Writers Discuss Potential Impact of Top 3 Seattle Mariners Prospect Jonny Farmelo
The Seattle Mariners' minor leagues will be interesting to follow in 2025.
Next season will be the pro baseball debut of switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje, who the Mariners selected with their first round pick in the 2024 draft out of Mississippi State. It will also see the continued development of top prospects such as Lazaro Montes and Colt Emerson.
Another highly-touted Seattle prospect will return from injury. Albeit, not until late in the year.
The Mariners were awarded the 29th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. It was a Prospect Performance Incentive for Julio Rodriguez winning the American League Rookie of the Year in 2022. The club used that pick to select Jonny Farmelo out of high school.
Farmelo instantly became one of the more intriguing prospects in Seattle's system, mainly due to his athleticism. He made his professional debut in 2024 and impressed.
Farmelo hit .263 with four home runs (17 extra-base hits total) to go with 25 RBIs and 18 steals with the Mariners' Low-A affiliate, the Modesto Nuts.
Have a night Jonny Farmelo! 4-4, 3 2B, 2R, 2RBI. SB. pic.twitter.com/3kWcTvHvqC
— Mariners Minors (@MiLBMariners) May 25, 2024
Farmelo's season came to an unfortunate end after 46 games played due to a torn ACL. The injury is expected to keep him out until midseason.
Despite this setback, Farmelo was still ranked as Seattle's No. 3 prospect according to a recent list from Baseball America.
Publication writers Ben Badler and Carlos Collazo discussed Farmelo's potential more on a YouTube video posted on the official Baseball America YouTube channel.
"I know in the draft everyone was excited about Jonny Farmelo the athlete," Badler said. "Watching him when he was in high school, what drew me to him was Jonny Farmelo the hitter. I like the hand-eye coordination, the barrel accuracy, the feel for hitting from the left side of the plate and then the physical projection, too, from a guy who's 6-foot-2. He's filling out more now, but I think there's still some room to growth and then you layer on all the athleticism he brings to the table: Plus-plus runner, he's explosive, quick-burst, bouncy type of athlete. I think there's even more to be excited about."
Farmelo was on an impressive pace in 2024 before his injury. Getting him back to 100% will be a top priority for the organization's training and player development staff in the offseason. He'll also likely be closely-monitored due to his athletic playstyle and speed on the basepaths. But when he returns in 2025, it will be interesting to see how he plays, especially compared to before he got hurt.
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