Minor league clubs in Tacoma, Arkansas, Everett and Modesto set to return to Mariners system in 2021
Four full-season minor league clubs will officially return to the Mariners system for the 2021 season.
Triple-A Tacoma, Double-A Arkansas, High-A Everett and Low-A Modesto were each invited to continue their partnerships with the major league club in December, and officially returned to Seattle’s organization Friday, when Major League Baseball announced its new minor league structure.
The league and its 120 minor league affiliates have agreed to a new model, according to a release from MLB. Each of the 30 major league clubs will now have four minor league affiliates — Triple-A, Double-A, High-A and Low-A — all of which have accepted invitations to become Professional Development League license holders, the release says.
“We are excited to unveil this new model, which not only provides a pipeline to the Majors, but continues the Minor Leagues’ tradition of entertaining millions of families in hundreds of communities,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “In modernizing our Minor League system, we prioritized the qualities that make the Minor Leagues such an integral part of our game while strengthening how we develop professional athletes on and off the field. We look forward to demonstrating the best of our game throughout local communities, supporting all those who are working hard to grow the sport, and sharing unrivaled technology and resources with minor league teams and players.”
The PDL licenses ensure “a new set of standards in terms of facilities and player conditions,” the release says, and are geared to improve the minor league system by increasing player salaries from 38-72% for 2021, modernizing facility standards, improving working conditions, reducing travel and aligning affiliates closer to their parent clubs geographically.
The statement says, on average, big league clubs will be more than 200 miles closer to their highest-level affiliates at Triple-A.
“By creating better geographical synergy between a Major League club and its affiliates, more fans will be able to watch an organization’s players progress in their careers from the Minor League to the big leagues in their home region,” the release says.
Here is what the new minor league configuration looks like for the Mariners:
Triple-A Tacoma
The Rainiers will continue on as Seattle’s highest level affiliate, and begin their 27th season with the Mariners. The partnership between the two clubs dates back to 1995.
“We’re thrilled to extend our partnership with the Seattle Mariners and Major League Baseball while continuing to provide an excellent fan experience and creatively support our community,” Tacoma Rainiers president Aaron Artman said in a statement. “We’re excited to get back to Rainiers baseball in 2021.”
The Rainiers, who have played in Tacoma’s Cheney Stadium and in the Pacific Coast League since 1960 — as the Tacoma Giants, Cubs, Twins, Yankees, Tugs, Tigers and now Rainiers — will join the Triple-A West along with nine other teams.
The west division of the league will include Tacoma, the Las Vegas Aviators (A’s affiliate), Reno Aces (Diamondbacks), Sacramento River Cats (Giants) and Salt Lake Bees (Angels).
The league’s east division includes the Albuquerque Isotopes (Rockies), El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres), Oklahoma City Dodgers (Dodgers), Round Rock Express (Rangers) and Sugar Land Skeeters (Astros).
Several up-and-coming Mariners players made their way through Tacoma during the most recent minor league season in 2019, including Gold Glove shortstop J.P. Crawford, starting pitcher Justus Sheffield, infielder Shed Long Jr. and reliever Anthony Misiewicz, among others.
During the shortened 2020 season, Cheney Stadium functioned as the Mariners’ alternate training site and hosted many of the club’s top prospects, including outfielders Jarred Kelenic, Julio Rodriguez and Taylor Trammell, catcher Cal Raleigh, shortstop Noelvi Marte and top pitching prospects Logan Gilbert, George Kirby and Emerson Hancock.
Several of these players could debut for the Rainiers on their way to Seattle as early as this season.
Double-A Arkansas
Arkansas has been Seattle’s Double-A affiliate since 2017, and will continue in that role, playing in the Double-A Central.
The league’s north division will include the Travelers, Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals), Springfield Cardinals (Cardinals), Tulsa Drillers (Dodgers) and Wichita Wind Surge (Twins).
The south division will include the Amarillo Sod Poodles (Diamondbacks), Corpus Christi Hooks (Astros), Frisco RoughRiders (Rangers), Midland RockHounds (A’s) and San Antonio Missions (Padres).
Many of the players that are expected to make up the core of Seattle’s big league team for years to come played on the Travelers team that went 81-57 in 2019.
Players like Kelenic and Raleigh reached the Double-A level by season’s end that year, while others like reigning American League Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis, Gold Glove first baseman Evan White, outfielder Jake Fraley, infielder Donovan Walton, starting pitchers Sheffield, Justin Dunn and Ljay Newsome, and relievers Misiewicz, Aaron Fletcher and Joey Gerber have all since made their big league debuts.
High-A Everett
The AquaSox spent 26 years as Seattle’s Short-A team, and typically hosted the club’s draft picks each summer, but will now move into a full-season role for the first time.
Everett jumps multiple levels to replace Modesto as the High-A club, while Modesto will drop to Low-A.
West Virginia was one of 11 full-season minor league clubs across baseball that did not receive an invitation for the 2021 season, and the Mariners will no longer have a Short-A team with Everett becoming a full-season club.
Everett will play in the six-team High-A West, which includes most of teams that had been playing in the Short-A Northwest League.
The league includes Everett, the Eugene Emeralds (Giants), Hillsboro Hops (Diamondbacks), Spokane Indians (Rockies), Tai-City Dust Devils (Angels) and Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays).
The Boise Hawks and Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are no longer in the league.
Kirby, pitcher Juan Then and infielder — and Bellingham native — Austin Shenton are among the prospects who appeared in Everett in 2019.
Low-A Modesto
Modesto has been a Mariners affiliate since 2017, and will move from High-A to Low-A, replacing West Virginia as the club’s lowest level full-season affiliate.
The Nuts will play in the north division of the Low-A West, which also includes the Fresno Grizzlies (Rockies), San Jose Giants (Giants) and Stockton Ports (A’s).
The south division includes the Inland Empire 66ers (Angels), Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres), Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Dodgers) and Visalia Rawhide (Diamondbacks).
Top prospect Rodriguez reached as high as High-A Modesto in 2019.
