Seattle Mariners: 6 Prospects Likely to Debut in 2019

1B/OF JOEY CURLETTA

Since acquiring Joey Curletta from the Phillies in 2017 for Pat Venditte, all the 24-year-old first baseman has done is hit. That’s not a surprise, coming from a player that was once highly rated in a stacked Los Angeles Dodgers system. Curletta, however, never progressed in the way the Dodgers had hoped, and thus was traded to Philadelphia to finish off the A.J. Ellis-Carlos Ruiz swap in 2016.

It appears now that Curletta has once again found his swing within Seattle’s Minor League ranks. After slashing .256/.343/.441 for High-A Modesto in 2017, Curletta really turned heads this past season with Double-A Arkansas. Over 129 games with the Travelers, Curletta made his presence felt with 24 homers and 94 RBIs, backed by a fantastic 135 wRC+.

Back in July, our friends at Lookout Landing wrote a great piece on Curletta’s newfound plate approach that has clearly had a significantly positive effect on his performance in his Mariners career. Looking to elevate the ball more, the power numbers have followed and Curletta has become a better gap-to-gap hitter. However, he’s still a relatively high strikeout hitter, which rarely translates well to the Major Leagues. But the power is nice and the ability to get on base consistently is even nicer.

Now entering his eighth Minor League season, Curletta has the chance to opt into free agency. For the sake of the article, though, we’ll say he doesn’t and remains with Seattle. That seems fairly likely, given that Curletta will assume a larger role by beginning his 2019 campaign as Triple-A Tacoma’s starting first baseman. With Daniel Vogelbach likely on his way out of the Mariners’ organization this offseason, Curletta path to that job has become crystal clear. While top prospect Evan White is seemingly on Curletta’s heels, the latter is currently on track to make it to the Bigs first, though that may not last for long. Still, my bet’s on seeing Curletta in the navy and teal at some point this season.

RHP ART WARREN

Say what you want about the Mariners, but it cannot be denied that this organization has consistently produced quality bullpen talent. How? Who in the world knows. But they’ve done it, and they have quite a bit of it on the horizon.

Now that Matt Festa has silently sipped his cup of coffee this past season, next in line is 2017 Arizona Fall League standout Art Warren. The converted starter appeared to be on track to make his MLB debut sometime in 2018, but he only managed to pitch 15.2 innings for Double-A Arkansas.

Warren was great when he did pitch, posting a 12.72 K/9 in his limited amount of action. These strikeout numbers are ones we’ve come accustomed to since Warren became a reliever, skyrocketing his value to the Mariners organization as a whole. Powered by a menacing fastball and devastating slider, Warren has found a way to miss bats and impose his will upon opposing hitters.

In all likelihood, Warren will start the 2019 season with Arkansas or Tacoma, but making it on Seattle’s 25-man roster out of the gate is certainly not out of the question. Given that he held a solid role with the Mariners in Spring Training last year, it should be expected that Seattle will give him a long, extended look to see if he’s ready to make the jump right away this March.

If not, it shouldn’t be too long before we see the 25-year-old hurler make his way to the M’s bullpen. Whenever that day comes, fans should definitely be excited. Warren may not be Edwin Díaz, but he has the potential of being a back-end piece teams fear late in games. That’s a very valuable player, and one the Mariners could greatly use in this time of need.

RHP WYATT MILLS

Right on Warren’s heels is Wyatt Mills, a sidearmer that currently ranks ninth in MLB Pipeline’s top 30 for the Mariners. The Gonzaga product was selected 93rd overall in the 2017 MLB Draft after dominating the college ranks. Mills quickly became one of the Mariners’ best relieving prospects, immediately showing an ability to translate his nasty delivery to a professional setting.

In 2017, Mills only appeared in 20.1 innings for Low-A Everett and Single-A Clinton, but made the most out of the limited time given. The 23-year-old reliever really began to turn heads in both the organization and the fanbase after dominating High-A Modesto for the majority of his 2018 campaign. In Modesto, Mills flashed an incredible K/9 of 10.42 compared to an even better 1.91 BB/9, serving in a late-inning role that occasionally saw him in a save opportunity.

Things didn’t go as well for Mills after being promoted to Double-A Arkansas, who saw his ERA skyrocket after a five-run outing and a pair of three-run games. Still, it’s hard for pitchers to immediately adjust to an uptick in competition mid-season, often finding that certain things that worked in a lower level don’t at a higher level.

Mills will likely start his 2019 campaign back with the Travelers, and will surely bounce back from that nine-game nightmare this past season. A future in Triple-A Tacoma may be a possibility for him this season, but a jump straight to the MLB may be more likely. In that case, we could see Mills as early as June of next year.

OF BRADEN BISHOP

It may not be so far-fetched to say that Braden Bishop has silently been Seattle’s best prospect. Before an unfortunate forearm injury abruptly ended his season, Bishop was well on his way to joining Triple-A Tacoma in 2018. Selected 94th overall in the 2015 MLB Draft out of the University of Washington, Bishop has hit well above-average at every level within the Mariners organization. It had seemed that, if he had made it to Tacoma this season, that trend would have definitely continued and Bishop would potentially be on his way to making Seattle’s roster out of Spring Training.

Bishop is a career .294/.366/.385 hitter in the Minor Leagues, posting a 114 wRC+ and an average walk-rate of 8.3%. He’s shown the ability to swipe a few bags over that time, stealing 48 bases, but his speed is best exhibited in the outfield. In fact, Bishop’s bat has overachieved in ways, as the 25-year-old outfielder was drafted a defense-first player, often drawing “future Gold Glover” projections. If the bat is here to stay, which it appears to be, then Bishop’s ceiling has shot up from a potential JaCoby Jones, Delino DeShields type to something more along the lines of Kevin Pillar.

He may not have the highest ceiling of the current Mariners class, but he may have the highest floor at this point. It’s very hard to imagine Bishop completely failing at the Major League level, never developing into at least a quality fourth outfielder. That’s a very good feeling to have if you’re Seattle, who don’t have a lot of “sure things” in their farm system at the moment.

As a side note, you can never write about Bishop without mentioning his charity 4MOM, a foundation that helps the lives of those affected by Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Bishop started the fund in college after his mother, Suzy, was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s. The success of 4MOM really kicked into high gear when Bishop entered the M’s organization, allowing the great Seattle fanbase to really take note and help this amazing cause. With great support from the Mariners, Bishop’s family has grown exponentially over the course of his incredible journey. Consider donating, if you haven’t already or would like to again, by visiting www.4momalz.com.

While Bishop has shown the ability to be a great baseball player, he’s an even better person. For that, I’m very excited to welcome him to the Mariners when his time comes relatively soon.

1B EVAN WHITE

Despite a well-documented history of mediocrity, the Mariners have had great success in supplementing several of their positions over the years. For some reason, however, they just can’t find a solution at first base. In comes Evan White, who may immediately become the MLB’s best defensive first baseman upon his arrival.

Last week, White was awarded the 2018 Rawlings Minor League Gold Glove for his elite defensive play at the corner over the course of this past season. This is nothing new to White, who also pocketed two Gold Gloves back at the University of Kentucky. While White’s bat impressed scouts in college, the defensive success drove his stock all the way into the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft, where the Mariners selected him 17th overall.

Alike Braden Bishop, White has always been regarded as a defense-first player when projecting his outlook for the MLB. His bat was raw, but showed gap-to-gap power with the ability to get one over the fence every now and then. In 2018, however, White came into his own offensively, reaping the rewards of an adjusted swing and plate approach. Over the course of 120 games with High-A Modesto, White slashed .303/.375/.458 with 11 home runs and 66 RBIs, which earned him an invite to this year’s Arizona Fall League.

White even saw some time in Triple-A Tacoma this year, going 4-for-18 in four games. Given this experience, it’s not out of the question that White may skip Double-A altogether and begin his 2019 season with the Rainiers. Taking over Joey Curletta’s role as Arkansas’s starting first baseman seems to be a more likely outcome, though.

There really is no rush for White to make it to the Majors, really. With Ryon Healy under club control for the next four years, and Robinson Canó potentially heading there full-time in the latter years of his career, the Mariners aren’t necessarily dying to fill their first base role. But White seems close to being Major League ready, and another successful year in the Minors for him may result in a September call-up in 2019.

OF KYLE LEWIS

Well, we’ve made it. The Mariners finally have a legitimate number one prospect on the verge of making his Major League debut. However, Kyle Lewis hasn’t gotten to this point unscathed, suffering a torn ACL in his first season of professional baseball that has ultimately had a negative impact on his production over the last two years.

Lewis probably shouldn’t make his debut in 2019, but all signs seem to be pointing to it happening. Following the injury, Lewis has dealt with lingering knee issues that have held him back from playing on a consistent basis. When he has played, he’s been average at best.

Despite showing flashes of greatness on occasion, Lewis only managed to get on base at a lowly .303 clip with an even more discouraging 26.1 K% for High-A Modesto. When Braden Bishop’s season ended with a fractured forearm, Lewis was called up to Double-A Arkansas to take his place. This felt like a desperation move in order to speed-up Lewis’ progression, as the 23-year-old clearly didn’t earn the promotion with his play at the lower levels.

After the call-up, Lewis continued to struggle but showed some signs of improvement. His K% shot down roughly five points, while his BB% shot up about six points. His average went down to .220, but the OBP was improved to .309. Still, not great numbers, but we’ll take any encouragement we can get from the former Golden Spikes award winner.

Jerry Dipoto mentioned Lewis as one of the top Mariners prospects he expects to see in either late 2019 or early 2020, further adding fuel to the idea that we may see Lewis at some point this year. Given that the Mariners have some question marks regarding their outfield going into the upcoming offseason, it makes sense that Lewis may get his opportunity sooner rather than later, even if he hasn’t necessarily earned it.