Down on the Farm: Promotion-ready Prospects

Arkansas Travelers (28-17, 2nd in Texas League North)

The Travelers continue to roll in the box and on the bump. Bryan Woo is in the top five in many pitching categories, including ERA, BAA, SO, and WHIP. If he were pitching for any other team than the Mariners, he'd be promoted by now. One thing he can solidify is his pitch counts. He's averaging 5 2/3 innings per start. It would be nice to see the 23-year-old flamethrower go deeper into games.

As for the possible promotions, following up on the pitching side is Prelander Berroa, who we wrote about a few weeks ago when the team transitioned him to the bullpen. He's been lights out, flashing his plus-plus slider and triple-digit heat.

The only downside are the walks. They are still there (6 since moving to RP) but less prevalent. If Berroa can continue to shave those free passes down, we could see him in Seattle by midseason.

There is a logjam of outfielders at Tacoma, which is complicating any promotions from Arkansas. For example, Spencer Packard is well-advanced for the Texas League and ready for Tacoma. Still, there must be more at-bats with Adam Engel, Zach Deloach, Cade Marlowe, and, more than likely, Taylor Trammell in the wings. I'm still banking on Packard making the trip to Cheney soon; the slash line (.306/.412/.866) tells the story of a player well above his peers.