Baseball America wrote up a good piece on Rodriguez, Kirby, and Brash. Sounds promising. I only posted the top 3.
Major League Baseball eliminated the short-season level of the minor leagues but kept the Northwest League to serve its West organizations. The league was elevated in classification and renamed High-A West. Six of the eight NWL affiliates survived, the exceptions were Salem-Keizer and Boise, which were dropped.
The pandemic threw High-A West an added wrinkle, because the league has the only international affiliate in the minors. Because the Canadian border remained closed deep into the season, Vancouver used Hillsboro as its home park all year.
Though six teams may not be an ideal long-term setup, it meant that High-A West fans got plenty of chances to see some of the circuit’s top talent. That was especially true in the early going, when Everett boasted a roster that could easily make up part of the core of the Mariners’ next playoff team.
Outfielder Julio Rodriguez and righthander George Kirby were at the forefront, but they weren’t the only attractions. The AquaSox roster also had a host of high-end pitchers like Matt Brash, Levi Stoudt, Brandon Williamson and Emerson Hancock, though the last two names fell just shy of qualifying for this list.
By the second half of the season, the league was invaded by a host of high-upside shortstop prospects, including Giants top prospect Marco Luciano, who was part of the league-champion Eugene club, as well as Orelvis Martinez (Vancouver), Ezequiel Tovar (Spokane) and, briefly, Noelvi Marte (Everett).
Hillsboro, too, opened with an extraordinarily talented rotation, with righties Luis Frias, Ryne Nelson, Drey Jameson and Brandon Pfaadt as well as lefty Blake Walston making their second turns through Ron Tonkin Field.
1. Julio Rodriguez, OF, Everett (Mariners)
Age: 20. B-T: R-R. HT: 6-3. WT: 180. Signed: Dominican Republic, 2017.
Though his time in the league was brief and fractured by a pair of stints with the Dominican Republic Olympic team, Rodriguez established himself as the clear-cut best prospect in the league. He was so feared that rival teams sent out grateful messages on social media when the Mariners promoted Rodriguez to Double-A.
The precocious Rodriguez has a chance to hit for high doses of average and power because exceptional bat speed, strength and a strong knowledge of the strike zone. He kept on hitting once he got to the upper levels, further establishing himself as one of the very best prospects in the game.
Rodriguez does need to clean up some aspects of his game away from the plate, with some evaluators noting the need for cleaner routes and more consistent concentration overall on defense. His arm is close to average, and he should settle in as an ideally molded right fielder.
Player, Pos, Team (Org) AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG
Julio Rodriguez, OF, Everett (Mariners) 117 29 38 8 2 6 21 14 29 5 1 .325 .410 .581
2. George Kirby, RHP, Everett (Mariners)
Age: 23. B-T: R-R. HT: 6-4. WT: 215. Drafted: Elon, 2019 (1st round).
When he was drafted, Kirby’s reputation was as a pitcher whose very good stuff was accentuated by sublime control and command. This year, his stuff took huge steps forward without sacrificing his ability to pound the edges of the strike zone.
Kirby’s fastball took a huge leap forward. It regularly parked in the upper 90s and peaked as high as 102 mph. It heads a four-pitch arsenal with three secondaries that each grade at least above-average. His slider, which was reshaped to feature sweepier break, is a favorite of scouts. His changeup has plenty of admirers, too.
About the only blip on Kirby’s ledger was a bout of shoulder discomfort that cost him roughly a month before his promotion to Double-A. Kirby’s mix of strikes and stuff is one of the best in the minors.
Pitcher, Pos, Team (Org) W L ERA G GS SV IP H R ER HR BB SO AVG
George Kirby, RHP, Everett (Mariners) 4 2 2.38 9 9 0 42 33 15 11 1 8 52 .214
3. Matt Brash, RHP, Everett (Mariners)
Age: 23. B-T: R-R. HT: 6-1. WT: 170. Drafted: Niagara, 2019 (4th round/Padres).
Brash was acquired by the Mariners in the deal that sent reliever Taylor Williams to San Diego in the Padres’ flurry of moves at the 2020 trade deadline. Williams has already been designated for assignment twice since the trade, while Brash was one of the biggest revelations in the minors in 2021.
Scouts were struck by Brash’s vicious slider, which featured hard, sharp dive out of the strike zone and got hitters to chase all summer. The pitch was such a weapon that it allowed him to throw his fastball less than 50% of the time. His fastball sits between 93-97 mph with high spin for swings and misses. His changeup is less consistent, but could be a future plus.
Brash’s signature moment came after a promotion to Double-A, when he struck out 11 in the first six innings of Arkansas’ no-hitter against Wichita. The effort was also one of five outings in which he recorded double-digit strikeouts.
Brash still needs to iron out his command, and some scouts are wary of both his injury history and arm action, but his dominant season put him squarely on the map.
Pitcher, Pos, Team (Org) W L ERA G GS SV IP H R ER HR BB SO AVG
Matt Brash, RHP, Everett (Mariners) 3 2 2.55 10 9