Tacoma Rainiers
Tacoma unfortunately dropped this one to Las Vegas by a score of four to two, unable to take down a very solid Aviators squad that’s been excellent all year. Despite their losing record on the week, there were tons of great individual performances from some of the brightest stars on this roster; the typical performers continued to show up, but guys who’ve scuffled at times this season have really started to pick it up as of late. The Rainiers aren’t likely to be making much noise in the playoff race this season, but hopefully these performances are indicative of a stronger end to the season to build on as we head into an offseason filled with uncertainty.
It was a fantastic week for utility man Brock Rodden, a great sign for the 26 year old who’s had an up-and-down year in the PCL. Gathering nine hits across five games this series, Rodden’s two-homer game on Wednesday night headlined his monstrous week that saw him collect a double, a triple, and five homers. Rodden’s monthly slash currently sits at .313/.333/.906, good for a gaudy 1.239 OPS. Rodden’s versatility in the field and sneaky good bat make him a strong candidate for utility man of the future; if he can keep this level of production up, he’s sure to figure into the competition for a bench role come next spring.
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Both Lazaro Montes and Michael Arroyo continue to impress in the PCL. Having adjusted almost immediately to the increased level of competition, the tandem has been lighting up the PCL offensively and are helping buoy this lineup to a more competitive level. Arroyo (.327/.395/.582) is finding a ton of success at the plate by attacking aggressively in the zone, and Laz (.284/.368/.560), who’s prodigious power plays incredibly well in the offense-happy PCL, has mashed his way to some incredibly impressive numbers. The pair are still just 21 years old and figure to major pieces of this club moving forward.
Arkansas Travelers
The Travs continue to falter ever so slightly and dropped the series to an Amarillo team that’s admittedly been very solid in the second half. Despite the oodles of talent up and down this roster, much of it is new to the level and still going through an adjustment period against the far superior stuff. Guys like Jonny Farmelo, Felnin Celesten, and Josh Caron are all premiere prospects, but until they’ve settled in against Texas League competition, the Travs may struggle to produce enough umph at the plate to consistently remain in the win column.
The newest member of this Travs team, Boston Smith, decided he’d show his teammates just how good of a player he’s been all season and absolutely torched Sod Poodles pitching all week. Acquired in the Luis Castillo trade, Smith launched five homers in his first week in the organization and raised his OPS to 1.553, an obviously otherworldly mark for the 23 year old. The young backstop employs a pull-happy approach that elevates the ball consistently and allows him to reliably get to his power in game settings, and this has led to some gaudy production all year. Smith has run an OPS just south of 1.100 across three different levels this year and looks like yet another fantastic pickup by this front office. Given his meteoric rise this past season, he’s a strong candidate for a big league look next season.
The weekly Kade Anderson report is exactly what you’d expect: extremely good. Working 5.1 scoreless innings, Anderson punched out nine and allowed just three hits and no walks on the afternoon. There’s not much to say that hasn’t already been said; he’s entirely too good for the minor leagues, but given the wealth of pitching the M’s have at the big league level and unwillingness to move him to the bullpen (a smart move, in my opinion), he’s likely to remain in Double-A for the remainder of the season. Perhaps he’s called up for a cup of coffee once his rookie eligibility for next season would remain in tact, but it seems closer to a toss up than a surefire bet at this point in time.
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Everett AquaSox
The Frogs dropped four of six this week against Vancouver this week, unable to best an opponent that’s really struggled to get things going this year. The AquaSox have a bunch of new faces on this roster, and despite some very strong performance out of the newcomers, they’ve been unable to get too far off the .500 line. Hopefully a strong end to the season can push them to the top spot of the second half standings and give them a shot at the title series.
Aiden Taurek continues to mash in his new home and has been the best AquaSox batter for the past several weeks. Taurek, a corner outfielder with a line-drive approach at the plate, is presently slashing .340/.429/.566 in High-A and has been a doubles machine all season. Though it’d be aggressive, if he’s able to keep this level of production up through the end of the season, there’s a world where he earns his way to a debut in Double-A out of the gates in 2027.
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Inland Empire 66ers
The 66ers had a fantastic week against Rancho Cucamonga, taking five of the six contests in the series. Though they’ve struggled all year, there’s a lot of fresh talent on this roster, and some new faces may be just what this team needs for a positive end of the season. Now just three games out of first place, IE has positioned themselves well to make a run for a spot in the postseason, a truly remarkable feat that seemed implausible just a week ago.
Now making up a healthy chunk of this team, the recent draftees coming out of the SEC have worked wonders for this IE lineup and have them operating as a well-oiled machine. Fourth rounder Hayden Yost (1.046 OPS) and sixth rounder Henry Ford (1.345 OPS) have been outstanding atop this lineup, and Ace Reese, who’s logged just five AB’s, has taken quickly to the level and already has three base hits. Jake Brown and Ryan Wynn have each contributed admirably as well; its frankly been tough to nitpick any one of the bats in this 2026 class of draftees, and several of, if not all of these guys figure to make up a strong core in Everett come next season.
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DSL Mariners
Though the offense has slowed just a hair for this DSL squad, they’ve still performed incredibly well on the year and remain the most interesting version of this team in the last handful of years. In particular, the lesser-heralded Jarvis Gomez has been fantastic this season; the young outfielder has more walks than strikeouts, 13 stolen bases, and an OPS of 1.015 through 42 games on the year. He’s been a great get for this organization and looks like a riser heading into his inevitable stateside debut next spring.
