Baseball America's Mariners endorsement hints at Dominic Canzone-style hidden gem

While rummaging through the wreckage of a disastrous 2026 season for the Mariners, there were still some positives to be discovered that provide hope for the future. Arguably the most precious of these was Dominic Canzone proving 2025 wasn't a fluke, as he established himself as an everyday player and finished second on the team with both a .820 OPS and 134 OPS+. So we're sure plenty of fans will be intrigued to know there's a player showing encouraging progress in the M's farm system, who has shades of Canzone about him.

The player in question is Hunter Fitz-Gerald, who's coming off a season which was as impressive as it was surprising. His Double-A campaign in Arkansas saw him break out and show what he's truly capable of, including hitting 29 home runs to effectively double the 15 he had produced in his three previous minor league seasons combined. However, perhaps best of all was that he had 69 total extra-base hits, which tied the White Sox's highly-rated prospect Caleb Bonemer for most in the minors in 2026.

Interestingly, the 25-year-old's success was not enough to force himself into MLB Pipeline's top 30 prospects for the Mariners by season's end. Perhaps this alludes to MLB Pipeline remaining unconvinced, in part due to him being a former 33rd-round draft pick out of high school who became an undrafted free agent out of college. Still, this hasn't stopped Baseball America's Geoff Pontes giving him his props.

Pontes does mention Fitz-Gerald's below-average contact, but raves about his ability to find the barrel for top-of-the scale contact quality: "His max exit velocity in 2026 was 115.4 mph with a high barrel rate. He posted a hard-hit launch angle of 15.1 degrees and a 54% hard-hit rate."

Where have we heard this before about an under-the-radar Mariners prospect?

For us there is plenty of reason for excitement, with hints of Canzone emerging by the comparison as a power-first lefty hitter who never got rave reviews.

Despite the lack of fanfare, the potential for excitement only grows when you note that Baseball America also previously acknowledged Canzone's power back in 2023: "He ranks near the top of the organization in percentage of balls hit 95 mph or harder (40.2) and average exit velocity (89.5 mph), doing so while carrying decent walk (8.5 percent) and strikeout (19.5 percent) rates."

Even if you leave the comparisons aside, there's enough reason to be hopeful about Fitz-Gerald's future in his own right. Chief among the reasons to believe his power is the real deal, is the fact he achieved his success at the plate this season despite playing just over half of his 133 games at Dickey-Stephens Park. The majority of M's fans will be well aware that DSP normally suppresses power as the worst power park in the Texas League. Sure, a .917 OPS on the road jumps out more, but no one is going to sniff at the .809 OPS Fitz-Gerald produced within the pitcher-friendly confines of DSP.

Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised by Fitz-Gerald's success given that he's 6-foot-5 and 230 lbs, but it's impressive nevertheless. At the risk of jumping the gun and while also acknowledging questions remain about his long-term projections, he could be a guy the Mariners use in 2027, even if it would have to be in a DH rotation with Canzone himself.

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