Jerry Dipoto's latest international prize is already off and running for Mariners

When the Mariners announced their first five additions of the 2026 international signing period, the headliner was Juan Rijo, the No. 12 international prospect according to MLP Pipeline. What was particularly interesting though, was Gregory Pio received a larger signing bonus from the M's despite being rated at No. 32. Well, it's still early days, but so far he's justifying the faith placed in him by the organization.

Pio was assigned to the DSL Mariners to begin his professional career and as much as hopes are high for what he's capable of, he's actually exceeding the early expectations thus far. The Dominican Republic native has been raking through his first 11 games, resulting in an eye-bulging .436/.510/.821 slash line, 1.331 OPS, and 192 wRC+.

When Pio was signed, the scouting report said he wasn't as polished as a hitter compared to Rijo. However, we're pretty sure the Mariners organization has no issue with the 16-year-old seemingly being ahead of schedule! What's really stood out has been the ability to spray the ball all over the field, with his 17 hits including six doubles, three triples and a home run (which came in his 10th game).

Gregory Pio is proving to be a multi-faceted threat for the Mariners organization

There's more than one trick to this pony though, with Pio showing patience and maturity beyond his years in only having a 14.3 percent strikeout rate. He's also dangerous when he gets on base, using his plus speed to steal five bases, score 11 runs and just prove he can hurt you in any number of ways. Additionally, he's already putting his overall athleticism and strength to good use in the outfield, with him projected to be a center fielder long-term thanks to the tools at his disposal.

The international market is often perceived as much more of a roll of the dice compared to the draft, and understandably so. However, M's president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto does have the major win with Julio Rodríguez, and more may be on the way. We're specifically talking about Lazaro Montes, Michael Arroyo and Felnin Celesten, who were also signed off the international market.

Montes, Arroyo and Celesten have all shown their batting prowess this season with impressive respective hitting steaks, and are all rated as top-100 prospects by MLB Pipeline. The trio figure to help the Mariners down the road, whether it be in the big leagues or as trade assets. Now add in what Pio's been doing so far -- again with the caveat that it's early days -- and this may only cement Dipoto's standing as a guru when it comes to discovering and developing young talent.

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