Hot-hitting prospect soars through Mariners' farm system

19-year-old infielder, Michael Arroyo, is climbing the organizational ladder thanks in part to a nuclear month torching California League pitching.

Seattle Mariners v Washington Nationals
Seattle Mariners v Washington Nationals / Scott Taetsch/GettyImages

This week, MLB Pipeline experts Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo penned an article highlighting each organization's hottest-hitting prospect. The Mariners had a handful of options, with Brock Rodden, Lazaro Montes, RJ Schreck, and Felnin Celestin hitting above .300 this month. However, the well-informed duo landed on the recently promoted Michael Arroyo.

Seattle's 9th-ranked prospect, Arroyo, started the season in Modesto, displaying his 55-grade hit tool near the top of a dynamic Nuts' lineup.

The Mariners signed Arroyo during the 2022 International Signing Period, with scouts using superlatives like "pure hitter," which seems to be the case. Arroyo's California League performance as a 19-year-old has been tremendous. Over the past month, he's slashed .341/.486/.659 with seven homers. The Mariners' developmental staff made a significant move by promoting the infielder last week to Everett, where he's a catalyst for the Aquasox and another top prospect, Lazaro Montes.

Arroyo has just two Northwest League games under his belt, but the performance is promising. Again, he is one of the youngest prospects in the league, and we're talking about being on base six times in two games. Those numbers are sustainable, but if Arroyo can dominate High-A like he did Low-A, we could see a massive jump in prospect rankings organizationally and MiLB-wide.

The only knock on Arroyo is he's a man without a position. Modesto Nuts manager Vince Vincej moved him around the infield (2B, SS, 3B) to keep the bat in the lineup. The fielding and arm strength grade out as average and definitely below average at shortstop, where his limitations are tested. In the best-case scenario, Arroyo makes strides defensively while playing second base for the Aquasox. The keystone would protect the lack of range and arm strength and give one of the Mariners top-hitting prospects a long-term home.

Keep an eye on Arroyo this summer, whether in Everett or as a critical trade chip in a deal to augment an anemic Mariner lineup.