Seattle Mariners prospect among MLB standouts early in camp

There has been no shortage of buzz coming out Seattle Mariners camp when it comes to their top prospects.

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Pitchers Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan have dazzled during live batting practice sessions against some of the club’s top hitters. Top prospect shortstop Colt Emerson has also garnered plenty of attention for his talent and maturity that far exceed what is expected from a 20 year old.

But they may not even be the most impressive performers out of the Mariners’ prospects in spring training thus far.

On Tuesday, MLB.com named its five prospects across the league who have impressed the most early in spring training. Representing the Mariners on that list was Michael Arroyo.

The 21-year-old Arroyo started the spring off in style Friday in the Mariners’ Cactus League opener. Facing an 0-2 count against Padres left-hander Jagger Haynes, Arroyo belted a hanging changeup 406 feet over the wall in right-center field for an opposite-field, two-run home run in his first at-bat of spring training. Arroyo later added a double off veteran left-hander Wandy Peralta, who had a 3.14 ERA over 71 2/3 innings in the majors last year.

Here’s what MLB.com’s Sam Dykstra wrote about the Arroyo’s start to the spring:

This was already going to be a big spring for the 21-year-old since he’ll be one of the most prominent hitters for Colombia at next month’s World Baseball Classic. Maybe with that in mind, he came firing out of the gate. Arroyo homered in his first Cactus League at-bat on Friday with a 406-foot blast to right-center off Padres lefty Jagger Haynes. The dinger actually came on an 0-2 count, but Arroyo read Haynes’ changeup well before crushing it the other way. Toss in his game Sunday against the Reds, and Arroyo now has three barrels in just five plate appearances. That’s the most by any hitter in Spring Training, beating out Aaron Judge and Pete Alonso, who have two homers each. For what it’s worth, there’s been talk of moving Arroyo to the outfield, but he’s been second base-only through the week.

As Dykstra stated, this does figure to be an important spring for Arroyo, who MLB Pipeline ranks as the No. 67 prospect in baseball and the fifth-best in the Mariners’ organization.

Arroyo has been impressive at the plate during his four minor league seasons, posting an OPS over .800 in each. When he made the jump from Single-A to High-A in 2024, he actually improved on his numbers while playing at a higher level of the minors. In 60 games with High-A Everett that season, he slashed .290/.397/.519 with 12 homers, 15 doubles and two triples.

After a strong start with Everett last season, Arroyo’s production declined in the more pitcher-friendly environment of the Texas League following a promotion to Double-A. In 56 games with Double-A Arkansas, he slashed .255/.376/.341 with two homers, 10 doubles and a triple. However, Arroyo did cut down his strikeout rate by over 5% (down to 15.6% in Double-A from 21.2% in High-A), and his walk rate (12.0% in Double-A) remained nearly identical after the promotion.

Notebook: Michael Arroyo ‘stole the show’ in Cactus League opener

One factor Arroyo has had working against him is the wealth of prospect talent the M’s have had in the middle infield, but the organization has attempted to provide a clearer path to the big leagues for him. After spending the majority of his time in the minors playing second base, the team plans on transitioning him to left field, per The Seattle Times’ Adam Jude. That is particularly notable with left fielder Randy Arozarena set to hit free agency after this season.

Arroyo will continue to be a prospect to keep a close eye on this spring, as he has the potential to impact the big league club at some point this year. His time will be interrupted soon when he leaves to represent his home country in the WBC. But Colombia isn’t expected to make a deep run in the tournament, meaning Arroyo could be back at M’s camp rather quickly with ample opportunities to showcase his talents while others remain in the tournament.

Seattle Mariners prospect among MLB standouts early in camp

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