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A disappointing 4-7 road trip has left the Seattle Mariners on the brink of playoff elimination.

The Mariners dropped crucial series to the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays, leaving them two games out of the AL wild-card race with three to play. Anything can happen until a team is mathematically eliminated, but it would take nothing short of a miracle for the Mariners to make the postseason at this point.

Seattle’s offense continued to struggle apart from a pair of outbursts, while the rotation finally hit a wall and showed signs of regression. While the Mariners have put together a better season than just about anyone anticipated, it still hurt to watch the team crash so hard suddenly when it was given a golden opportunity.

If the Mariners are indeed eliminated this weekend, they will spend a lot of time looking back on this past road trip. Seattle was hit with an absolutely brutal travel schedule at an unfortunate time, but a playoff-caliber team needed to do better than 2-5 against the Astros and Blue Jays.

As disastrous as the road trip was, the Mariners did have one silver lining.

Phenom Taijuan Walker received the start against Toronto on Wednesday, desperately needing a win to boost Seattle’s hopes. While the Mariners would lose 1-0 on a bloop single in the eighth inning, Walker would turn in the best outing of his career.

Walker went eight strong innings, allowing the one run on four hits while walking one and striking out six batters. He looked more dominant than that strikeout total would indicate and was far better with his command than in some previous starts.

Wednesday’s outing put Walker’s electric fastball on display, as it touched 97 miles per hour with late life. Walker has shown flashes with the pitch before but struggled to throw strikes with it on a consistent basis.

According to FanGraphs.com, Walker has thrown his fastball for a strike only 63.6 percent of the time in 2014. That percentage was much improved on Wednesday, as Walker threw 99 pitches overall for 66 strikes.

Better fastball command helped make Walker’s arsenal of off-speed pitches more effective. Walker mixed in a devastating splitter well on Wednesday to go with his curveball and changeup, which looked better than in any other previous start of his young major league career.

His standout moment came on a 3-2 pitch in the fourth inning to Jose Bautista, as Walker was able to completely fool one of the best hitters in the majors with a curveball. Bautista doesn’t look so off-balance often, as he has walked more than he’s struck out in 2014.

The Blue Jays were fooled all night until the eighth inning, as Mariners announcer Aaron Goldsmith highlights. 

Nobody was panicking about a 22-year-old Walker yet, but Mariners fans were patiently waiting for Walker to display his full arsenal. He did that effectively on Wednesday.

Manager Lloyd McClendon believes Walker’s outing was an important step toward building for next season despite the disappointing result of the game, via Greg Johns of MLB.com. 

In all of this, that’s one thing I certainly don’t want to get lost, That young man threw a tremendous ballgame, really stepped up and did everything we asked him to do. He was outstanding. I think his last two outings have really given us a glimpse of the future. We have a lot to be proud of and this young man is going to be part of that future. We have a lot to be excited about. Was this important? Yeah. I think it was. I think he’s turned a corner and is starting to move in the right direction.

Walker is going to be an important part of the Mariners in 2015. If Walker lives up to his potential, the Mariners will have an outstanding rotation again, even if Chris Young leaves in free agency or Roenis Elias isn’t as effective.

The 4-7 road trip put a serious dent in the Mariners’ hopes, but it gave them one reason to be optimistic for the future.

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The Seattle Mariners had several prospects make their major league debuts in 2014, with a few of them going on to be important contributors on a contending ballclub.

Roenis Elias, James Jones, Dominic Leone, Carson Smith, Chris Taylor and Stefen Romero all made their way to Seattle from the minors this year. With James Paxton and Taijuan Walker also in the majors, the Mariners figure to have quite a few young players on their roster next year.

Expect more prospects to debut in 2015. While many of Seattle’s top pitchers have already reached the majors, a few position players should be on the way in the near future.

D.J. Peterson and Patrick Kivlehan shared Seattle’s Minor League Player of the Year honors and rank among the Mariners’ most major league ready prospects for next season, along with a few others.

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Felix Hernandez has put together an illustrious career as the ace of the Seattle Mariners for nearly a decade, with 2014 ranking as his best season yet.

However, Hernandez has tended to stumble a bit as each year winds down, owning a career 3.55 ERA in September, second worst of any month. His strikeout, walk and home run rates down the stretch have also been slightly worse than his career averages. 

The trend has been especially noticeable in the past three seasons after Hernandez posted a 4.11 ERA in the second half last year and ERAs above 5.00 in September of 2012 and 2011. 

Whether it be fatigue, random statistical noise with a small sample size or the fact the Mariners have always been out of the race by September, Hernandez has tended to give up more runs down the stretch. 

This year has to be different. With Seattle narrowly trailing in the wild-card race and a tough schedule coming up, it can’t afford to have Hernandez at anything less than full capacity.

When Hernandez turned in a couple of poor starts near the end of August, concern began to grow. Hernandez’s major league record of 16 consecutive starts with at least seven innings pitched and fewer than three earned runs came to an end on August 16 against the Detroit Tigers, and he lasted just 5.2 innings while allowing three runs in his next outing against the Boston Red Sox.

The worst start of Hernandez’s season followed that, as he gave up five runs in seven innings to the Washington Nationals. Most concerning was the fact that Hernandez gave up four home runs after just allowing nine all season up to that point.

As Tim Booth of the Associated Press highlights, that was not a typical outing for Hernandez.

Hernandez appeared to have trouble locating his devastating changeup and said he left too many pitches up in the zone, via Adam Lewis of MLB.com

“It was a tough day. I couldn’t get out of the middle of the plate the first four innings. I was up and I got crushed…Everything was off.”

Some of that was to be expected, as every pitcher around the league is dealing with fatigue at this point in the season and Hernandez wasn’t going to run a sub-2.00 ERA forever. Still, he looked off in those three starts and given his recent history in the final six weeks of seasons, there was reason to be a little troubled.

The Mariners pitching staff as a whole has been struggling over the past couple of weeks, at least compared to its previous run of form since the All-Star break. Hernandez is counted on to stop those streaks more than any other Seattle pitcher.

His turn in the rotation came last Wednesday against the Oakland Athletics with the Mariners needing a win to avoid dropping their third consecutive series. Fortunately for the Mariners, Hernandez returned right to form.

This is the latest in a season Hernandez has pitched a meaningful regular-season game since at least 2007, if not his entire career. He has been patiently waiting for a big stage (other than the All-Star Game) and certainly got one Wednesday against Jon Lester and an Oakland team that is suddenly only three games ahead of Seattle.

Hernandez delivered, allowing one run on three hits over eight innings. Other than an impressive Adam Dunn home run in the fourth inning, Hernandez was in complete control of the game.

Lloyd McClendon noted that Hernandez looked like himself bouncing back from the start against Washington, via Greg Johns of MLB.com

“He had tremendous command, he was down in the zone, he was 94 [mph] when he wanted to be 94, he elevated when he wanted to elevate. He made one bad pitch on a swing-back fastball that ran back over the plate just a little too much. But he was vintage Felix today.”

That home run looked like it was going to be enough to beat the Mariners, as Lester cruised through the first six innings. Kyle Seager and Cory Hart than launched unexpected back-to-back shots, giving Seattle a 2-1 victory and much-needed series win.

Hernandez has been far more dominant in other starts, as he struck out just four to two walks. But the fact that allowing five baserunners in eight innings against a tough lineup isn’t Hernandez at his most dominant speaks to his own lofty standards.

With the intensity ratcheted up, Hernandez proved he will keep pitching at the same level this time around.

That’s a huge positive for the Mariners. They trail a Detroit Tigers team, which seems like it should catch fire at any time, by half a game in the wild-card standings. Seattle simply needs to win every time Hernandez takes the mound here on out.

Hernandez is the perfect pitcher to take the mound in a one-game playoff. He will just have to lead the Mariners there first.

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The Seattle Mariners called up seven players from Triple-A Tacoma to boost a push toward the postseason, according to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times and other media reports.  

Interestingly enough, six of those seven call-ups have experience in the major leagues. A couple of prospects, particularly Ty Kelly, could have filled holes on the roster, but the Mariners decided to go with known veterans instead of unknown younger players.

Seattle’s starting lineup appears set, especially if Michael Saunders is able to return. Still, five of the additions appeared in Monday’s loss to the Oakland Athletics, and manager Lloyd McClendon said they could continue to get opportunities, via Greg Johns of MLB.com.

“I think all of them bring something to the table. And hopefully they’ll get opportunities to help us win games.”

While the Mariners have some idea of what to expect from most of the new additions, their roles on the team may change from previous stints in Seattle.

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The Seattle Mariners are focused on a September push to the playoffs but also have a bright future to look forward to in 2015 and beyond.

After five months, the Mariners have a strong idea of what their strengths and weaknesses are heading into the offseason. As exciting as the current chase for a wild-card spot is, the Mariners could be even better next season with a couple of moves in free agency.

General manager Jack Zduriencik did a nice job of balancing Seattle’s present and future at the trade deadline and again will be faced with a similar circumstance during the offseason. This season’s unexpected run set the Mariners up nicely for 2015, so a couple of win-now moves would not be surprising.

The club’s performance in September, and potentially October, will impact the offseason, but there are already a few storylines shaping up for the winter.

Free Agents

The core will be intact for 2015, but the Mariners still have a few players who are due to enter free agency:

• Kendrys Morales, DH
• Corey Hart, DH
• Chris Denorfia, OF
• Chris Young, SP
• Franklin Gutierrez, OF
• Endy Chavez, OF

That list is assuming the Mariners exercise a $7 million team option on Hisashi Iwakuma, which seems certain to happen.

Hart and Chavez are the most likely to be gone, while Gutierrez probably won’t be ready to return to return to the majors at all due to his health situation. The Mariners will have some interesting choices to make regarding the other three players.

September will be most critical for Morales, as he will have to finish strong to get anywhere near the amount of money he was offered last offseason.  

If Morales continues to hit relatively well (106 wRC+ in August), the Mariners will look to bring him back, but Morales didn’t seem interested in signing with Seattle last offseason, and the cost may be too high.

Bob Dutton of The Tacoma News Tribune mentions that the Mariners will at least look at bringing Morales back in 2015. 

Attempting to retain Young would make sense for both parties. Young was built for Safeco Field, while Taijuan Walker doesn’t appear as ready for the majors as the Mariners would have hoped at this point. James Paxton has some health concerns—meaning the team could use the veteran depth.

The Mariners will be gambling on Young avoiding regression and his shoulder holding up, but he’s been consistently strong in 2013. A short, incentive-laden contract would be ideal.

To the point about Young’s health, the 35-year-old says he’s been pain free since undergoing surgery to fix thoracic outlet syndrome last June, via Jim Caple of ESPN.com.

It’s been pain free. It’s been a big blessing for me and I don’t take it for granted. I was at a point where I was basically ready to walk away. ‘I’ve done what I can and my shoulder just is not meant for this.’ And so, after having surgery, I woke up and I knew the pain was gone. Ever since, it’s just continued to get better and better.

Finding Help at First Base and Designated Hitter

The Mariners have received little production at the plate from either position until the last few weeks, which needs to change in 2015. Help could be on the way soon from the minors, but the Mariners may want to make some moves that focus on the present rather than the future.

One decision the Mariners will have to make is figuring out where Logan Morrison fits into their plans as he heads into an arbitration year. Morrison ran an unfortunate .211 BABIP in July but has rebounded with a .352/.403/.465 line since.

Morrison would be a fine placeholder until D.J. Peterson is ready, unless a better option presents itself.  

It seems unlikely at this point that Morales will be coming back. September will provide a brief look at Ji-Man Choi, who could DH or split time with Morrison at first, but the Mariners may want to look for more experienced hitters.

However, the free agent class doesn’t look too promising. Many of the big-name free agent first basemen are well into their 30s. Victor Martinez appears to be the best designated hitter available but will be expensive.  

Potential Trade Chips

The Mariners used a valuable trade community in Nick Franklin to fill a need with Austin Jackson on July 31. Some similar moves could be on the way in the offseason.

Last winter, the Mariners flipped Carter Capps, a young reliever with high upside, for offensive help in Morrison. A similar move could be coming in the offseason, as the Mariners have several high-upside relievers, like Brandon Maurer, who could be available.  

The team will also have to make a decision at shortstop between Chris Taylor and Brad Miller. Having one sit in Triple-A long-term isn’t going to help the club, and either one could land a decent return.

For now, the Mariners appear to be favoring Taylor, but they will have a better read on him after another full month in the majors.

If the Mariners don’t make a trade for a first basemen or designated hitter, they could be in the market for outfield help, particularly if Denorfia leaves.

Seattle’s outfield looks decent heading into 2015, but it depends on Dustin Ackley sustaining his current hot streak and Michael Saunders staying healthy. Both things could be impacted in September.  

Possible Contract Extensions

Instead of spending a large amount on free agents, the Mariners may look to work on contract extensions for Hisashi Iwakuma and Kyle Seager.

Iwakuma has pitched like an ace for the past two seasons and could make upwards of $20 million if he hits free agency in 2016, so it would be wise for the Mariners to work on an extension shortly after the season ends. He signed a two-year extension following the 2012 season with the option for the third year.

Another three-year deal would be perfect as Iwakuma turns 34 next season, but he may want to test free agency.  

Following his last extension, Iwakuma said he was pleased to be in Seattle, which means there could be interest from both sides to get another deal done, via Greg Johns of MLB.com:

“First and foremost, I am very happy with how the Seattle Mariners treated me throughout the season and for their evaluation in me as a starter…My family was a big factor in our decision [and] we are very happy and satisfied with Seattle, and we look forward to staying for at least two years.”

Seager ranks ninth in the majors in WAR and is a critical part of Seattle’s core, so it’s time to think about locking him up long-term. The Mariners have more time with Seager, as he has three arbitration years remaining, but the price could go up if they wait another year or two.

Buying out those arbitration years will be more expensive over the next three seasons, but if the Mariners sign him for a few years beyond that it will save them money long-term.

All stats via FanGraphs.com unless otherwise noted. 

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Just one season after finishing 31st in ERA, the Seattle Mariners’ bullpen has been one of the best in the majors in 2014.

Seattle’s relievers own a collective 2.49 ERA, trailing only the San Diego Padres for the top spot in the league. If they finish the year with that number, the Mariners will have posted the second-best bullpen ERA of any American League club in the designated hitter era, trailing only the 2.35 put up by the 1990 Oakland Athletics.

That impressive number includes a shaky start to the season, but Gary Hill of 710 ESPN points out Seattle has been just about untouchable since June 1.

ERA can be misleading at times, particularly for relievers, but the Mariners’ bullpen ranks first in the AL in FIP, xFIP and opponent’s average. A bit of regression is to be expected (and there has been some over the past week), but there’s no denying the group has put together a historic season.

So how did a terrible Seattle bullpen in 2013 rise so far in just one season?

Through a combination of drafting and previous deadline deals as sellers, the Mariners have amassed a collection of relievers who throw hard. Every member of the bullpen with the exception of lefties Joe Beimel and Charlie Furbush regularly touches the mid-90s or above.

Whether that’s something the organization specifically focuses on with relievers or if it’s just a reflection of a trend around the league, it’s contributed to the Mariners’ dominance.

Pitchers certainly don’t have to throw hard to be successful, but those who can hit the high-90s typically have more upside and strikeout potential. That’s reflected in the strikeout rate of 24.2 percent put up by Seattle’s bullpen, second in the AL to the New York Yankees.

With that much upside, the Mariners’ bullpen can go on some pretty incredible runs when everybody is clicking. Announcer Aaron Goldsmith highlights such a run earlier in August:

Some offseason additions and tweaks early in the season set the Mariners up well for their historic run. The team made two bullpen moves before spring training, adding veterans Beimel and Fernando Rodney to a relatively young group.

As frustrating as Rodney can be, he’s successfully solidified what was a shaky closer position in 2013. Locking down the back end has helped everything else slide into place, as manager Lloyd McClendon explained to Greg Johns of MLB.com.

“Everybody else was able to be slotted into the proper roles where they weren’t overexposed or overused. As a result, they’ve been fantastic. Now did I think they were going to be this good? This is historical type of stuff and I didn’t expect that. It’s been pretty special to watch.”    

The first big in-season move was to finally jettison Hector Noesi on April 3 and call up rookie Dominic Leone straight from Double-A. That left the Mariners without a typical long-relief or mop-up man, but they haven’t really needed one since the end of April.

Leone had far more upside and has rewarded the team for the decision. The 22-year-old has a 2.65 ERA (3.22 FIP) and is fifth among AL rookie relievers in strikeout rate.

The Seattle bullpen was already performing superbly by late June, but transitioning Brandon Maurer from the bullpen added another weapon to get the job done in any situation. Maurer looks like a completely different pitcher coming out of the bullpen and has allowed just five runs in 23.2 innings of relief.

A big factor in Seattle’s run has been that some of the returning faces have pitched to their full potential. In particular, Tom Wilhelmsen and Danny Farquhar have thrived in new roles after struggling to different degrees as closers in 2013.

Wilhelmsen has arguably been the most important member of the bullpen, as his versatility has provided tremendous value for the Mariners. He can be counted on in a critical late-game situation but has also been successful in longer outings of three or more innings and even made a spot start on July 10.

The key for Wilhelmsen has always been commanding his curveball, and he’s had a good feel for the pitch all season long. Wilhelmsen’s walks are down and his strikeouts are up, helping his ERA tumble nearly two points to 2.15 (3.73 FIP) in 2014.

Farquhar’s 1.86 FIP and 34.7 percent strikeout rate indicate he was unfortunate to have an ERA over four a year ago and his mark of 2.68 (2.43 FIP) in 2014 is far closer to his true talent level. FanGraphs indicated Farquhar is throwing his devastating cutter more often this season and is again striking out over 10 batters per nine innings.

Yoervis Medina has also improved his command from a year ago while shoring up some inconsistencies. Like Wilhelmsen, Medina’s been able to control his breaking pitches for much of the year and has decreased both his walk rate and ERA.

The member of the current bullpen who has struggled the most this season is Furbush, which seems like it would hurt the Mariners a lot more as he is one of only two left-handers available. However, Beimel (1.19 ERA, 3.35 FIP) has unexpectedly been able to pick up the slack, and Furbush has the fewest innings of any reliever (apart from Maurer) as a result. 

Credit must also go to McClendon for doing an outstanding job of managing the group. Fluid roles past the closer and an avoidance of overmanaging have helped the bullpen thrive.  

Finally, the Mariners’ strong starting rotation has helped the bullpen be successful. Seattle has tossed the third-fewest relief innings in the AL, keeping everyone available daily and fresh for the stretch run.

Seattle relievers don’t walk many (15.7 K-BB percentage, second in AL) and don’t allow many home runs (0.52 HR/9, first in AL). Those two numbers might be the most important indicators of success for a bullpen, so it’s not surprising to see the Mariners near the top in ERA.

The result is that McClendon can turn to a number of rested options who have proven themselves capable of shutting down the opponent in any situation. Beimel talked about the importance of such depth, via Johns of MLB.com.

“I’ve never been a part of a bullpen like this. Every single guy out there can get the job done, and that’s just fun to watch.”

A combination of potential, managing, a strong rotation and luck has helped Seattle relievers put up historic numbers. The Mariners’ rotation makes them dangerous in a potential postseason appearance, but a historic bullpen could be a huge factor in taking them there.

All stats via FanGraphs.com unless otherwise noted.

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For the past several seasons, expanded September rosters have provided the Seattle Mariners with a chance to look toward the future.

Things are a little different in 2014. The Mariners are firmly in contention for a playoff spot, meaning they will be focusing on the present rather than giving playing time to prospects.

Still, the Mariners have a number of intriguing options in Triple-A Tacoma who could help the club down the stretch. General manager Jack Zduriencik did a good job of minimizing Seattle’s weaknesses at the trade deadline, but there are still a couple of holes that September call-ups could fill.

Familiar faces like Justin Smoak and Jesus Montero will be among those who join the team on September 1, but expect these three prospects to make their major league debuts during the month.

Ji-Man Choi, 1B

As he is currently on the 40-man roster, Ji-Man Choi is likely to get a shot in the majors next month. The 23-year-old has risen fast over the past three years and has advanced plate-approach skills that could potentially provide a boost off the bench.

Choi’s best skill is his discipline, as he has posted a walk rate of 11.5 percent or higher at every minor league level, while his strikeout rates have not exceeded 15 percent since 2012. After serving a 50-game suspension earlier in the year, Choi has hit .272/.362/.344 with Triple-A Tacoma.

While he doesn’t offer much in the way of home run power, Choi collected 34 doubles between two levels just a season ago. Choi’s ability to take walks and get extra-base hits will at least get him a look this September and could put him in the running for playing time at first base in 2015 until D.J. Peterson is ready.

Smoak and Montero will presumably be ahead of Choi on the depth chart, so he will probably be used sparingly off the bench. However, it might be worth giving Choi some starts at designated hitter just to see if he can provide any upgrade.

Kendrys Morales has been better over the past week but still owns just a .607 OPS since coming to Seattle on July 24. Choi showed only a slight platoon split in the minors, according to Minor League Central, so he could start to eat into Morales’ playing time against left-handed pitching should Morales begin to slump again.

Ty Kelly, INF

Kelly has had his second consecutive strong season at Triple-A Tacoma and should finally be rewarded for it on September 1.

With Willie Bloomquist out for the rest of the year due to arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, the Mariners are currently short on infield depth. Kelly has the versatility to replace Bloomquist on the bench, as he can play second and third base well, in addition to the outfield in an emergency.

Kelly’s bat might be able to provide something as well, as he hit .269/.389/.434 with 15 home runs at Triple-A Tacoma this season.

Choi is getting praise for his plate approach, but Kelly’s is arguably better. Kelly has a walk rate of 16.0 percent this season and has walked more than he’s struck out in 498 minor league games.

Kelly talked with Colin O’Keefe of Lookout Landing about his plate approach, which is certainly different than many others at his level, saying:

It all starts with a situation, and that can be your first at-bat of the game. You’ve never seen the guy and you want to see some pitches, and see what kind of off-speed pitches he has. There’s nothing worse than going into an at-bat, swinging at the first pitch and then your next at-bat you go up there and all you see there are two fastballs on the outside corner that you don’t swing at—and then throws his strikeout pitch and you have no idea what it looks like. You end up flailing at a slider in the dirt.

As a switch-hitter with patience and versatility, Kelly has all the tools to be a very useful bench player. Back on July 22, Carson Cistulli of FanGraphs projected Kelly to have the highest rest-of-season WAR among all prospects in baseball.

In second place on that list was Chris Taylor, who has put up 0.7 WAR in 21 games since being promoted.  

The only possible hurdle to Kelly’s promotion is that he’s not currently on the 40-man roster, but the Mariners have some flexibility. They could transfer Bloomquist or Corey Hart to the 60-day disabled list or designate a reliever for assignment if needed.

Kelly is obviously not going to start over Robinson Cano or Kyle Seager, but he’s exactly the kind of bench piece Seattle needs down the stretch.

Carson Smith, RP

Seattle’s bullpen doesn’t exactly need any upgrades, but just about every team across the majors will call up relief depth in September. The clear choice for the Mariners is right-hander Carson Smith, who has put up big numbers in the minors and looks ready for major league action.

After destroying Double-A in 2013, Smith has slowed down a bit, but he has still been impressive in Triple-A Tacoma. Smith has a 3.00 ERA (3.00 FIP) with exactly a strikeout per inning and nine saves this year.

Smith has an unconventional sidearm delivery that generates a ton of movement and makes it tough for right-handers, who posted just a .530 OPS against him in the minors, according to Minor League Central. His fastball sits in the mid-90s, and he has a plus slider and a changeup that is developing nicely.

There’s nobody in the Mariners’ bullpen who needs to be replaced, so Smith probably won’t be appearing in a lot of high-leverage situations. Still, more bullpen depth doesn’t hurt and Smith will be just another option with high upside for Lloyd McClendon to use in relief.

The only thing that could prevent Smith from reaching Seattle next month is his health, as he was recently shelved with a strained side, per Tacoma announcer Mike Curto. 

Smith only spent the minimum seven days on the disabled list, so the injury was not serious. 

If the Mariners are extra cautious and shut down Smith, the call would likely go to Logan Bawcom, who is already on the 40-man. Bawcom had great seasons in 2012 and 2013, but has struggled mightily this year with a 5.21 ERA (6.01 FIP) and a walk rate of 13.4 percent.  

All stats via FanGraphs.com unless otherwise noted.

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The Seattle Mariners made it through the trade deadline without giving up any of their top prospects, leaving a promising farm system in place.

Seattle has high hopes for the likes of D.J. Peterson, Taijuan Walker and Chris Taylor to make big contributions in the major leagues for several years to come. New draftees Alex Jackson and Gareth Morgan also have strong potential, in addition to good pitching depth throughout the system.

With all that talent at the top of prospect rankings, the Mariners have several others who are currently flying under the radar. 

Four of these players stand out as being the best underrated prospects in the system and will soon start to receive more attention if their strong 2014 seasons continue.  

Patrick Kivlehan, 3B

Kivlehan moved up to No. 9 in MLB.com’s midseason rankings of the top Mariners prospects but is arguably having the best year of anyone in the minor league system.

After putting up strong numbers at High-A, Kivlehan has really started to shine in Double-A. Through 78 games with Jackson, Kivlehan has posted a .318/.401/.521 line with nine home runs.

In addition, Kivlehan’s plate approach has improved significantly in Double-A compared to previous levels. Kivlehan has a walk rate of 11.6 percent and a strikeout rate of 18.3 percent in what is typically considered a pitchers’ league.

As with many others before him, Kivlehan struggled for about 20 games with the transition from hitter-friendly High Desert. He has since found his stride, with 17 doubles over his last 56 games.

Kivlehan primarily played football during his college career at Rutgers and has a good combination of size and athleticism. He has plenty of untapped power potential and also stole 16 bases in 2013, although that number has dipped slightly this season.

That athletic potential was what prompted scouting director Tom McNamara to select Kivlehan in the fourth round of the 2012 draft, via Keith Sargeant of MyCentralJersey.com.

“What we saw with Kivlehan is he’s just a physical, athletic kid,” McNamara said. “The way we look at him is he played college football, he’s played against some of the best athletes in the country. And he just started to play baseball again, and he put up numbers.”

Kyle Seager will be manning third base in the majors for the foreseeable future, so Kivlehan will be in need of a position change. Kivlehan could move to first base should Peterson be promoted to Triple-A before him and has also recently seen time in left field.

Kivlehan remains the most underrated prospect in the organization, but that will change soon if he continues to put up numbers and is moved to Triple-A before the end of the year.

Austin Cousino, OF

Cousino was Seattle’s third-round selection in the 2014 draft back in June, behind Jackson and Morgan. While he is rated well behind those two in terms of potential, Cousino has impressed so far.

There’s no question that Cousino was drafted due to his defensive potential in center field. Cousino was a member of the SEC All-Defensive Team during all three seasons of his college career at Kentucky. 

Along with Gabriel Guerrero, Cousino has the strongest defensive outfield tools in the Seattle organization.

Cousino also has above-average speed and has already stolen 19 bases with Low-A Everett. The only uncertainty was if he would be able to hit enough to stick in the minors.

Through the first 45 games of his professional career, Cousino has posted a .303/.388/.469 line. Cousino will mostly use his quick bat speed to be a singles hitter, but he has hit five home runs and 12 doubles with Everett.

As a result, Cousino was selected to the Northwest League All-Star Game.

It’s still early in Cousino’s career, but that offensive production combined with terrific defense means he’s worth keeping an eye on. Cousino should be in line for a promotion to Mid-A Clinton shortly.

Matt Brazis, RP

While he is nearly 25 years old and just recently made his Double-A debut, Brazis has posted some eye-opening numbers at every level he’s stopped at.

Brazis missed significant time during his career at Boston College and was selected in the 28th round of the 2012 draft as a project with great raw stuff that would take some time to develop. That potential has been realized in 2014, as Brazis has posted some impressive command numbers.

In 23 games to begin the year at High Desert, Brazis posted a strikeout rate of 31.1 percent and a walk rate of just 5.0 percent. Brazis allowed just four home runs in 39.1 innings, a very impressive rate for the California League.

He’s since moved to Double-A, allowing two runs in 17.1 innings while striking out 16.

Brazis features a low-90s fastball plus a good curveball and slider. He has great control over all three pitches, as evidenced by his low walk rate at every professional level he’s been at.

Still, that doesn’t seem like a repertoire that would allow Brazis to post such big strikeout numbers. Farm director Chris Gwynn explained Brazis’ success back in 2012, via John Hickey of Baseball America.

It starts with the deception; it’s big-time deception.

When you have this kind of command, throwing the fastball at the knees both on the inside or outside corners, that makes everything else work. … The hitter has to look for the fastball, so the other pitches look better. And because he locates the ball as well as he does, the fastball is tough to hit.

Seattle’s bullpen is tough to crack at the moment, so it may be a while before Brazis gets his shot in the majors. The Mariners have successfully called up relievers directly from Double-A before, so Brazis could get a look next year if he continues to pitch well.

All Stats via FanGraphs.com unless otherwise noted.

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Starting pitcher James Paxton appears close to returning to the Seattle Mariners rotation after missing nearly four months with a strained lat muscle.

Nothing official has been announced by the team yet, but Paxton is traveling with the Mariners on their current road trip and will throw a bullpen this week, per Greg Johns of MLB.com. Johns points out he could potentially start as early as Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles.

Although the Mariners lead the majors in ERA, Paxton’s successful return could be the most important factor for the team over the final two months of the season.  

It’s no secret that the Mariners need offense much more than pitching, but there simply isn’t much out there. Kendrys Morales will likely be a slight upgrade at DH, and Seattle might be able to grab an outfielder like Alex Rios before the deadline, but the Mariners are not going to be able to address every offensive need via the trade market.

If the Mariners can’t improve their offensive production enough, the next best thing for them is to improve their run prevention. With depth about to get short at the back of the rotation, Paxton may be the only pitcher in the organization who will be able to do that.

Paxton has too small of a sample size in the major leagues to make any conclusive statements, but he has pitched well so far in Seattle. Through five career starts, Paxton has allowed seven earned runs in 36 innings while posting a strikeout rate of 24.8 percent and walk rate of 6.6 percent.

While Paxton has always been rated behind Taijuan Walker in terms of upside, he looked absolutely dominant April 2 against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

If Paxton can pitch anywhere close to that level in August and September, the Mariners will have an outstanding top three in their rotation for the final stretch. If Chris Young can continue to defy regression, they will have a strong top four.

Seattle’s expected Opening Day rotation has not all been healthy at one point this season, and the Mariners have not been able to find a reliable No. 5 starter as a result.

Brandon Maurer has had much more success as a reliever than as a starter, Erasmo Ramirez has a walk rate of 11.6 percent and Taijuan Walker is still learning to pitch in the major leagues at just 21 years old.   

In the No. 4 spot, Roenis Elias has stabilized himself in his last two starts after a rough month, but he is only 25 innings short of his professional career high. Elias will likely be in the bullpen by September, if he’s pitching at all.

Paxton must be effective in filling one of those two spots. If he suffers another setback or pitches poorly, the Mariners are looking at starting two of Ramirez, Walker or Blake Beavan in the rotation for the rest of the year.

With the Mariners’ current offense, that isn’t going to work out well. The other option would be to pay the high price in prospects for one of the few available pitchers like Bartolo Colon at the deadline, but any potential trade is likely to be for a bat.

The Mariners know a lat problem can be difficult, as Stephen Pryor (now with the Minnesota Twins) was initially diagnosed with a similar injury and still doesn’t look like the same pitcher over a year later. Paxton himself suffered a scary setback in May. 

However, the team is going to be incredibly careful with Paxton and must feel confident in his health if he is traveling with the team and throwing his scheduled bullpen.

Most importantly, Paxton felt good during his latest rehab start, via Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times.

I felt good. No pain at all. I feel like it’s getting closer. I’m still missing down with my fastball. The breaking stuff felt really good, curveball and cutter felt really good. My change-up was good. It’s just finding the release point with my fastball. But I feel like I took a good step forward today. … It’s better to miss there than up. I feel like it’s a small adjustment and I will be able to get my fastball where I want it.

Paxton was a bit shaky with his command Sunday, walking three batters in 4.1 innings. It wouldn’t get any easier if he were to pitch against the Orioles on the road in his return, but the Mariners have little choice but to start him if they feel he is healthy enough.

A healthy Paxton would be a huge boost to a sliding Seattle ballclub. Paxton will be one of the most important players to the Mariners over the rest of the season, if not the most critical piece.

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The Seattle Mariners made their first move of the trade-deadline season on Thursday, acquiring Kendrys Morales from the Minnesota Twins.

Greg Johns of MLB.com confirms that the Mariners sent reliever Stephen Pryor to the Twins in exchange for Morales:

Morales isn’t an impact bat, but he should be able to provide a slight improvement as a designated hitter at a low cost. It’s a sensible move for the Mariners to make, albeit a weird one after Morales rejected multiple contracts from the team in the offseason, including a $14.1 million qualifying offer.

Best-case scenario, Morales shakes off the rust from his late start to the season and matches his numbers from last year for the rest of the season. If Morales doesn’t turn it around, the Mariners are no worse off than before, either this year or for the future, as they didn’t give up much value to get him.

Morales signed with the Twins after the MLB draft, as he would no longer come at the cost of a compensation pick. Since debuting on June 9, Morales has hit .234/.359/.325 with just one home run.

Those numbers aren’t going to help Seattle’s woeful DH situation, so the Mariners are hoping Morales’ slow start is due to rust from not having a spring training. Morales has been a little better since July 7, raising his season average from .219 and collecting six doubles in that span.

The Mariners need Morales to hit well right away. Seattle is 2-5 since the All-Star break and has lost control of the second AL wild-card spot, as Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times highlights:

If Morales can even get close to his 118 wRC+ of last year over the rest of the season, the Mariners will be quite happy with the trade. With Michael Saunders out, Seattle has two healthy regulars in the lineup with wRC+ marks over the league average of 100.

Lloyd McClendon said that Morales can at least give some flexibility to a lineup that has been counting on Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager to do everything, via Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.

“He’s a professional hitter. He gives us the opportunity to stretch out our lineup, so to speak. He’s a nice fit, switch-hitter, hitting behind Robbie (Cano). … He gives us options, what we want to do with (Kyle) Seager, where we want to hit him. I like it,” he said.

Even if Morales continues to struggle, he comes at a low price. Pryor has upside, but he has not pitched well in Triple-A this season while recovering from major lat surgery.

The big concern is about Pryor’s velocity. His fastball currently sits at around 92 mph after averaging 96.2 in the 2012 season before the injury, according to FanGraphs.

Pryor could get healthy and become an effective reliever once again, but he wouldn’t have been an upgrade over anyone in the deep Mariners bullpen. Barring multiple injuries, Pryor wasn’t going to pitch again in the majors this year, as prospect Carson Smith is also waiting in Triple-A.

Morales’ addition will likely cost at-bats for Corey Hart as the team’s primary DH. Hart has been unable to get going after missing all of last season in addition to a lengthy stint on the disabled list earlier this year.

As a switch-hitter, Morales will likely be in the lineup every day as the DH. He has been considerably better against right-handers in his career, so a platoon with Jesus Montero (career .827 OPS versus left-handers) would make some sense, but the Mariners don’t seem too keen on giving Montero playing time.

Morales could potentially start at first base against lefties, although he is awful defensively. Johns confirmed that the current plan is to platoon Hart and Logan Morrison at first, with Morales playing if needed.

The only way this trade could hurt the Mariners is if they get complacent and make no other moves, as Morales is not enough on his own to key a playoff run. That doesn’t seem to be the case, as Jon Morosi of Fox Sports reports that Seattle asked about outfielder Drew Stubbs on Thursday:

Morales should offer a slight improvement at basically no cost to the Mariners. It’s not a flashy impact trade, but it makes sense.

All stats via FanGraphs.com, unless otherwise noted.

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