Baseball America gives Mariners fans a tip for watching Jonny Farmelo this spring

Despite being selected in the first round of the 2023 draft, Jonny Farmelo hasn't had the easiest professional career thus far. He got off to a hot start by posting a 127 wRC+ with Single-A Modesto in 2024 before a knee injury limited him to just 46 games. He missed more time in 2025 and played just 29 games in High-A, posting a 102 wRC+.

But now that he's healthy, it looks like things are finally coming together. He was a full participant in the Arizona Fall League, where he hit for a .847 OPS over 101 plate appearances, and he finally seems poised to tap into the tools that made him a highly touted prospect three years ago. However, his injury-riddled development has created a glaring issue he'll need to iron out.

So far, Jonny Farmelo has struggled to make contact against tougher pitching competition

Jesús Cano of Baseball America recently published a list of prospects who are bounce-back candidates in 2026. When discussing Farmelo, he pointed out that one of the underdeveloped parts of his approach was getting his bat to the ball.

"When on the field, Farmelo struggled to make consistent contact, posting a 36.6% overall miss rate and 27.7% in-zone whiff rate. He showed particular difficulty handling premium velocity and quality breaking balls, issues that were likely compounded by the stop-and-start nature of his development."

Jesús Cano

For context, a 27.7 in-zone whiff rate would've been the second-highest mark in the majors last year for qualified players, trailing only Rafael Devers (28.6). It's still possible to succeed even with so many swings and misses in the zone (Devers still managed a 135 wRC+), but it's an issue he'll have to iron out if he wants to ascend the minor league ranks.

He'll get his next chance in spring training, where he'll be joining the Mariners as a non-roster invitee and facing opposing pitchers of varying degrees of skill and experience. Fortunately for him, the World Baseball Classic should leave more at-bats on the table and give him more reps to make up for lost time.

He's still just 21 years old, but Seattle will undoubtedly be keeping their first-round pick under a microscope as they assess his future value. He doesn't quite have the same pedigree as other names like Colt Emerson and Lazaro Montes and the Mariners have already parted with the player that was drafted right after Farmelo, indicating they have no qualms with acting decisively. It may not be a make or break year for Jonny Farmelo just yet but he'll have even more to prove when March inevitably rolls around.