The Next Wave: Reese Keeps Walking, Sloan's Last 30 Days Make the Case
By Taylor Anderson ·
The Next Wave covers the last 7 days of action for the Mariners farm system.
Ace Reese Is Running Out of Low-A Plate Appearances to Waste
Ace Reese (A, 3B, Rank: 3) posted six hits, two doubles, two RBI, eight walks, and a hit-by-pitch across 25 plate appearances this week at Inland Empire, running his season walk rate to 22.8 percent with a strikeout rate of just 13.9 percent. The plate discipline is almost absurdly good for a 21-year-old in his first full professional season. For context, over 79 plate appearances at the Low-A level, he is slashing .421/.544/.632 with two home runs and 18 walks against 11 strikeouts. That 22.8 percent walk rate is not a fluke from a short week; it has been the story every time he has stepped to the plate since his debut.
The profile here is 65-grade raw power from the left side, a 55 hit tool, and enough bat speed and strike-zone awareness to make both grades believable at the same time. His swing rate sits at 38.2 percent, which is well into the selective range, and the contact rate of 73.7 percent suggests he is not trading swings for empty at-bats. The concern with Reese has always been defensive: limited range, below-average athleticism, and a likely eventual move to first base. None of that is resolved yet, and the scouting projection acknowledges that the offensive bar rises if the glove does not hold at third. But right now, the bat is doing things that most prospects with his raw power simply do not do this early, and the case for a challenge at High-A Everett before the calendar turns is building week by week.
Ryan Sloan Has Been the Best Arm in the System for a Month
Ryan Sloan (AA, RHP, Rank: 2) turned in six innings of one-run ball this week at Arkansas, scattering five hits, issuing zero walks, and fanning six on 71 pitches. The outing fit cleanly into what has been a dominant four-start stretch: over his last 30 days, he has posted a 3.48 ERA across 20.2 innings with 29 strikeouts, one walk, and a 0.97 WHIP. The walk suppression is the part that does not get enough attention. One free pass in more than 20 innings of Double-A work, with a K% of 36.3 percent over that span, describes a pitcher who is not just missing bats but doing so on his terms.
The tools behind it are a 55-grade fastball sitting 95-97, a slider and curveball that each give him different breaking-ball looks, and 55-grade command that keeps everything in the zone at a level most 20-year-olds cannot sustain. His season ERA sits at 3.50 through 92.2 innings at Double-A with 117 strikeouts and 14 walks, a 3.7 percent walk rate against a 31.3 percent strikeout rate. The one blemish is 12 home runs allowed, which connects directly to his profile: when the fastball or secondaries leak into the middle of the zone, more experienced hitters can do damage. The changeup is still behind the other three pitches, and that limits the ceiling some. But a 20-year-old at Double-A with a sub-4.00 ERA, a walk rate under four percent, and 30-percent-plus strikeout rates over a 90-plus inning sample is a real rotation prospect. The No. 4 starter projection is where the floor conversation starts, and I would lean toward the better end of that range given the command profile and his age relative to the level.
Quick Hits
- Luis Suisbel (A+, 3B, Rank: 13) · had the best offensive week of any hitter in the system, going 8-for-23 with five doubles, a homer, four RBI, and three walks at Everett. The five-double week pushed his season total to 24 at High-A. Over the last 30 days he is slashing .325/.395/.662 with six home runs, which makes his 50-grade power grade look conservative. The hit tool question remains real, with a 26.5 percent strikeout rate on the season and a swing rate of 55.1 percent, but August has been an argument in his favor.
- Jared Sundstrom (AA, OF, Rank: 18) · drove in four runs on six hits, including a pair of home runs and a double, across 18 plate appearances in Arkansas this week. His last-30-day line reads .300/.380/.517 with three home runs and nine walks in 71 plate appearances, a genuine uptick from the .206 average he carried into August. The contact rate at 65.2 percent this month is still not loud, and the power-heavy swing will continue to generate strikeouts at Double-A. An up-and-down corner outfield role is the realistic ceiling, but his August has given that ceiling a bit more credibility.
- Carlos Jimenez (A+, OF, Rank: 29) · went 9-for-29 with a homer, a triple, a double, six RBI, and five walks at Everett, with the homer being his 20th of the season. Twenty home runs at High-A from a 23-year-old left-handed outfielder with a 14.6 percent walk rate and a .287 batting average is genuinely more than the projection called for entering the year. His last-30-day slugging sits at .634. He still profiles as a depth corner rather than a clear everyday bet, but the power output has been a real surprise.
- Boston Smith (AA, C, Rank: 39) · went 4-for-21 with a homer, a double, seven walks, and a hit-by-pitch at Arkansas. The peripherals matter more than the batting average here: seven free passes in the week, and a season walk rate of 18.2 percent at Double-A that is part of a combined 20.6 percent mark across all levels. He has 31 home runs across four stops this year with a combined .287/.442/.609 slash. The 60-grade power and patient approach are real, and I would take the over on the bench projection if the receiving holds up anywhere close to adequate.
- Michael Arroyo (AAA, LF, Rank: 6) · put together a productive week at Tacoma, reaching base on six hits, a triple, a homer, three walks, and two hit-by-pitches across 27 plate appearances. His combined season line across Double-A and Triple-A sits at .281/.358/.466 with 18 home runs. A 16.7 percent strikeout rate and 79.1 percent contact rate at the Triple-A level show a bat-first profile that makes contact consistently; the question mark on the defensive side at second base is what is keeping him from a more prominent conversation.
- Victor Labrada (AAA, CF, Rank: 28) · had five hits, a double, a homer, three RBI, and three walks in 16 plate appearances at Tacoma. Over the last 30 days he is slashing .314/.419/.529 with three home runs, which is well above the power grades in his profile. The 30-grade power tool is the obvious outlier against those numbers, and the real value remains the 60-grade speed and plus center field defense. Any sustained power surge at 26 makes the up-and-down path to the majors more viable.
- Colton Shaw (A+, RHP, Rank: 20) · struck out eight over 4.1 innings of one-run ball against Everett hitters, generating 11 swinging misses on 79 pitches. His season ERA is 4.57 through 106.1 innings, but the walk rate of 4.1 percent continues to be the anchor of the profile. The sidearm sinker-sweeper combination is built to manage contact, and last week's 30.2 percent whiff rate over the last 30 days shows the stuff can miss bats when he is dialed in.
- Josh Caron (AA, C, Rank: 15) · went 7-for-22 with a homer, two doubles, and three RBI at Arkansas, adding a walk. His combined line across High-A and Double-A sits at .266/.355/.531 with 21 home runs this season, a massive step forward from his .197 average at Everett in 2025. The strikeout rate at 30.7 percent at High-A followed him to Double-A, but the power and walk rate combination keeps the profile alive as a bat-leaning depth catcher.
- Nick Becker (A, SS, Rank: 11) · reached base eight times in 22 plate appearances, going 6-for-22 with two doubles, two walks, and two hit-by-pitches at Inland Empire. His 19.5 percent walk rate over the last 30 days and 46 stolen bases on the season tell you where the value lives. The hit tool and contact rate are works in progress, but the speed and on-base ability give the profile a real floor at shortstop.
- Jackson Steensma (A, RHP, Rank: 22) · went four innings in his latest outing, allowing two hits and no earned runs with three strikeouts and one walk, getting seven swinging misses on 53 pitches. The season ERA sits at 4.12 through 39.1 innings, and the last-30-day numbers have been rougher at 6.07. The four-seam ride and slider combination can miss bats, and the 35 percent strikeout rate on the year shows the upside. Durability and command consistency remain the variables for a profile that likely settles in a long-relief or bulk role.