This year, like every other year, there’s a handful of interesting Mariners prospects in Spring Training this year. Some of them fighting for jobs, and others just up with the big leaguers showing off what they can do to see if they can leave a mark on their coaches’ memories. As minor league camp opens, though, many of them will start to filter off to the other side of the team’s training facility. With many people focusing on the new faces in the organization and some of the players who slumped last season, however, many of these prospects have been flying under the radar a little.
That said, the organization’s two top prospects, 2B Dustin Ackley and RHP Michael Pineda, have been receiving plenty of attention lately. Both are fighting for starting jobs with the major league club, Ackley at second base and Pineda in the starting rotation. Ackley has gotten in to six games and has 17 plate appearances so far. In those 17 PA’s, he’s put up two singles, a double, five walks, and three strikeouts. Reports on his swing have been good, but it sounds as though Ackley might be being a little too patient at the plate so far this spring, often laying off very hittable pitches. Look to see him start swinging more as the games progress and he gets more comfortable. Remember, he’s coming off his first real break since before his senior year of college, so there might be a little bit of rust to shake off.
The reports on Ackley’s defense, the more important factor to whether or not he starts the season in Seattle, have been a little bit of a mixed bag. The consensus so far has been that he certainly has the athleticism and physical skills to play at second base, but he’s still a ways from showing some of the instincts and technique to make people more comfortable at the position. I talked to one prospect analyst a couple of weeks ago who said that he’s certain that Ackley will eventually be at least acceptable at second base, but he’s not sure how long it’s going to take for him to reach that point. Others are less rosy on his chances, with many thinking he’ll never even reach an average level defensively at second, thinking that his best chances to contribute lie in the outfield. Hopefully Ackley reaches his potential at second, because that’s where his greatest value would seem to lie with how his bat projects.
Pineda has done little but draw attention during Spring Training so far. Many writers spent the first couple of weeks of camp penning pieces that were based simply around how huge he is, and how impressive his bullpen sessions were. In his two game appearances so far, Pineda has tossed four innings, striking out two while giving up a hit and two walks. He’s had a few issues with the strike zone early, but that’s hardly unusual for a young pitcher this early in the spring. What has been impressive is his stuff: Shannon Drayer tweeted that scouts were reporting his fastball as running between 95-98 MPH on Monday, and reports throughout the spring have indicated that it’s getting good movement. Not much has been said about his secondary offerings so far, but it does sound as though his changeup is getting steadily more honed in, which bodes well for his ability to hold up as a starter.
Some other prospects of note:
- OF Greg Halman (7 G, 11 PA, .300/.364/.600): Halman has looked quite good in the outfield so far, and his swing has been working well so far, including an absolute bomb of a home run.
- OF Carlos Peguero (5 G, 11 PA. .182/.182/.455): Peguero’s defense has drawn surprisingly positive reviews, and had an impressive gundown of a runner at home. Only has two hits against four strikeouts, though one of the hits was a game-winning home run.
- 1B Mike Carp (7 G, 14 PA, .231/.286/.385): Carp has had a slow start at the plate so far, but his swing has looked pretty smooth early on.
- C Adam Moore (4 G, 8 PA, .429/.500/.714): Not much playing time, but hit a triple that was well struck and well legged-0ut. Early defensive reports have been positive, and it sounds as though he’s been driven to have as positive a showing as possible.
- 3B Matt Mangini: (4 G, 9 PA, .222/.222/.222): Mangini only has two hits so far, but his swing has already been looking quick and solid, which is a good sign after it took him awhile to get it right last year. His defense has been a mixed bag like usual, but his arm has looked a little steadier than it has in the past.
- RHP Josh Lueke (3 G, 4.0 IP): While his velocity isn’t quite there yet (last report had his fastball in the low 90′s), Lueke’s secondary offerings are already drawing rave reviews, especially his splitter. Sounds like he’s definitely going to push for a bullpen slot.
- RHP Dan Cortes (2 G, 2.0 IP): Cortes is struggling badly with his command (1:3 K:BB ratio), and batters have teed off on him while his velo is building up (3 H, 9.00 ERA).
- RHP Jesus Flores (3 G, 3.0 IP): Flores has also struggled with the strike zone (1:2 K:BB ratio), and has been leaving his fastball up in the early goings. Needs to get turned around fast if he’s going to have a shot at making the roster.
- RHP Blake Beavan (2 G, 4.0 IP): Beavan got rattled around a little bit in one of his outings, but his command has been solid so far and his pitches are getting fairly good reviews. Just building his velocity up to par so far.
Original Story:
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