It’s only been two-and-a-half weeks, but Everett AquaSox center fielder Jonatan Clase is already showing why he’s considered one of the Seattle Mariners’ best prospects.
The 20-year-old from the Dominican Republic was a big catalyst as the Sox took five of six games against the Vancouver Canadians last week at Funko Field.
Hitting from the leadoff spot, Clase posted a .481 on-base percentage, scored seven runs and stole seven bases as the Sox (8-6) used the series to vault from fifth to second place in the Northwest League. Everett now trails first-place Eugene by just two games.
Clase is ranked as the 12th-best prospect in Seattle’s system by MLB.com, and the asset cited as his strongest is his speed. On baseball’s 20-80 scouting scale his running is rated 70, which is an elite evaluation. Last season he stole 55 bases in 107 games at Single-A Modesto, and so far this season he leads the Northwest League with 12 steals in 14 attempts.
“Oh man, he’s definitely one of the fastest guys I’ve seen,” Everett manager Ryan Scott said. “He’s fun to watch when he’s on the bases. You know he can take a base at any time. The biggest thing is for us to continue to let him be aggressive, rein him in when we need to, and continue to work on his jumps and his timing to make sure he’s an elite baserunner besides just being fast.
“With him being young and learning a lot, we’re letting him be aggressive, then having conversations about the best counts and best situations to run in, as well as when he shouldn’t be running.”
But Clase is showing he’s more than just a speed merchant. The switch hitter is listed at a mere 5-foot-9 and 150 pounds, but he displayed some pop by smacking three home runs during the series against Vancouver, including homers from both sides of the plate. He’s also showing some excellent on-base skills, with a .309 batting average supplemented by 14 walks in 14 games, giving him a .449 on-base percentage that ranks fourth in the league.
”He’s been great,” Scott said. “The biggest thing with him is to continue swinging at the right pitches, earn some pitches over the plate, and that’s where he’ll continue to shine. That’s what he’s doing. He’s not a power guy, but he took advantage of some ones that were out over the plate.”
Players of the week
Hitter: Tyler Locklear. As good as Clase was last week, Locklear edged him in OPS (1.300-1.291). Locklear, a third baseman who was a second-round pick by the Mariners in last year’s draft, is rated by MLB.com as Seattle’s 10th-best prospect. Last week he batted .400 with two home runs and eight RBI in six games, and he added an impressive 5/3 walk to strikeout ratio. It was a nice bump for a player who opened the season 8-for-35 (.229).
Pitcher: Kyle Hill. Honestly, Everett’s entire bullpen deserves mention, as the Sox’s relievers were unscored upon in 16 of their 21 appearances. But Hill was exemplary in his two outings. The right-hander, who was a 10th-round pick in the 2019 draft, allowed just one hit while striking out four in 2.1 scoreless innings. He earned a hold in both of his outings, including putting out a fire in Saturday’s 7-3 victory after the Canadians scored three in the top of the seventh to make it a game.
The week ahead
Everett hits the road this week for a six-game series against Spokane. Spokane, an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, is 6-6 and in third place in the Northwest League, three games behind Eugene and a single game behind Everett. Spokane is coming off a 3-3 series split at Tri-City.
Spokane’s roster is filled with top prospects, as six of Colorado’s top 10 as ranked by MLB.com are currently on the roster. Top among those is shortstop Adael Amador (.273), who is listed as the third-best prospect in the Rockies’ system and No. 62 in all of baseball.
Offensively Spokane has been led by third baseman Sterlin Thompson (.477, one homer, nine RBI), who is listed as Colorado’s No. 8 prospect. Right-handed pitcher Gabriel Hughes (0.90 ERA, two walks and 13 strikeouts in 10.0 innings) was lights out in each of his first two starts.
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