: Affiliates Make Winning Look Easy

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The Mariners had seven minor league affiliates in 2016. All of them made strong runs for their respective championships. Three clubs lost in the playoff semi-final. Two lost in the final. And, two won the championship. All this winning can hopefully mean just one thing: winning Mariners teams in the coming years.

Sure, this is probably being optimistic. Many minor league clubs have good runs, but that doesn’t necessarily translate in the big show. Certainly, some recent players have worked out, and quite well. Edwin Diaz and Mike Zunino have been standouts on the Mariners the year- even if Zunino has continued to struggle with his batting average.

Of course, there are other players that many are not aware of, that shined in the minors. Take Tyler O’Neil of the AA Jackson Generals or Eric Filia who spent all of this year with the Everett AquaSox before being promoted to AAA Tacoma Rainers.

But, these are just a few of the names that you’ll see as we run through the review. So, without further ado, let’s breakdown each team’s run at glory.

Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

AAA Tacoma Rainiers

For the AAA Rainiers it was a another great year. Finishing with over eighty wins and making it to the Pacific Coast League semi-finals. They also won the PCL Pacific Northern division by a comfortable 5.5 games.

Their success did have some help from Mariners who were on the mend, but for the most part, it was their roster of prospects that helped push them so far.

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Two, now current Mariners, Mike Freeman and Dan Vogelbach were key components to their winning year. Freeman finished the season with the fifth best batting average in the PCL. Vogelbach finished in the top ten in home runs and third in RBI.

As for the pitching staff, they finished in the top five of all major categories. They had the third lowest ERA, and WHIP in the PCL. The team also finished with the third most saves in the PCL. But that wasn’t all. They even had the fourth most strikeouts. There clearly was little that the entire rotation and bullpen didn’t do.

When you combine the offensive power with the pitching accuracy, it is easy to understand how they did so well. It is surprising they didn’t do even better.

Sep 11, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Edwin Diaz (39) pitches the ball against the Oakland Athletics during the ninth inning at Oakland Coliseum. The Seattle Mariners defeated the Oakland Athletics 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

AA Jackson Generals

Lead by Baseball of America’s Player of the Year, Tyler O’Neil -who lead the league in RBI and was second in home runs- the Generals took charge all season long. The effort put in by the entire team earned them a Southern League title.

Aside from O’Neil, other players like Benji Gonzalez excelled as well. Gonzalez would finish the season with the second most doubles in the SL. Leon Landry would have the second most triples in the league by the end of the year as well.

Not to be left out, the speedster, Ian Miller was second in the SL in steals. He was caught three times in fifty-two attempts.

As for the arms, Ryan Yarbrough lead the way. His 2.95 ERA and 1.11 WHIP were second best in the SL. He would finish the season with a record of 12-4 because of it. But one man can’t go it alone. The efforts of Paul Blackburn and Patrick Johnson helped the Generals have the third lowest ERA in the league.

Aug 23, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais (9) talks during batting practice before a game against the New York Yankees at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

A Clinton Lumberjacks

The Lumberjacks used a complete team effort all season long to demolish the competition. They used their collective effort to cruise to the California League semi-final, but would lose there.

For the Lumberjacks, it was an successful team year. No one player stood out. Anchored

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offensively by Alex Jackson and Logan Taylor’s power, Dalton Kelly’s speed and Chris Mariscal’s consistent hitting, the Lumberjacks could muster enough runs to win a lot of games.

The team won the Midwest League Western Division by 7.5 games with a record of 86-54.

Meanwhile, the rotation was excellent. Clinton had six starters who had an ERA of under three by seasons end. They were lead by, Luis Gohara who finished 5-2 with an ERA of 1.82.

However, their arms from the pen helped back up the starters late in games too. Clinton had three players, Darin Gillies, Spencer Herrmann and Robin Pierce who all threw in at least twenty games and had an ERA under 2.00.

Aug 22, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners general manger Jerry Dipoto laughs with one of his players during batting practice before a game against the New York Yankees at Safeco Field. Seattle defeated New York, 7-5. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

A Bakersfield Blaze

Bakersfield is another example of how a team can come together and collectively overcome their opponent day after day. The Blaze scotched their divisional opponents, eventually wining the division by four games.

Kyle Petty’s hitting topped the team. His batting stats of .329 BA/.409 OBP/.930 OPS were arguably the best numbers in the California League. Also, Chantz Mack’s eighty-nine RBI helped the team bring in much needed runs.

While the bats were humbled, the pitchers were more explosive. Due to that explosiveness, the Blaze had the second best league ERA, 3.95. Jake Zokan was the standout from the pen. His 1.45 ERA over 37.1 innings was immaculate.

Apr 25, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais (9, left) and general manager Jerry Dipoto talk with a member of the Houston Astros during batting practice at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

A Everett AquaSox

Last but not least for the single-A clubs, we have the AquaSox. The AquaSox came up just shy from winning the Northwest League final. They would fall 2-1 in the decisive third game of the series.

But, this isn’t about what the Northwest League North team didn’t do. Rather, this is about what they did do.

For starters, the AquaSox won their division by eleven games. How did they do it? Lead by Eric Filia and Nick Zammarelli at the plate, the team pounded away their competition. Those two men were either at or near the top of the Northwest League stats list for batting average, doubles and RBI.

Their offense was matched by another great bullpen. Again, three guys, Michael koval, Marvin Gorgas and Thomas Burrows each pitched at least nineteen games while maintaining an ERA under 3.00

Sep 30, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto conducts an interview in the dugout before a game against the Houston Astros at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

Arizona League Mariners and Dominican Summer League Mariners

Finally, we have the short season teams. These guys may not have had as many opportunities to flaunt their stuff, but they still were competing for a title.

For the Arizona League squad, they reached the pinnacle by winning the championship. As for the Dominican side, they fared well but couldn’t make it past the semi-final.

In the AZL, it was the closer, Jack Anderson, who was the team MVP. His six saves and 1.89 ERA among AZL closers was second best.

Even if many of the players didn’t qualify as the cream of the crop, the impressive team effort is what powered them to the championship.

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As for the Dominican League studs, it was starter, Andres Torres, who blew the field away. His 1.26 ERA as a starter was fifth best.

The rest of the team did well, but failed to prove they were some of the best players in the league. Nevertheless, the Dominican League Mariners made it so far, so no one is complaining.

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