LL’s top Mariners prospects 2020: 35-31

It’s prospect ranking season, and you know what that means: going to town on a big bowl of chowder!

It’s prospect ranking season, and you know what that means: the Kool-Aid man composing a stirring aria!

It’s prospect ranking season, and you know what that means: landscape farts

Sorry, I thought I’d try to Cards Against Humanity this intro, since it gets pretty boring typing the same stuff over and over again, and I assume boring to read it as well. If you’ve missed any parts of the list so far, catch up on 50-46, 45-41, and 40-36 here, or read the intro to the whole shebang here. Anyway, here’s Wonderwall.

35. 3B Bobby Honeyman

Honeyman, a senior sign in 2018, gets points for being the best defensive third baseman in a system that’s desperately thin on them, as well as for his high-average contact-based approach. After a torrid start to his pro career in Everett in 2018, Honeyman had a slower start in West Virginia last season, but finished strong down the stretch, slashing .339./379/.422 in July and ending the season with 7 HR and 20 doubles, 10 of which came during a particularly hot stretch in June. If Honeyman can translate those doubles into home runs in Modesto, the profile takes a considerable upswing, but the defensive ability and on-base skills provide a fairly safe floor.

34. RHP Damon Casetta-Stubbs

Tall, broad-shouldered, and sturdy, Casetta-Stubbs looks like what you’d get if you wrote a code for “ideal starting pitcher’s body”, although his results thus far demonstrate why high school pitchers are such a risky demographic. As yet, DCS hasn’t quite harnessed the potential in each of his pitches. His sinking fastball remains in the 92-93 mph range despite his obvious size and strength; the slider at its best has tight spin but can get lazy and loopy; and the changeup, as one would expect with a young pitcher, lags behind the other two pitches in polish. To his credit, however, Casetta-Stubbs has an extremely mature mound presence for a young pitcher, able to maintain his composure even when things go sideways or there are field errors made behind him. He’s not afraid to pitch up in the zone with the fastball for swinging strikes, nor is he afraid of much else, having been sent all over the Mariners organization from Arizona to Everett to West Virginia to Modesto for a spot start. With his combination of mound presence and raw stuff, it will be fun to watch DCS’s developmental journey as he moves through the organization.

33. RHP José Corniell

We’ve gone “TBD” on most of the other 2019 J2 signees, but with Corniell we have a little more information: first, a firsthand scouting report from Baseball America’s Ben Badler, and then the telling moment at the last Mariners Town Hall when Jerry Dipoto mentioned Corniell as someone the organization views as a fast mover and future contributor—rare and high praise for any player in the DSL, but especially for one who hadn’t thrown a professional pitch at the time. Corniell stands out for his pure physicality, broad-chested with long legs and arms that have already become visibly more developed in his brief few months at the Academy. Corniell is already up to 93 with sink and shows better-than-average command of his secondary pitches; he profiles as a fast mover, especially if his pro debut goes well this season.

32. OF Dom Thompson-Williams

Part of the return in the James Paxton trade, DTW scuffled in his first exposure to Double-A, fighting both cavernous Dickey-Stephens park (albeit as a lefty batter) and his own health, as a variety of minor injuries stole some playing time from him. Unfortunately, the news on the health front isn’t any better, as DTW will miss the entirety of the 2020 season as he rehabs a torn Achilles. It’s the worst possible timing for the injury, too, as DTW is coming off his worst season as a pro, with a career-high strikeout rate, and could use a get-right tour with the bouncy ball in Triple-A. Instead, he’ll be 26 creeping up on 27 when he’s able to return to regular game action and attempting to re-establish his prospect status.

31. OF George Feliz

Again, we’re holding off on grading out George (pronounced “Jorge”) Feliz, as what we have is a group of encouraging reports but nothing particularly firm. Probably the most compelling scouting report we have comes from organization-mate Jonatan Clase; when I asked Clase which of the new signees stood out to him the most, he was quick to acknowledge Feliz for his ability both to make consistent loud contact, along with praising his “fast hands.” Feliz also possesses plus speed which makes him a threat on the bases as well as assisting with his range in center, although some scouts think he’ll eventually move to a corner. Feliz came out of the same IPL program as Julio Rodriguez and also drew praise from Clase for being “a really good guy.”