A Trip to the Farm: The Everett Aqua Sox

By Anthony

Mike Zunino, catcher of the future, taking a hack

I had the pleasure of going to watch the AAA Tacoma Rainiers earlier this year and wrote some things about them. I recently saw the A- Everett Aqua Sox and will now proceed to write some things about them. There are a few differences between AAA and A- besides the lack of letters. First of all, Everett is mostly higher draft picks and lower grade prospects, read as very few people who could play in the MLB. So why would I want to see the Aqua Sox play if there are only a few players that could make an impact? 

First of all, Everett has a pretty nice stadium and I had the pleasure of sitting in the third row near the Aqua Sox on-deck circle for $18. It was also 2-dollar hot dog, soda, peanut and beer night. So I was able to sit in my “diamond club” seat and have food delivered to me while I watched a game. Pretty sweet I know. Also pretty sweet is Mike Zunino, the M’s first overall draft pick. Also present were 4^th round pick  Patrick Kivlehan, 7^th round pick Taylor Ard and 9^th round pick Jamodrick McGruder. McGruder only got a pinch hit at bat where he struck out uneventfully in the ninth. The other three played the whole game. 

First and most importantly is catcher of the future Mike Zunino. Now remember how Everett is an A- league? Yeah, so Mike Zunino is probably at a nAA level right now, at least with the bat. Ironically, he was just called up to Jackson, so I pretty accurately observed his skill. In his first at-bat he lined a single off of the left field wall. Now that sounds pretty impressive, but in person it was much more so. His swing looked effortless and he turned on an inside fastball and it easily could have left the park. But no, don’t take my word for it since I only saw one game. He is hitting .347 in 26 games with an OPS of 1.117. He has also struck out 23 times and walked 13 times. 

At the plate he is a patient hitter and that can cause him to work deep into counts. This can cause him some trouble, I saw him strike out twice, once looking on a borderline strike. The second K was on a breaking pitch low and away. That pitch is something he has struggled with at this point if he really has struggled at all offensively. 

Behind the plate Zunino has a very good arm, back picking a guy once but the umpire blew the call and then throwing out the same guy by at least three steps. He showed some nice blocking ability as well but did show a tendency to stab at times. This is something that can be worked out and he is by far a better defensive player than Jesus Montero. I would like to see Zunino get some reps in the Arizona Fall League. 

Patrick Kivelhan, from Anthony's dynamic angle

Patrick Kivlehan is a pretty interesting story. He went to Rutgers and played football for them. In his senior year he played baseball and absolutely destroyed the ball. He plays third base right now but looked really awkward in the hot corner in the one play he got. This makes plenty of sense since he hasn’t played there for awhile and his swing also reflected this. At first glance, its pretty clear this guy used to play football. He is jacked. However, his swing is not nearly as refined as Zunino and on his follow through he tends to pull his back foot. This shows his relative inexperience and lack of balance in his swing. This should all be ironed out in time and Kivlehan is hitting .313 with an OPS of .872. He also lacks plate discipline, striking out 62 times in 51 games. He also could be in line for a promotion but definitely needs seasoning. 

Local product and Coug, Taylor Ard

Taylor Ard is a local boy, attending the great Washington State University. He is also a first-baseman, a position that the Mariners don’t seem to have an answer at. Like most first baseman, Ard is a big guy who hits for power. Of course this cuts into his average but he still is managing a .286 average and a slugging percentage of over .500. What I like about Ard is his K rate is about 17% and his BB rate is about 10%. Those numbers are both good and hopefully will continue as he tries to climb the ladder. Defensively he seemed adequate and his size made him a big target to throw to. He is the least likely to be called up of the three I have talked about so far but could definitely see some time in A+ High Desert next year.

Some other interesting players that are down in Everett are of course Jamodrick McGruder, RHP’s Victor Sanchez and Dylan Unsworth. McGruder is a speedy infielder who has been playing all over the place, including the outfield. His natural position is second base. His contact skills aren’t great but he can definitely run. Victor Sanchez is 17. Let that sink in for a bit. (Contemplates best way to fix American economy) You thought about that for a bit? Good. I am glad that you realize this kid is playing against college and advanced high school players. And he would be going into his senior year in high school. So yeah, he is pretty good. His ERA is slightly below four and he is striking out 7.33 guys per 9. Remember how he is 17? Just checking. Dylan Unsworth is interesting because he is South African. I don’t think you need time to absorb that, its not super interesting. His 5-0 record, 6.76 K/9 and 3.28 ERA are all good. He is also 20, so I guess 2-dollar beer night wasn’t enjoyable for him or Sanchez. Too bad. 

So that’s just about it from my sojourn to Everett. I do recommend fans do make the trip and see some talent that will make its way up to Seattle eventually. I will now leave you with the a top five of names on both the Everett Aqua Sox and Boise Hawks ranging from “ok, maybe it’s a family name” to “Really? I would totally name my child that if I wanted my wife and child to hate me forever”

5. Tie- Jeimer Candelario/ Janelfry Zorilla

Man, I don’t know much about Latin American names, but those are some super awesome names. I hope there are more Janelfry’s in the world. But I do think that’s a name to be found in Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings.

4. Gioskar Amaya

I do know that there is a Gorkys who plays for the Pirates, but Gioskar takes the whole random G placement to a new level. And Amaya just oozes great scrabble word. If a reader names their child, or even a puppy Gioskar, they will totally get a surprise present from this blog. 

3. Ambioris Hidalgo

Has anyone ever seen the movie Hidalgo? Viggo Mortensen rides a horse a bunch. Ambioris is a pretty bad pitcher with a pretty awesome name. I don’t know about some people reading, but if I knew a kid named Ambioris, I would yell his name every time I saw him. Well, maybe not in a library. Librarians can be scary sometimes.

2.  Tie- Izaac Garcez/ James Zamarippa

Clearly this is a spot for the random Z names. But really Izaac? Did your parents get a terrible Scrabble rack and have to make a name? (For the record, I would totally be in to do this as long as Patrick did too.) Seems like they pulled it off pretty effectively, only if one of the Z’s is on a triple letter though. Otherwise it’s a waste. And yeah, I would assume the Zamarippa’s had the same issue with naming their child from a Scrabble rack. (Based on statistics, there is like no way I would get a Z on my Scrabble naming rack. Right? Yeah my wife would totally buy that.)

1. Rock Shoulders

Yes. I know what you’re all thinking. This is a lie. And I’m not saying that I am above making up a name to make a top 5 super awesome, just ask Patrick. But I swear on the changeup of Felix Hernandez and I guess my Scrabble-rack-named-child that this is serious. I first thought it was Brock Shoulders and that name was pretty sweet. Then I saw it on the scoreboard. Rock Shoulders. I don’t even need to say anything. Just bask in the greatness of that name. (Basking, basking, basking). Ok that’s enough, I don’t want to get a sunburn or something from all this basking in the glory of Rock Shoulders.