Final Report Card Grades for Mariners Prospects at the Arizona Fall League

Seven Seattle Mariners prospects concluded play at the Arizona Fall League last weekend.

The Mariners sent three position players and four pitchers to the league, which lasted nearly a month-and-a-half and attracted some of the top prospects in baseball.

Among those representing Seattle were Taijuan Walker and D.J. Peterson, two of the top young players in the club's system.

However, Walker left Arizona early due to personal reasons, as reported by Mike Axisa of CBSSports.com. Peterson struggled at the plate as well, failing to live up to some lofty expectations.

Although the two main attractions may have been disappointing, Seattle did get good AFL performances out of some other players. Here's how all seven of the Mariners prospects graded out.

All stats via FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.

D.J. Peterson, 3B

Seattle's No. 2 overall prospect—according to MLB.com—dominated in High-A before moving to Double-A Jackson for the final 58 games of the season.

D.J. Peterson hit .261/.335/.473 with 13 home runs in Jackson, showing great improvement after a brief adjustment period.

Unfortunately, Peterson was unable to get going in Arizona, posting a .169/.290/.288 line. That .578 OPS ranked just outside the bottom 10 in the league.

If the Mariners want to find some positives, Peterson had good plate discipline with 10 walks to 15 strikeouts in 69 plate appearances, and he hit a home run despite not showing much power overall.

Still, Peterson's performance is disappointing considering how much Seattle is banking on him for the future.

Peterson has started slow in every league he's been in but has hit eventually, so there's no reason to be concerned by his AFL performance. Watch for Peterson to reach Triple-A early on in 2015.

Grade: D+

John Hicks, C

After hitting well enough to rise to Triple-A in 2014, John Hicks continued to post strong numbers during the fall.

Hicks hit .304/.396/.522 over 53 plate appearances, good for a 153 wRC+. He ranked eighth in the AFL in wRC+ and ninth in slugging percentage.

In a limited sample size, Hicks also showed he can bring some versatility at the plate. He hit two home runs, stole two bases and nearly walked more than he struck out.

Minor league coordinator Chris Gwynn is pleased with Hicks' development, via Greg Johns of MLB.com:

"

I'm just happy with his progress. He's always been pretty athletic, and we all wondered if the bat was going to come a little more. Like with the maturation of any young kid, he's starting to get it. He's a smart kid. He's always been OK defensively and he's thrown out a lot of runners. In the Fall League, he looked pretty confident. He has work to do, and he knows it, but I think he's caught everybody's eye.

"

Expect Hicks to start the season in Triple-A and be in contention to back up Mike Zunino in the future. Hicks plays solid defense, and his bat would likely be an upgrade over Jesus Sucre.  

Grade: A+

Patrick Kivlehan, 1B/3B/OF

Patrick Kivlehan is rising fast up Seattle's prospect rankings, and he was impressive again in Arizona.

After playing football rather than baseball until his senior season in college, Kivlehan took some time to develop but broke out toward the end of the 2013 season.

He followed that up with arguably the best year of any prospect in the Mariners system, posting a 140 wRC+ in his first 104 games of Double-A.

Kivlehan concluded his strong 2014 by batting .280/.387/.473 in 111 AFL plate appearances. He ranked near the top of the league with four home runs and had a walk rate of 12.6 percent.

Gwynn said the Mariners would continue to move Kivlehan around in an attempt to get him some playing time as he moves up to Tacoma and potentially Seattle, via Johns of MLB.com:

"The most important part is getting him comfortable. He's comfortable now at first base. We're just adding tools to his belt."

Peterson and Alex Jackson are rightfully regarded as Seattle's top prospects, but it's time to be just as excited for Kivlehan.

Grade: A

Taijuan Walker, RHP

Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images

Walker left the AFL after two starts, but the Mariners say he is healthy.

As mentioned before, Taijuan Walker left the AFL early after two strong outings. General manager Jack Zduriencik insisted that the young right-hander is not dealing with an injury, via Axisa of CBSSports.com:

“Taijuan is completely healthy and was very impressive in his two outings but made a personal decision that he needed to return home at this time.”

Walker was set back by a shoulder impingement last March and bounced between Tacoma and Seattle, so any potential injury is a big concern, but the Mariners say he will be ready for spring training.

He was replaced in the AFL by left-hander Scott DeCecco, who pitched 4.2 scoreless innings, walking four and striking out two.

Grade: Incomplete

Matt Anderson, RHP

Associated Press

Brazis showed power stuff in the AFL, but has a ways to go to reach the majors

Matt Anderson started 13 games in Double-A this season before a back injury forced him back to Single-A and a relief role.

Coming out of the bullpen in Arizona, Anderson allowed 16 earned runs in 13.1 innings. His main problem was the long ball, as he allowed three home runs in his nine appearances.

There were some positives for Anderson, as he struck out 13 batters and picked up a save. He remains a relative unknown in the Mariners system, but he has shown good velocity and command in his career and is worth keeping an eye on in Jackson next year.

Grade: C-

Matt Brazis, RHP

An intriguing under-the-radar prospect, Matt Brazis had a nice 2014 campaign, posting a 1.64 ERA (2.43 FIP) in 33.0 innings of Double-A.

Brazis showed an ability to effectively use a delivery that John Hickey of Baseball America describes as "deceptive," generating a strikeout rate of 31.1 percent in Single-A and 27.2 percent in Double-A.

That continued in the AFL, as Brazis struck out 11 in 12.1 innings of work. He did yield seven earned runs, but he did not allow a home run and gave up just five long balls over 84.2 innings in 2014.

Brazis is 25 years old, so he isn't a big prospect despite the impressive numbers. Still, he will rise to Triple-A and even possibly the majors if he keeps up the high strikeout rates and low ERAs.

Grade: B-

Stephen Landazuri, RHP

Stephen Landazuri turned in a couple of nice starts early in the season and was likely near a promotion to Triple-A before being sidelined by an oblique injury. Overall, he posted a 4.33 ERA (4.78 FIP) in 95.2 innings this year.

Things didn't go too well in the AFL, as Landazuri allowed 17 runs in 22.0 innings of work. He also struggled with the long ball, giving up three home runs.

The most important thing for Landazuri was to come out of the AFL healthy after tossing a lot of innings the past two seasons and having the oblique issue earlier.

He is just 22 years old and is still a fringe prospect, but Landazuri will need to show some improvement in 2015 to move up to Tacoma.

Grade: C+