Seattle Mariners Top 30 Prospects: 25-21, Finally Some Bats

24. Joey Curletta, 1B/DH

Coming in at number 24 is the right-handed power bat of Joey Curletta. Acquired by the Mariners on March 12, 2017, from the Philadelphia Phillies for Pat Venditte, Curletta is one of the more intriguing bats in the Mariners system.

After posting solid numbers in 2017, Curletta burst onto the scene in 2018. In 123 games in AA Arkansas, he slashed .283/.382/.482 with 23 home runs and 81 walks. He also cranked 24 doubles and added 94 RBI.

So why has Curletta fallen under the radar despite these numbers? His tools don’t make him out to be this good. But remember what we said in our first installment? Sometimes players outperform their tools.

That’s not to say that Curletta doesn’t have some faults. He is destined to be a first baseman or DH, severely limiting his value to a big league club. There are also concerns about his bat speed being able to handle big league pitching.

While the jump from AA to AAA won’t be much of a problem, there are legitimate concerns that the bat won’t be able to play against the best in the world. And since Curletta isn’t going to provide value in the field or on the basepaths, he needs to hit.

Listed at 6’4, 245 lbs, the Mariners believe the burly first baseman is worth taking a look at this spring. They protected him in the Rule 5 draft by adding him to the 40-man roster. The 24-year-old will be 25 in a few weeks and is slightly older than the average AA player.

Curletta could have an opportunity to show what he can do against big league arms during Spring Training and if he can show the bat speed necessary to do damage, he could become a serious prospect sooner than later.

Scouting Grades- Hit: 45 Power: 60 Arm: 50 Run: 45 Field: 40 Probability: 2/5