Mariners' Hunter Fitz-Gerald is the minor league XBH machine nobody knows about

With the Mariners' tragic number for elimination from the playoffs now down to seven, the stark reality staring fans in the face is that this season has been an unmitigated disaster. Now more than ever, there's a need to look to the minors for success stories within the organization. Arguably the biggest success story of 2026 for the M's farm system is also the most surprising, in Hunter Fitz-Gerald.

As knowledgeable and passionate as the Mariners fanbase is, they could still be forgiven for wondering who the heck Fitz-Gerald is. After all, we're talking about a player who was selected in the 33rd round by the Rockies back in 2019, and then signed by the Mariners as an undrafted free agent in 2023 after failing to raise his stock in college. As per MLB Pipeline he's not in the Mariners' top 30 prospects list, and yet he seemingly came out of nowhere to just complete an outstanding campaign in Double-A Arkansas.

How outstanding? Well, how about a .279/.338/.527 slash line with a .865 OPS and 128 wRC+ over 133 games, which includes 29 home runs, 100 RBI, 43 walks, 14 stolen bases and 82 runs. What's particularly interesting is that heading into this season Fitz-Gerald had just 15 homers in 181 career minor league games, yet even nearly doubling his previous output isn't the most impressive thing he achieved in 2026.

The Boca Raton, Florida native finished the minor league regular season with 69 total extra-base hits, comprised of 37 doubles, three triples and the aforementioned 29 home runs. This was good enough to see him tie with Caleb Bonemer for the most by any MiLB hitter this season. For some context, MLB Pipeline has Bonemer ranked as the White Sox's No. 2 prospect, and 29th overall in baseball.

Just when you think what Hunter Fitz-Gerald has accomplished can't get any better

If possible, making Fitz-Gerald's achievements even more impressive is the fact that he played just over half of his games at Dickey-Stephens Park, which is the worst power park in the Texas League. Yes, he did do better on the road with a .288 batting average and .917 OPS, but hitting .270 with a .809 OPS at home in 69 games was excellent when considering the compromising circumstances of DSP. However, if someone was built to succeed in this setting, perhaps it makes sense that it would be a guy who's built like a tank at 6-foot-5 and 230 lbs.

On top of everything else, Fitz-Gerald finished the campaign with a 15-game hitting streak which was the longest of the season by a Traveler.

It will be interesting to see what lies ahead for Fitz-Gerald, given that he will turn 26 in December. For what it's worth, he went to Marjory Stoneman-Douglas High School, which is where Anthony Rizzo, Jesús Luzardo and Roman Anthony come from. Incidentally, he played under his dad Todd, who has been extremely successful as the Eagles' head coach, with six National titles and eight State titles.

Ultimately, even if Fitz-Gerald's future does not include playing in the majors, what he has done this season is deserving of putting some respect on his name.

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