The Phoenix looks to take flight from the backfields of Arizona
In ancient mythology, the phoenix is a bird that burns and regenerates from its own ashes, a symbol of resurrection and endurance. In 1868, the city of Phoenix borrowed the name to represent a city springing from the ruins of another civilization, the people who originally occupied the Salt River valley (“Ho Ho Kam” – the people who have left). And nearby that city, on the backfields of Peoria, a new phoenix waits to arise: Felnin Celesten, the Mariners’ 19-year-old shortstop prospect, who goes by the nickname “El Fénix.”
Felnin Celesten’s self-designed custom “fenix” logo with an interlocking “FC.” The phoenix symbol has special significance to him, especially after battling injuries early in his career.
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“I picked it myself,” Celesten explained through Mariners translator Freddy Llanos, “to remind myself never to give up, even in the low points.”
“The more you get burnt, the stronger you become.”
There have been burns of various degrees in the early going for Felnin Celesten (“Fel-neen Cell-ess-TEN”). The Mariners signed Celesten as the headliner of their 2023 IFA class, giving him the largest bonus in team history to land the second-highest rated player in the class. But Celesten wasn’t able to play in his signing year due to a hamstring injury that knocked him out of the Dominican Summer League, where most highly-touted international prospects get their first taste of pro ball. The Mariners sent him to the Complex League in 2024, where he battled a nagging wrist injury, finally having his season cut short after he re-aggravated the wrist sliding into second and required surgery to clear out prior scar tissue from a previous hamate bone injury.
It was a disappointing end to what looked like a luminescent first season for Celesten, who batted .352/.431/.568 in 32 games in the ACL while striking out less than 20% of the time and walking 12.5% of the time.
“I learned more about myself, even in those few games that I played. I learned what I can do in certain situations, where I can help the team the most when I’m on the field.”
“I’ve always felt like I was a player who could hit the ball hard, put it in play, and run fast, and now I’ve learned I can be a leader, as well.”
That leadership starts from his position on the field. Celesten is already a gifted natural athlete up the middle at shortstop, but he’s apprenticed himself to Perry Hill, who he says has explained many defensive fundamentals to him along with his “trucos” – his “tricks” – of the six Fs of fielding. You can see Hill’s influence on Celesten in a play this spring: on the pitcher’s first move, his glove is away from his body and in front of him in the ready position, his back is bent, and his feet are separated, balanced and ready to take him to the ball (“footwork” and “field”). That starting position allows him to scamper to a ball hit well to his right, scoop it up (“funnel” and “footwork”) and still have time to plant his feet and make an accurate throw (“fire” and “follow”).
This play by Mariners prospect Felnin Celesten shows off his range and arm: great first step quickness, stops his momentum and throws accurately for the out.
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But in order to be a field general, Celesten has to actually be on the field, and he recognizes that his career has been stalled by his injuries. In the off-season, Celesten emphasized strengthening his body, adding muscle to protect his durability on the field and working on developing a daily care routine he could bring into the season. “I feel good now,” Celesten said, saying he’s free from the wrist pain that nagged him most of last season. “I know how to take care of myself every day, and follow the process.” His number one goal is to play a full season, whether that’s in Arizona or Modesto or a combination of the two.
He’s also focused on learning as much as he can to prepare him for his journey into full-season ball. He’s leaned on fellow Latino prospects Lazaro Montes and Michael Arroyo, both of whom have already advanced to High-A and are poised to move to the upper minors, for advice. Even in his brief exposure to the big-league clubhouse and games this spring, he’s marveled at the level of consistent professionalism, even in the smallest things like running the bases or player routines. He’s also been honored this spring to learn from Hall-of-Famer Edgar Martínez, who he says is a great person with equally great advice for the young switch-hitter, who says he picked up switch-hitting as a young kid because no one else in his league did it, and he wanted to be different.
For now, Celesten is focused on Friday’s Spring Breakout game, when he’ll have the opportunity to take the field with the rest of the prospects from the Mariners organization to face off against the Guardians’ top prospects, something he calls “a beautiful thing.”
“I think everyone gives 100%, because we’re trying to showcase our abilities with the other team. So the competition is definitely elevated.”
The Spring Breakout game will be a chance for Celesten to show just how high this Fénix can fly. You can watch him and the rest of the Mariners’ top prospects this Friday in the Spring Breakout game, airing at 5:05 PT on ROOT Sports.