Mariners Minor League Recap, Week 24: September 16 – September 22

One down, one to go

As seasons end and championship series rage on, the Mariner affiliates find themselves positioned well to win some titles in the 2024 playoffs. With one ring locked down and one more in the balance, it’s sure to promise just a few more days of electrifying baseball. One last time for old time’s sake, let’s kick things off with the one and only Tacoma Rainiers.

Tacoma Rainiers

39-36, 2nd in PCL West

‘Twas too little, too late for Tacoma, who officially missed the postseason and will not get to play any more baseball this season. Tacoma, who ended up missing the playoffs by 5.5 games, was consistent all year, but lacked enough fire power to truly be a division winner. Jason Vosler and Ryan Bliss stood out as the team’s best offensive threats, and Tyler Locklear showed flashes of what’s to come, but the rest of the lineup was inconsistent and losing Spencer Packard to injury certainly did not help. Obviously a disappointing end to the season for the Rainiers, but this looked like the most probable outcome for quite some time. Not so much a heartbreaker as it was a slow descent into a fate already sealed. They’ll look to rebound next year, perhaps returning with a similar core of offensive talent.

Arkansas Travelers

The Travs battled their way through the first round of the playoffs and find themselves down a game in the league title bout with Midland. Both Cole Young and Harry Ford have been on fire throughout the playoff run, batting over .400 and carrying the top of the lineup. Jared Oliva, an unsung hero as of late, has been another key contributor offensively and has played some really nice ball down the stretch. They’ll have Brandyn Garcia on the bump for the win-or-go-home game on Tuesday evening, but he’ll have to conquer a formidable Midland lineup who put up ten runs in game one. I know I’ll be tuning in to watch that game, and I’d encourage you to do the same.

Modesto Nuts

Champions. Make it back-to-back years with a Modesto Nuts title. It wasn’t always pretty, but they found a way to get it done when it mattered most. Newcomer Josh Caron came up with the season clinching base knock and was easily the most impressive bat throughout the playoffs for the Nuts. If you want a bullpen name to watch for, Brock Moore is that guy.

That wraps up the penultimate minor league recap. With only Arkansas still in the mix, we’re truly approaching the end of the line on what has been an amazing minor league season. As always, GOMS!