Ketel Marte

Diamondbacks Acquire Walker, Marte From Mariners For Segura, Haniger, Curtis

By charliewilmoth | November 23, 2016 at 9:43pm CDT

The Diamondbacks have announced that they’ve acquired starter Taijuan Walker and shortstop Ketel Marte from the Mariners for middle infielder Jean Segura, outfielder Mitch Haniger and lefty Zac Curtis. The Mariners also announced that they’ve designated switch-pitcher Pat Venditte for assignment. Yahoo! Sports Jeff Passan was first to tweet that a deal was close between the two teams.

The trade marks quite the opening salvo for Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen, who has added two very intriguing young players to his new organization. Walker, 24, began his career as a top-ten prospect in all of baseball, and while he hasn’t yet emerged as a standout starter, he also hasn’t done much to dim his status as a top young talent. His name had repeatedly come up as a speculative possibility in potential blockbusters, including one in 2014 involving David Price, but he managed to stick with Seattle and put in two-plus seasons in their rotation before finally being dealt. In 2016, he posted a 4.22 ERA, with 8.0 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 over 134 1/3 big-league innings, bringing a strong mid-90s fastball in the process.

Walker’s upside remains considerable, and he’s under control for the next several seasons — he’s eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter as a Super Two player (and is projected to make $2.8MM), and he can’t become a free agent until after the 2020 season. He battled a foot injury in the middle of the 2016 campaign and had surgery to address it after the season, but there’s no reason to expect that to be a major issue going forward. He’ll join some combination of Zack Greinke, Robbie Ray, Patrick Corbin, Shelby Miller, Rubby De La Rosa, Archie Bradley and Braden Shipley in the Diamondbacks’ rotation.

Marte is a not-to-be-overlooked component of Arizona’s side of the deal. He only recently turned 23 and already has the equivalent of a season’s worth of big-league plate appearances under his belt. While he struggled both offensively and defensively in 2016 (posting a .259/.287/.323 line and a significantly below average UZR), he fared well enough in the minors to get to the big leagues at age 21, and certainly has time to improve. If he develops, he could become the Diamondbacks’ starting shortstop for the next several seasons.

“Young, controllable pitching is hard to find, and adding Taijuan to the rotation gives us significant depth in that area,” Hazen says. “In Ketel, we believe we have acquired a talented switch-hitting shortstop to join a very solid core of young middle infielders.”

From the Mariners’ perspective, the deal seems to hinge to a large degree on Segura’s breakout performance last season. Segura batted .319/.368/.499 with 20 homers in an outstanding 2016, posting 5.0 fWAR of value in his first season with the Snakes. (Credit former GM Dave Stewart for acquiring Segura in one of his better trades in his short tenure in Arizona.)

Segura’s previous history is erratic, however — he failed to clear a .300 OBP in either 2014 or 2015 with the Brewers. Some of Segura’s struggles might have been related to the tragic death of his infant son in the middle of the 2014 season, but his difficulties on the field are still worth considering. Also, unlike Marte (who is controllable for five more years), Segura only has two years of control remaining before he’s eligible for free agency. (MLBTR projects he’ll make $7.3MM in his second year of arbitration eligibility this offseason.) Segura had primarily been a second baseman with the Diamondbacks, but it appears likely he’ll play mostly shortstop with the Mariners, who have Robinson Cano at second.

The 25-year-old Haniger made his big-league debut in 2016 and batted a modest .229/.309/.404 in 123 plate appearances. He did, however, grade well defensively in a small sample, and he batted an excellent .341/.428/.670 in 312 plate appearances at Triple-A Reno, demonstrating outstanding power (with 20 home runs, albeit in a favorite hitting environment) and good plate discipline. Nonetheless, he was not particularly highly regarded — MLB.com ranked him just 21st among Diamondbacks prospects, noting the likelihood that he would wind up as a good fourth outfielder, and Baseball America (subscription required) didn’t even mention him in their midseason writeup on the Diamondbacks system. Still, he wouldn’t be the first young player with excellent minor league numbers to go underrated by prospect hounds, and he could contribute to a thin Mariners’ outfield immediately (likely mostly as a corner outfielder, since the M’s have Leonys Martin to man center). The Diamondbacks initially acquired him in 2014 when they traded Gerardo Parra to the Brewers.

Curtis has the lowest profile of any of the five players in the deal, but he’s an interesting fifth piece. He was pitching for Class A+ Visalia in 2016 when he got promoted all the way to the big leagues, thanks to a stat line that included 22 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he didn’t fare well there, posting a 6.75 ERA, 6.8 K/9 and 8.8 BB/9 in 13 1/3 innings, but he got significantly better results after heading back to Double-A Mobile and might eventually reemerge as a good bullpen arm once he has more seasoning. In 111 minor league innings, he’s totaled 169 strikeouts against 35 walks. Curtis is undersized at 5’9″ and averaged a relatively modest 90.9 MPH on his fastball in the big leagues, though, so he probably doesn’t profile as a future power reliever.

Venditte pitched 13 1/3 innings with the Mariners in 2016 and allowed ten runs. The 31-year-old has attracted plenty of curiosity for his ability to pitch with either hand, but despite his consistent platoon advantage, he has just a 4.97 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in parts of two seasons in the big leagues. Most of the damage done against Venditte has come from right-handed batters, as opposing lefties have hit just .179/.242/.366 against him.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mariners Remain Interested In Zack Cozart

By Steve Adams | November 15, 2016 at 8:30pm CDT

The Mariners nearly acquired Reds shortstop Zack Cozart prior to the non-waiver trade deadline, and their interest in the veteran infielder has persisted into the offseason, reports Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. Dutton has previously reported that back on Aug. 1, the Mariners and Reds were in talks that would’ve sent Cozart and a minor leaguer to Seattle in exchange for minor league left-hander Luiz Gohara and another prospect, but the deal never materialized, as Dutton suggested that Cincinnati simply ran out of time to complete the deal after dedicating so much effort to completing its Jay Bruce trade with the Mets.

Seattle still holds interest in Cozart, according to Dutton, but the team seemingly considers a shortstop upgrade more of a luxury than a necessity. “We don’t need a shortstop,” one Seattle exec told Dutton. “We have [Ketel] Marte, and we think he’s going to be fine in the long term. Now could he benefit from some additional development time in the minors? Yes. We did that with [Mike] Zunino, and we think that really helped him. But it’s not the same. Zunino absolutely needed that development time. With Marte, we think it would be beneficial, but it’s not a must.”

If the Mariners do feel that Marte would benefit from additional time in the minors, then Cozart, on paper anyway, would seemingly be an excellent stopgap. The 31-year-old is somewhat OBP-challenged (.309 OBP over the past two seasons) but is one of the game’s premier defenders at shortstop and has demonstrated considerably improved power numbers in the past two seasons as well. Cozart hit 15 homers as a rookie in 2012 but saw that number dip to 12 in 2013 and just four in 2014. He belted nine long balls in just 53 games in 2015, though (his season was cut short by a knee injury), and connected on a career-best 16 homers last year despite playing in just 121 games.

The abbreviated nature of those past two seasons illustrates a potential area of concern when it comes to Cozart: his durability. Cozart suffered a torn ACL and LCL that ended his 2015 season in mid-June, and on multiple occasions in 2016 he missed a handful of games due to knee problems that didn’t necessitate a trip to the disabled list. However, his season did ultimately come to an end in September when his right knee forced him to the disabled list. Cozart’s final game of the year came on Sept. 10.

As for Marte, the 23-year-old looked to have solidified his place in the Mariners’ lineup with a terrific rookie season (2015) during which he slashed .283/.351/.402, but his offensive production cratered in 2016. In 466 plate appearances for Seattle this past year, Marte hit just .259/.287/.323 and saw his walk rate plummet from 9.7 percent to 3.9 percent. On top of that, he drew negative marks for his defense at shortstop. Marte debuted as a 21-year-old and played the entire 2016 season at the age of 22, so recommending some additional minor league time would hardly mean the organization has given up on him.

Even if the Mariners aren’t the team to ultimately acquire Cozart, it does seem like there’s a solid chance he’ll be moved this offseason. Cincinnati general manager Dick Williams said at last week’s GM Meetings that a Cozart trade was “something we’d have to consider” if it could put the club in a better position for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. And the Reds have a pair of intriguing middle-infield prospects in Jose Peraza and Dilson Herrera that the team would like to work into the lineup in 2017, which should lead to plenty of chatter about both Cozart and second baseman Brandon Phillips as the winter progresses.

Quick Hits: Papi, A’s Ballpark, Mariners’ Roster, Mancini, Harvey

By Jeff Todd | October 10, 2016 at 10:31pm CDT

Tonight represented the end of the illustrious career of Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, as Boston was knocked out by the Indians in a sweep. The 40-year-old’s twentieth season in the majors was one of his best, as he led the league in slugging percentage and OPS (with a .315/.401/.620 batting line) while knocking 38 long balls in 626 plate appearances. Despite the team’s disappointing end to the year, the Fenway Faithful stayed on hand long after the game for one final in-uniform curtain call. MLBTR offers its congratulations to a player who was one of the greatest designated hitters ever to suit up. All told, he racked up over 10,000 MLB plate appearances with a monster .286/.380/.552 slash line and 541 home runs — 17th most in major league history.

As the Hall of Fame debate begins in earnest on Ortiz, here’s more from around the game:

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred expressed optimism that there will be a positive resolution in “relatively short order” on the Athletics’ quest for a new park, as John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (in a tweet) and Joe Stiglich of SportsNet California (Twitter links) were among those to report. Nothing seems to be imminent — Manfred suggested that something will come together within the next year — but it nevertheless seems that there’s some forward progress. He suggested that there are still several potential sites being explored in Oakland, with mayor Libby Schaaf having “made it clear to [Manfred] that baseball is her first priority.”
Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune takes a long look at the Mariners’ many roster decisions this winter. Among other things, he notes that Seattle is open to bringing back Drew Storen, though the sense is that the reliever will look for a late-inning opportunity elsewhere. He also breaks down the decisions on many arbitration-eligible relievers; you can find their projected arb salaries right here. In the field, Dae-ho Lee could be retained as a righty option at first, but that’s no certainty. And one of the biggest questions is at short; Dutton notes that the club intends to look into a veteran option after a tough year for Ketel Marte.
The Orioles may face a call on young first baseman Trey Mancini, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com explains. He had a solid season in the upper minors, but swatted three long balls in just five games of major league action late in the year. Some might suggest that the O’s shift Chris Davis to right field, but Kubatko suggests that’s not a likely outcome. And while Mancini could get a look there, the club hasn’t seemed optimistic about such a move. Instead, perhaps, he’ll more likely push for a spot in the DH mix — but could end up back at Triple-A, at least to start the year.
Matt Harvey remains a wild card for the Mets after undergoing surgery to help alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome, but there’s a bit of good news on that front. Harvey is already able to throw, as he posted to his personal Instagram account. His specific timeline remains unclear, but that would seem to suggest that he’ll be ready for a full spring.

Mariners Notes: Cozart, Bullpen, First Base, Roster

By Mark Polishuk | October 9, 2016 at 10:41am CDT

The Mariners’ main offseason needs and pending roster decisions are outlined by Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune…

The M’s are expected to revisit trade talks with the Reds about Zack Cozart. The two clubs nearly agreed to a dealing deal that would’ve sent Cozart and a prospect to Seattle in exchange for minor leaguer Luiz Gohara and another prospect, but ran out of time prior to the August 1 deadline, in part because Cincinnati was busy with additional medical paperwork related to the Jay Bruce trade with the Mets. Cozart is only under contract through the 2017 season, so the door is still open for Ketel Marte to be Seattle’s shortstop of the future. Mariners officials think Marte “would benefit next season from taking a step back,” pointing to how James Paxton and Mike Zunino blossomed after taking a reduced role.
Beyond adding Cozart or another veteran shortstop, Dutton identifies a right-handed hitting first baseman and a hard-throwing lefty reliever as the Mariners’ other big areas of need. Dan Vogelbach will form the left-handed side of the first base platoon, and Dutton speculates that the M’s could re-sign Dae-ho Lee to again serve as the right-handed first base bat. For external options, Dutton believes free agent Steve Pearce is a good fit for the M’s — Pearce mashes southpaws and provides depth at not just first base but potentially several spots around the diamond.
In regards to the left-handed reliever, Dutton cites the Pirates’ Tony Watson as what the Mariners are looking for in a southpaw who is capable of filling a setup role or just situational work against left-handed hitters. Acquiring Watson himself may not be in the cards, though Dutton notes that the Pirates could look to save some money with Watson getting more expensive through arbitration. Internally, the M’s could use Ariel Miranda for this left-handed bullpen role, though the club prefers him as a starter for now.
In a separate piece that breaks down every player on Seattle’s 40-man roster, Dutton writes that the Mariners are likely to non-tender Charlie Furbush and let Drew Storen walk in free agency. Tom Wilhelmsen, who is eligible for arbitration, also “could easily get squeezed out” given that he has fallen behind several other arms in the bullpen pecking order.
The Mariners probably won’t pick up Chris Iannetta’s $4.25MM club option, leaving them looking for a backup catcher. Among internal options, Jesus Sucre is more affordable and has a good relationship with Felix Hernandez.
“A new deal seems reasonably likely” for longtime outfielder Franklin Gutierrez, who is headed for free agency. The M’s also have an interest in re-signing Nori Aoki, even though his presence creates a bit of a logjam with Gutierrez possibly returning and Seth Smith’s club option almost certainly being exercised. Dutton wonders if this could lead to Smith becoming a trade chip if Aoki is indeed brought back.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Rangers, Brewers, Braun, Braves, Sale, Mariners

By Connor Byrne | August 6, 2016 at 5:42pm CDT

Well-regarded prospects Lewis Brinson and Luis Ortiz headlined the package the Brewers received from the Rangers on Monday in exchange for catcher Jonathan Lucroy and reliever Jeremy Jeffress. Not to be forgotten, Texas also agreed to include a player to be named later, and FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (video link) characterizes that player as “a significant piece” who could be along the lines of Brinson and Ortiz – both of whom rank among Baseball America’s 75 best prospects. The reason Milwaukee didn’t land the player Monday is because the two teams ran out of time before they could agree on whom it would be, leaving the Brewers to eventually choose one from a list the Rangers provided them.

More from Rosenthal in the aftermath of the non-waiver trade deadline:

While the Braves checked in on Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun before acquiring Matt Kemp from the Padres, Braun’s limited no-trade clause helped prevent talks from going anywhere. There are only six places the Brewers can trade Braun without his permission, and Atlanta isn’t one of them.
The White Sox certainly aren’t a lock to deal left-handed ace Chris Sale during the offseason, but there will unsurprisingly be plenty of suitors if they shop him. Non-contenders are likelier to enter the mix for the 27-year-old, and teams will generally be more open to including major league players and 2016 draft picks in their offers.
The Mariners’ failed attempt to acquire shortstop Zack Cozart from Cincinnati isn’t a sign that they’ve given up on soon-to-be 23-year-old Ketel Marte, who has slashed just .273/.299/.358 in 300 plate appearances this season. Rather, acquiring the well-rounded Cozart and his one and a half years of team control would’ve enabled Marte to receive further seasoning in the minors. Notably, judging by their respective performances in Seattle this year, both southpaw James Paxton and catcher Mike Zunino have seemingly benefited from extra time at Triple-A Tacoma.

Mariners Place Ketel Marte On 15-Day DL With Mononucleosis

By Mark Polishuk | July 23, 2016 at 12:41pm CDT

The Mariners have placed Ketel Marte on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to July 20) after the shortstop was diagnosed with mononucleosis yesterday, the club announced. Left-handed David Rollins was called up in a corresponding move. Luis Sardinas was already called up yesterday to provide infield depth, taking the roster spot left by the traded Mike Montgomery.

[Related: updated Mariners depth chart at Roster Resource]

Marte has been sidelined for much of the week with the illness, leaving utilityman Shawn O’Malley making regular starts at short, and he’ll split time with Sardinas until Marte is healthy. A return date, however, is unknown given the unpredictable status of the illness. Manager Scott Servais told reporters (including Gavin Day of the Seattle Times) that Marte had already lost six or seven pounds, so clearly once Marte is recovered, he’ll still need time to get his strength back.

The sickness is the latest setback within a tough season for the 22-year-old Marte, who entered the year as the Mariners’ starting shortstop and looking to build on a strong 2015 rookie year. Instead, Marte has already had one DL stint due to a sprained thumb and he has hit just .273/.299/.358 over 300 PA with subpar defensive metrics. As per Fangraphs’ WAR calculation, Marte has been worth exactly 0.0 wins, making him nothing more than a replacement-level player.

These struggles made the Mariners one of the few teams who could be looking for shortstop help at the deadline, even before Marte came down with mono. Zack Cozart, Eduardo Nunez or Jed Lowrie are a few of the everyday options the M’s could pursue, though I’d argue that Lowrie is an unlikely target due to his recent lack of shortstop action and his big price tag. Seattle entered today’s action with a 49-47 record, 5.5 games behind Texas in the AL West and 4.5 games behind Toronto for the last wild card slot.

Mariners Place Ketel Marte On DL, Recall Chris Taylor

By Connor Byrne | May 22, 2016 at 10:11am CDT

The Mariners have placed shortstop Ketel Marte on the disabled list and recalled Chris Taylor from Triple-A Tacoma to take his place, reports Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune (on Twitter).

Marte sprained his left thumb during the Mariners’ game against the Reds on Saturday and had to leave early, though X-rays came back negative. The switch-hitting Marte, 22, is in the midst of his second straight season serving as a capable option at short for the Mariners. In 167 plate appearances this year, Marte has hit .276/.307/.378 with five steals on seven attempts. During his first major league action last season, Marte batted .283/.351/.402 in 247 trips to the plate and swiped eight bags on 12 tries. All told, Marte has already been worth 2.2 fWAR in just 97 career games.

The 25-year-old Taylor has compiled a .294/.374/.464 line in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League this year after faring similarly well with Tacoma last season, but his big league career hasn’t been nearly as successful. Taylor, formerly a well-regarded prospect, has amassed 253 PAs with the Mariners and slashed an uninspiring .239/.296/.296.

Dipoto On Marte, Wilhelmsen, Mariners’ Core

By charliewilmoth | October 3, 2015 at 3:33pm CDT

New Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto touches on a variety of topics in a wide-ranging interview with Larry Stone of the Seattle Times. Here are some of the highlights.

Dipoto says he is not planning a full-scale rebuild, and therefore is not looking to trade core players like Kyle Seager, Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz or Felix Hernandez. “The greater likelihood is, we’ll focus on those four guys, and Taijuan Walker, as the core we’re trying to build around,” says Dipoto. “And we’ll have to be more creative in finding ways to augment that group, rather than using that group to build a new program.”
Dipoto hasn’t yet seen rookie shortstop Ketel Marte play live much, but he sounds open to the possibility that Marte could play the position full-time.
The GM reiterates that re-signing Hisashi Iwakuma will be a priority, as was previously reported this week.
Dipoto says he would be happy with Tom Wilhelmsen as the Mariners’ closer next year, but adds that another possibility is that he could also acquire another reliever to close and use Wilhelmsen as a setup man.
Dipoto praises hitting coach Edgar Martinez but has not yet committed to Martinez remaining in that position 2016.
The GM is aware that the Mariners could get a protected top-ten pick in next year’s draft if they do poorly this weekend, but he says he hasn’t discussed that topic with manager Lloyd McClendon. “It’s something that as a team-planner, an organization builder, I’m aware of the value that’s associated with that,” Dipoto says. “But as a former player, and understanding how it works out there, I try to turn the volume down in my head. Because these guys have to go out and compete.”

Reactions To And Effects Of Mariners’ Hiring Of Jerry Dipoto

By Steve Adams | September 29, 2015 at 11:06pm CDT

Jerry Dipoto was officially named the ninth general manager in Mariners history today, and the former D-Backs/Angels GM addressed the media in a press conference at Safeco Field (some video highlights via MLB.com and 710 ESPN).

A few of the more meaningful quotes from the presser as well as some reactions to Seattle’s decision…

Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune breaks down Dipoto’s timeline for his initial wave of priorities. Dipoto wouldn’t commit one way or another in regard to manager Lloyd McClendon’s future but said the two planned to take the time to get to know each other in the coming weeks. “I wouldn’t say bringing in my own guy is critically important,” said Dipoto when asked about McClendon’s job status. “To have someone that I believe in, that I trust, who trusts me and believe in what I’m doing, is terrifically important.” Of course, his relationship with a manager probably holds extra importance to Dipoto, whose resignation with the Angels reportedly stemmed largely from issues with manager Mike Scioscia.
Regarding possible front office changes (also via Dutton), Dipoto said he did expect new recruits from outside the organization to come join him in Seattle. However, he also had positive things to say about many of the existing baseball ops staffers. “I’m also 100 percent sure that many of the people you see here today are going to be key figures as we move forward,” said Dipoto.
Team president Kevin Mather said the Mariners began with a list of about 40 candidates that was pared down to 10 — six of whom were interviewed. According to Dutton, the finalists for the position were Dipoto, Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler and Jeff Kingston, the Mariners’ assistant GM who had been serving as GM on an interim basis since the firing of Jack Zduriencik.
Dipoto spoke highly of the foundation of the current Mariners — Felix Hernandez, Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, Kyle Seager as well as up-and-coming talent like Brad Miller, Ketel Marte, Chris Taylor and Mike Zunino — and he offered a particularly glowing review of another well-regarded young player. “…And a guy I think has the chance to shoot the moon in Taijuan Walker,” said Dipoto.
Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times hears a bit differently when it comes to the team’s finalists, writing that it was Blue Jays special assistant Dana Brown who was the third finalist, not Kingston. Divish also talks about the frank assessment of the organization that Dipoto gave Mather in the interview, noting that Dipoto mentioned a lack of depth on the 25- and 40-man rosters, minimal athleticism throughout the organization and defense that doesn’t line up with the team’s spacious home park.
Divish also provides a transcript of a Q&A with Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln, who notably said that the team’s payroll won’t be going down from its current $130MM mark in spite of the losing season. Lincoln said ownership will provide Dipoto with as many resources as possible, and he added that, as he’s done in previous seasons, he’s taken a personal “financial hit” as a result. Asked specifically if that meant he’s cutting his own annual salary, Lincoln replied, “I’m taking a significant financial hit and have in the past when we’ve had losing seasons. When we’ve had winning seasons, that’s the opposite.” He also added that he has no plans to retire in the near future, and he’d like to have a World Series trip or at least some playoff seasons behind him before he does.
As 710 ESPN’s Shannon Drayer writes, Dipoto expressed that pitching may be a bigger need for the Mariners than offense, which he admitted is strange given the previous narrative surrounding the team. Dipoto did state that it’s “critical” to lengthen the bottom of the lineup, but he offered high praise for Miller and Seth Smith, specifically, when discussing some of the perhaps unheralded assets in the team’s present lineup.
“Dipoto exudes passion and oozes competence,” writes Larry Stone of the Seattle Times, “and his likability factor is off the charts.” However, Stone remains somehwhat skeptical, noting that predecessors Bill Bavasi and Jack Zduriencik have promised change and come up short in that regard. Stone notes that Dipoto’s transparency into his strong belief in both scouting and analytics was encouraging, as was the new GM’s candid admission that he was “a little disheartened” by seeing the lofty strikeout rates throughout the minor league system. “You’ve got a lot of guys striking out a lot,” said Dipoto. “Now, it’s a lot of very talented players with a lot of upside potential to tap into. That’s only going to happen if we can somehow develop more contact. I think that’s important. That’s going to be Step No. 1.” Though he came away impressed, Stone notes that “winning” the press conference is far easier than turning around a struggling organization.
Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski had hoped to be able to retain Dipoto, he told WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. However, Dombrowski characterized the chances of keeping Dipoto as a “long shot” once he began interviewing with the Mariners, seemingly offering high praise and respect for the veteran executive’s front office acumen. As Bradford writes, Dipoto’s time with the Sox was limited, but it left a mark. “His basic task was to review our personnel in the organization and then report on them, which he did,” Dombrowski explained. “He did a great job, had a very thorough assessment of our talent, and gave me the information. He also, when he was around, contributed to other ways in talking about general baseball.” Also of importance, Dombrowski said, was the ability to receive internal assessments from pre-existing Red Sox baseball operations members as well as what was essentially an external review of the talent from a well-respected peer.

Mariners Promote Ketel Marte

By Zachary Links | July 31, 2015 at 5:54pm CDT

The Mariners (on Twitter) announced that they have promoted infielder Ketel Marte to the majors. Marte, 21, was rated No. 50 on Baseball America’s midseason top 50 prospects list.

Marte signed for just $100K in the Mariners’ ~$6MM 2010 int’l class, but he has proven to be that group’s best prospect, as BA writes. Marte’s arm limits him at shortstop and he doesn’t boast a ton of power, but scouts project that he can become an above-average defender at second base.

The youngster has spent the bulk of the 2015 season at Triple-A Tacoma. In 287 plate appearances, Marte has hit .314/.359/.410 with three homers.

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