The numbers are …
… Nuts.
(Sorry, couldn’t resist.)
A month ago, Mariners president Jerry Dipoto labeled the Modesto Nuts, the club’s Low-A affiliate, the most talented roster the organization has fielded in his nine years running baseball operations.
Through their first 29 games, it’s impossible to argue otherwise.
The Nuts returned the nucleus of the roster that won the California League championship last summer, and then through the first month of the regular season they have the best winning percentage (at .759, with a 22-7 record entering the weekend) to go with what is statistically the best offense of any of the 120 full-season affiliated teams in the minor leagues.
Entering Friday, they were averaging 7.96 runs per game while ranking No. 1 as a team in batting average (.284), on-base percentage (.406) and OPS (.869) among all minor league teams.
The pitching staff has been impressive, too, leading the California League with a 3.36 ERA while holding opponents to a .198 batting average.
Life’s good for the juggernaut Nuts these days.
“It’s definitely a lot of fun,” Nuts manager Zach Vincej said in a phone interview this week. “I think with the culture we’ve built in this locker room, everyone is on the same page, which for me is the coolest thing.”
The heart of the Modesto lineup features five of the Mariners’ top-10 prospects, all of whom are still teenagers: Lazaro Montes, 19; Michael Arroyo, 19; Jonny Farmelo, 19; Tai Peete, 18; and Colt Emerson, 18.
It’s a core group of players the Mariners envision moving up the ladder through the system together. Most of them will likely find their way to the High-A Everett AquaSox at some point this season, and perhaps soon.
Montes, the hulking Cuban slugger, leads the California League with six homers and 39 RBI through 28 games, with a .327/.434/.566 (1.000 OPS) slash line. Most notably, he has as many walks (20) as strikeouts (20).
“His super power is his ability to hit the ball out of the park,” Vincej said. “He’s going to have some whiffs and some strikeouts, but for him to put the ball in play as consistently as he has been is outstanding for a 4-hole hitter with the kind of slug he brings.”
Beyond that, Montes has a gregarious clubhouse presence.
“He’s one of our top guys in the clubhouse who keeps everyone laughing and smiling — just keeps morale up,” Vincej said. “He brings a lot of positivity. He’s an amazing person who cares about everybody.”
Emerson, Farmelo and Peete were the Mariners’ three first-round picks last fall, all coming straight out of high school.
Emerson, the Nuts’ shortstop, is the youngest of the bunch, but he’s quickly built a reputation as one of the most mature. He’s hitting .288 with an .883 OPS through his first 15 games, after missing a couple weeks with an oblique strain.
“He’s still so young, and that’s easy to forget sometimes,” Vincej said. “He’s a gamer. He competes every single night. You know he’s going to come in and play good defense and you know he’s going to be a good teammate. … His strongest quality might be his ability to forget about the last at-bat and just move on to the next one.”
Farmelo is an athletic center fielder with great speed (10 for 12 in stolen-base attempts) and good power (three homers, .811 OPS). Peete has played third base and shortstop, and he leads the team in triples (with four). And Arroyo has been a steady on-base source (.401 career OBP) and steady defender at second base.
Caleb Cali, a corner infielder out of the University of Arkansas, is the old man of the group — at just 23 years old. He was a 16th-round pick last season, he’s impressed with his mature and consistent approach, and he was named the Mariners minor-league player of the month for April after posting a .404/.507/.649 (1.156 OPS) in his first 57 at-bats.
“Just incredible. He’s been a nice surprise,” Vincej said. “He’s disciplined and he’s seeing results because of his plan and how he’s committed to his plan each day. It’s really impressive how often he’s crushing the baseball, and he’s definitely opening some eyes.”
First baseman Luis Suisbel (.317 average, .893 OPS), 19-year-old outfielder Aidan Smith (three homers, seven steals) and catcher Jacob Sharp (1.002 OPS) have been key contributors too.
On the pitching side, 5-foot-10 right-hander Will Schomberg (3-1, 2.48 ERA) and 5-11 right-hander Elijah Dale have been pleasant surprises.
Schomberg, 23, signed with the Mariners as an undrafted free agent out of Davidson last summer, and Dale was a 13th-round pick out of Illinois State.
“They all know that there’s expectations to come here and just get better every day, and that makes it so enjoyable as the manager,” Vincej said. “The guys come to the ballpark energized every day. They love to win, and I think that helps drive them to just try to be the best versions of themselves every day.”
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