Get to Know New Mariners Prospect SS Michael Arroyo

The Seattle Mariners added to their loaded farm system over the weekend by coming to reported agreements with some high-profile International Free Agents. The class of signees was led by Lazaro Montes, but the team added some other very good players. One of those players is Columbian shortstop Michael Arroyo. The 17-year-old was born in Cartagena, Columbia, and currently stands at 5’10” and weighs 170 pounds.

Michael Arroyo is currently a shortstop who has good tools across the board. MLB Pipeline rates him as the 41st best player in this class. They also give him a 55 hit tool, 45 power, 50 arm, 50 run, and 50 fielding grades. He truly has the potential to be a good up-the-middle player with 5 tools. He could be an impact player down the road for the Mariners as he grows up and matures.

Michael Arroyo is a great signing for the Mariners and is worthy of recognition

Arroyo is reportedly signing for about $1.2-1.3 million with the M’s, and he is one of the three players the Mariners spent seven figures on. The Mariners are spending slightly less on Arroyo than they did on Julio Rodriguez and Noelvi Marte. Both were signed for $1.75 and $1.55 million, and Arroyo is in that same price range. It is hard to expect Arroyo to be a top 15 prospect in the game like those two, but he could be a good prospect once he makes his debut.

Michael Arroyo will play in the Dominican Summer League this summer, and probably make his stateside debut in 2023 if everything goes well. He is years away from even being in the conversation for being on the big league roster, but he offers Jerry Dipoto and his staff another good prospect.

Joe Doyle here lists Michael Arroyo as a third baseman, and even though most say he is a shortstop, he is not a lock to stay there. Some think he could move to second or third base, but if he has a good contact bat and not a ton of power, second base profiles better for him. I see him similarly to Edwin Arroyo, who the Mariners drafted in 2021, and think they could be similar middle infield prospects for the Mariners going forward.

It is unsure where exactly Michael Arroyo will slot into the Mariners prospect ranks, but I would say probably late teens to mid-20s is a solid landing spot for him. Arroyo offers the Mariners a plus middle infield prospect who can fill in a later wave of prospects to help the big league team down the road. He fits nicely into the system, and he could be one of the more impact players down the road for the Seattle Mariners.