Rainiers roster breakdown: Top Mariners prospects will open 2021 in Tacoma
The Triple-A Tacoma roster will have a new look when the Rainiers open the 2021 season Thursday night at Cheney Stadium.
Given that it’s been more than 600 days since the Rainiers last played a game, the club will feature a lot of new faces — including some of the top prospects in the Mariners system, and several more who have already played in Seattle.
“There’s a lot of good young talent, and I think we’re all excited to see them get out on the field,” first-year manager Kristopher Negron said following a Tuesday afternoon workout in Tacoma.
“They all work their tails off. They all have the right mindset. And they’re ready to compete.”
Here’s a look at the 22 players on the Rainiers roster ahead of their season-opener against El Paso:
PITCHERS (10)
RHP J.T. Chargois
RHP Logan Gilbert
RHP Taylor Guerrieri
RHP Brady Lail
RHP Vinny Nittoli
RHP Yohan Ramirez
RHP Jaime Schultz
RHP Paul Sewald
RHP Domingo Tapia
RHP Jimmy Yacabonis
The skinny: Gilbert is the headliner of this group and considered the No. 4 prospect in the Mariners’ system by MLB Pipeline. The 24-year-old power right-hander was Seattle’s top pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, and climbed three levels in the minors in his first professional season the following summer. Between his stops in Low-A West Virginia, High-A Modesto and Double-A Arkansas, he posted a 10-5 record and 2.13 ERA across 135 innings in 26 starts, striking out 165 while walking 33. He spent most of last summer in Tacoma, training at the Mariners’ alternate site. Gilbert is scheduled to make his first start Friday against El Paso, and is projected to join Seattle’s rotation at some point this season. … Sewald, who the Mariners signed to a minor league contract in January, will be Tacoma’s opening night starter. He has appeared in 375 games during his nine-year professional baseball career — including 125 in the majors — but has never made a start. His most recent start at any level was in 2012, when he was a college pitcher at San Diego. … The Rainiers pitching staff is primarily made up of relievers, though seven have professional starting experience, and five — Guerrieri, Lail, Nittoli, Tapia and Yacabonis — have made starts at the Triple-A level during their careers. Yacabonis is the only player on the staff who has made a start in the majors. … Rainiers manager Kristopher Negron said the club has been mapping out how to use their reliever-heavy staff. “Speaking from a hitter’s perspective, those bullpen days you’re not the most confident jumping in the box when you’re goingt to see a different pitcher every time,” he said. “So I think we can use that to our advantage. It’s an intriguing challenge. I think there’s no better group than what we have here to take it on.” … Every pitcher on Tacoma’s roster made at least one appearance Cactus League appearance with the Mariners this spring. … Three of Tacoma’s pitchers — Lail, Ramirez and Yacabonis — made appearances for the Mariners last season. Seattle selected Ramirez in the Rule 5 Draft in 2019 from the Astros. Both Lail and Yacabonis were minor league free agent signings.
CATCHERS (2)
Jose Godoy
Cal Raleigh
The skinny: Raleigh has risen through the minor league ranks quickly since the Mariners drafted him in the third round in 2018. He is considered the No. 8 prospect in the system by MLB Pipeline, and has impressed at every stop. In his first full professional season in 2019, the switch-hitting catcher opened with Modesto before a summer promotion to Arkansas, and hit .251/.323/.497 with 25 doubles, 29 home runs and 82 RBI between High-A and Double-A. He spent last summer training at the alternate site in Tacoma, but even without a minor league season, showed the organization enough to open in Triple-A. He could arrive in Seattle as early as this summer.
INFIELDERS (5)
Jack Mayfield
Jack Reinheimer
Sam Travis
Donovan Walton
Jantzen Witte
The skinny: Mayfield (49 games), Reinheimer (23), Travis (111) and Walton (12) all have big league experience, but only Walton, who debuted in 2019 after an impressive season with Arkansas — he hit .300/.390/.427 with 22 doubles, three triples, 11 homers, 50 RBI and 10 stolen bases — has ever played for the Mariners. Mayfield has played parts of three seasons with the Astros and Angels, Reinheimer parts of two seasons with the Diamondbacks and Mets and Travis parts of three seasons with the Red Sox. … All of the infielders have some positional versatility. Mayfield has primarily played second base and shortstop during his career, but also has experience at third. Reinheimer has played mostly at short, but has also played second and third. Travis is primarily a first baseman, but has also played left field. Walton has played short and second. Witte has played mostly third and first, but has also had reps at second.
OUTFIELDERS (5)
Braden Bishop
Eric Filia
Jarred Kelenic
Luis Liberato
Dillon Thomas
The skinny: Kelenic, who is considered the top prospect in Seattle’s organization by MLB Pipeline, has generated perhaps the most hype entering the Triple-A season. The former first-round pick by the Mets was acquired by the Mariners during the 2018 offseason as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz to New York. He wasted no time in his first season in Seattle’s system, jumping three levels of the minors, and hitting .291/.364/.540 between with 31 doubles, five triples, 23 home runs, 68 RBI and 20 stolen bases between West Virginia, Modesto and Arkansas. The thought was he would reach Seattle in 2020 until the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the minor league season. With only 92 at-bats above A-ball, the Mariners have remained committed to their plan to get Kelenic more experience facing pitching at the upper levels of the minors before they bring him to Seattle. His arrival timeline has been a widely discussed topic this spring, but Kelenic said he plans to continue to go out and compete every night while he waits for the call from the Mariners. “That’s something that I think everybody here wants to do, and that’s all I can control,” he said. He is expected to reach Seattle this season. … Bishop is the only outfielder with big league experience. The former UW standout has appeared in 47 games in parts of three seasons with the Mariners. … Bishop, Filia and Liberato are the only players on the opening night roster who played for the Rainiers in 2019.
This story was originally published May 6, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Rainiers roster breakdown: Top Mariners prospects will open 2021 in Tacoma."
