Seattle Mariners Top Prospect Makes Insane Play in Arizona Fall League Game
Right now, a lot of the focus on the Seattle Mariners with regards to the Arizona Fall League has been on top prospect Colt Emerson, who is tearing the cover off the ball.
Emerson, the team's first-round pick in 2023, was just named the co-hitter of the week in the showcase league.
However, he's not the only Mariners player turning heads right now. Take the play on Thursday by pitching prospect Jimmy Joyce for example.
Pitching against Termarr Johnson of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Joyce made an amazing behind-the-back play on a ground ball. You can watch it below:
Jimmy Joyce @Mariners with a behind the back catch off of Termarr Johnson to turn a double play #ProspectOne pic.twitter.com/RMG8eKkR12
— The Welsh (@IsItTheWelsh) October 17, 2024
Joyce is currently the No. 23 prospect in the organization, per MLB.com. The 25-year-old was drafted by the Mariners in the 2021 draft (16th round) and spent most of this season at Double-A Arkansas, where he helped the Travelers win the Southern League Championship.
Joyce appeared in 27 games for the Travelers this year, going 4-6 with a 5.49 ERA. He struck out 58 batters in 59.0 innings.
The following comes from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:
Joyce operates with a three-pitch mix via a funky delivery. His fastball sits around 93 mph from a lower arm slot, and it's thrown with plenty of life. His 83-84 mph changeup runs and has hard fade to it and his 82-83 mph curveball gets big top to bottom action on it. That combination of funk and movement has allowed him to miss a fair amount of bats despite less than plus stuff.
The Mariners will continue trying to develop Joyce, as they don't have as many pitching prospects in the pipeline at the moment. With Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller all in the majors, the team is working to rebuild its pitching pipeline. They currently have Emerson Hancock and Logan Evans as high-minors arms, with Joyce in the mix as well.
Follow Inside the Mariners on social media
Continue to follow our Inside the Mariners coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following Teren Kowatsch and Brady Farkas on "X" @Teren_Kowatsch and @wdevradiobrady. You can subscribe to the "Refuse to Lose" podcast by clicking HERE:
