The two biggest challenges for Mariners outfield prospect Jonny Farmelo during his time playing in the Arizona Fall League are being healthy on the field and finding a TV when he’s off of it.
Health has been elusive for the Mariners’ No. 7 prospect (No. 75 on the Top 100). Taken No. 29 overall in the 2023 Draft – the pick the Mariners were awarded when Julio Rodríguez won the 2022 AL Rookie of the Year Award – he got off to a solid start in his pro career with Single-A Modesto in 2024, but his season ended with a torn right ACL in June. Then, after working hard to rehab the knee, a rib cage stress reaction limited him to just 29 games this season.
“I think the biggest thing for me is just staying on the field and getting more at-bats,” said Farmelo, who led the AFL with eight RBIs in three games in the first week of the 2025 schedule for the Peoria Javelinas. “So I'm just looking forward to playing more baseball and really kind of seeing where I stack up against other guys, against good pitching, playing every day.”
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Farmelo has a full box of tools to work with, with at least plus speed when he’s 100 percent. He had 18 steals with Modesto in just 46 games in '24, but stole only two during the regular season this year, though he has two so far in the AFL. He’s still literally getting his legs under him and figuring out who he is as a player.
“It's been tough,” Farmelo admitted. “It really would have been nice to get back relatively early from the knee like I did and have almost a full year. But it's unfortunate. I don't feel like I could really control those types of injuries, so it is what it is.”
Farmelo is hoping to use this Fall League stint to get him going full tilt so he can really contribute to the great thing the Mariners have going on the player development side. He’s one of eight Top 100 prospects in the system and he knows just how lucky he is to be a part of it.
“It's really a blessing,” Farmelo said. “We’ve got a great group of guys… the player development staff is great. Me, Colt Emerson and Ty Peete, all drafted together, we have a great relationship. And then we have Laz [Montes], Michael Arroyo, Ryan Sloan, Jurrangelo [Cijntje], and all these newer guys, too. And so it's really been cool to compete with these guys.”
The ultimate goal, of course, is to compete with them and help Seattle keep winning, which brings back the challenge of Farmelo’s off-field time in the AFL: making sure he can tune in to watch the current big league club’s postseason run.
“I do plan on watching some of those games, and it'll be fun,” he said. “Go Mariners.”
Mariners hitters in the Fall League
Brock Rodden, 2B (No. 22): In the same '23 Draft that brought Farmelo (and top prospect Emerson) to the Mariners, the team also took Rodden as an under-slot fifth-rounder. He struggled when he got to Double-A Arkansas for the first time in '24, but hit well when he was on the field this past season at the level (.295/.356/.466 with 14 steals), though he also only played in 41 total games because of an oblique issue and a broken hamate.
Charlie Pagliarini, 2B/1B: A 19th-round Draft pick out of Fairfield University in Connecticut in '23, Pagliarini spent the season with High-A Everett. He finished tied for second in the circuit with his 21 homers. He gives off a three-true-outcomes vibe with a lot of walks and strikeouts to go with the power while mostly playing on the right side of the infield.
Mariners pitchers in the Fall League
Marcelo Perez, RHP (No. 19): An 11th-round college senior pick in 2022, Perez jumped on the prospect radar this year as an uptick in stuff and velocity led to better results. He pitched his way to Double-A for the first time, finishing with a combined 3.44 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. He leans heavily on his two sliders – a gyro and a sweeper – throwing them more than his 93-mph heater.
Tyler Cleveland, RHP (No. 30): Taken three rounds after Perez, Cleveland’s mode of operation is very unconventional. He’s a submariner with a sinker-slider combination, with the fastball topping out at around 86 mph and a low-70s sweepy slider that can miss bats. It might be atypical, but it’s worked: Cleveland made it to Double-A this past season and finished with a combined 0.87 ERA, a 0.75 WHIP and a .128 BAA.
Ryan Hawks, RHP: A '23 draftee out of Louisville, Hawks had more success with a second season in High-A Everett, finishing third in the Northwest League with his 3.79 ERA. He gets some sink on his fastball, and what few bats he misses (career 6.7 K/9 rate) mostly comes from his slider. He folds in a changeup as well. He’s proven to be a durable strike-thrower so far in his career and threw six strong innings as the starter for Game 1 of the Northwest League Championship series.
Jimmy Kingsbury, RHP: Kingsbury used his '24 AFL stint to help him make the full-time jump to Double-A, then went out and saved 10 games for Arkansas while finishing with a 2.93 ERA and a .198 BAA. He’s a low-90s sinker and 79-80 mph slider reliever.
Stefan Raeth, RHP: Taken in the 17th round of the 2022 Draft, Raeth made it to Double-A for the first time in 2025 after two seasons with Single-A Modesto and parts of two more with High-A Everett. More strikes this year (2.0 BB/9) with his low-90s fastball and low-80s slider led to much better results.