Double-A and Dickey-Stephens Park has proved a tall task for Mariners prospects in the past
As the regular season approaches, so too is it time for the minor league season to start up. The Mariners have one of the best farm systems in baseball, and following the minor-league games is both exciting and often a welcome balm when the big-league club is frustrating. Check in on Mondays, the MiLB off-day, for our weekly minor-league roundup to track all your favorite prospects. (Here’s a link to the first one as the Triple-A season got underway this past Friday). To get you ready for the MiLB season, as we do every year, we’ll be previewing each affiliate, going over the schedule, coaching staff, and projected rosters.
We started at the top, with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers, who opened their season this past Friday, March 28; next up, the other affiliate that constitutes the “high minors”, the Double-A Arkansas Travelers, who are the reigning Texas League champs, and have a charming Backyard Baseball aesthetic in their announcement this week.
2025 Schedule:
The Travelers begin their season this Friday, May 4 on the road against the Midland Rockhounds, the Athletics affiliate. After the weekend series, the Travs will return home for a regular full week with the home opener set for April 8, and then return to the standard home-week road-week alternating schedule, with Mondays as off days. Full schedule is available here.
Coaching Staff:
Former Mariner Ryan Scott earns a promotion to the high minors, moving up from High-A Everett to serve as the Travs skipper. He’ll bring with him another former Mariner and Everett coach, Seth Mejias-Brean, to act as hitting coach. Pitching coach Cameron Ming also moves up from Everett. Rounding out the crew is beloved longtime Mariners minor-league coach José Umbría, who returns to Arkansas to serve as bench coach.
Broadcast Information:
Every Travelers game is broadcast on MiLB TV, and you can also listen to the broadcast via the MiLB app or via internet radio (KBZU 106.7) with the voice of the Travelers, Steven Davis. Games usually start around 4 PM Pacific time, giving you an opportunity to get a jump start on your baseball for the day.
2025 Roster:
This year’s Travs roster doesn’t have the prospect power the championship squad had last year, as the team currently falls into the donut hole where the upper-level prospects like Ford and Young are at Triple-A, with a significant portion of the team’s top prospects clustered at High-A Everett. Keep an eye out for midseason promotions, though, especially some of the fast-moving college arms the Mariners drafted last year.
Catchers:
Connor Charping, Nick Raposo, Julio E. Rodriguez
Raposo and The Other Julio are both minor league journeymen catchers who came from other organizations (the Blue Jays and Tigers/Cardinals respectively), while Charping is a homegrown Mariner, signed as an UDFA in 2022. This group will get interesting when/if 2024 fourth-rounder Josh Caron makes his way up from Everett, but that promotion would be a long way off, as Caron logged just 47 at-bats in Modesto last season and could well start the year there.
Infielders/Utility:
Hunter Fitz-Gerald, Josh Hood, Ben Ramirez, Brock Rodden, Hogan Windish
Windish returns for a second season in Arkansas. His offensive approach is one that DSP commonly neutralizes, and last year’s struggles may be due in part to the play environment, however he’ll have to prove he can overcome his lack of bat to ball skills and become a consistent power threat once again. Ramirez was a mid-season callup, as was Rodden, who earned a mid-season promotion to Arkansas and wound up winning an MiLB Gold Glove for second base. Josh Hood will be a familiar name to Everett AquaSox fans, as will Hunter Fitz-Gerald, a 2023 UDFA getting his first taste of the high minors. Ultimately this group provides a solid floor, but will get a lot more interesting if the Mariners are aggressive with promoting any of the infield prospects from Modesto like Michael Arroyo or Colt Emerson.
Utility (INF/OF):
Caleb Cali, Blake Rambusch
Cali saw significant playing time this spring with the big-league club and finished last season strong for the AquaSox as their primary third baseman. A later round draft selection in the 2023 class, Cali has been a nice surprise for a system that doesn’t have a ton of corner infield depth currently. The glove has come along nicely, however it’s the bat that’s got him this far. He’s an easy one to root for.
Rambusch is a utility guy who’s bounced around during his time in the system and has struggled to hit at the Double-A level but provides good flexibility and some grittiness to the squad.
Outfielders:
Yoyner Fajardo, Bill Knight, Victor Labrada, Jared Sundstrom
The outfield squad for this year’s Traveler team features some names the more prospect-inclined fan might be familiar with, as both Bill Knight and Jared Sundstrom make their Double-A debuts. Knight, a 10th rounder out of Mercer, shows some good skills in CF and some pop in his bat while Sundstrom has been one of the most steady contributors in the lower minors for several years and brings a ton of tools to the table. The hulking OF runs well and has massive power, and saw significant big-league playing time this spring, where he was impressive. DSP will be a test for him, but he’s certainly got the pop to overcome it. Labrada, a longtime member of the system, features excellent speed and streaky hitting while Fajarado is new to the system, having spent time in both the Minnesota and Pittsburgh systems prior to this year.
Pitchers:
Juan Burgos, Yorlin Calderon, Matt Cronin, Dylan File, Taylor Floyd, Nick Fraze, Brandyn García, Garrett Hill, Michael Hobbs, Jimmy Joyce, Jimmy Kingsbury, Jason Ruffcorn, Adam Seminaris, Danny Wirchansky
Aside from García, this group is thin on ranked prospects. The next closest is Burgos, a long-tenured Mariner minor-leaguer, signed in the 2019 IFA period. He’s made some real improvements with his command while maintaining a double-digit strikeout rate and the Mariners had him on the roster for the Spring Breakout game, although he wound up not pitching.
However, there’s always a chance that a reclamation project change-of-scenery candidate pops under Mariners’ pitching development. Seminaris is an interesting name; coming out of LBSU, he drew Tom Glavine comparisons due to his ability to outfox hitters with an arsenal that wasn’t overpowering but played as more than the sum of its parts; he’ll be able to give the Travs some length in a rotation that lacks a clear frontline starter. Hobbs is a former Mets MiLB Rule 5 draft pick who the Mariners traded for this spring. Wirchansky was very good for the Travs last season, leading the Texas League in ERA and logging a healthy amount of innings. He’s a pitchability lefty that’s more funk over stuff. The two Jimmys, Joyce and Kingsbury, can provide some length for the Travelers and are fastball-slider guys. Jason Ruffcorn had some unfortunate luck last season in Everett, but can rush his fastball up there from a lower slot.
Prospects to Watch:
Brandyn Garcia is now in a new role, working as a bullpen piece as he aims for the big leagues this season. He was dominant as a starter last season, however with his massive stuff from the left hand side and experience working as a reliever in college, Garcia’s transition to the ‘pen should be much smoother than last year’s subject Logan Evans. His sinker-slider combination is hellish and gets both lefties and righties out consistently. With as dynamic as his arsenal can be, the organization wants to get him to Seattle as soon as possible, and the bullpen is the easiest pathway for that to happen. He’s certainly a name to know for this season and should be up in the majors sooner than later.