Seattle Mariners' Top Prospect Collects First Big League Hit, RBI in Monday Night's Win
The Seattle Mariners beat the Cincinnati Reds, 9-3, on Monday night as M's top prospect Jonatan Clase made his Major League debut. Clase had an RBI single in the win, making his mark with his first career hit.
The Seattle Mariners got a much-needed 9-3 win on Monday night against the Cincinnati Reds. After excrutiating offensive performances in Saturday and Sunday losses to the Cubs, the M's needed a breakout and they got one thanks to home runs from Jorge Polanco and Mitch Haniger.
Seattle is now 7-10 on the season as they look to right the ship after a rough start.
Beyond just the home runs, Seattle also got a contribution from newcomer Jonatan Clase. The team's No. 10 overall prospect, Clase made his Major League debut on Monday, going 1-for-4 with a single and an RBI. He was also robbed of a hit on a spectacular play by Elly De La Cruz at shortstop.
You can see the hit and RBI below:
That was a really good piece of hitting from Clase, who fought a tough changeup (or splitter) and poked it through the left side. For a Seattle team that has struck out far too much in the early going, that's a very welcome sign to see.
Clase is up with the big club because of the injury to Dom Canzone and the hope is that he provides a spark with his textbook athleticism. Clase had 20 home runs and a whopping 79 steals at the minor league levels a season ago. He was hitting .311 prior to his call-up in the minors this year.
Here's a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:
Speed will always be Clase’s calling card, and coupling those wheels with improved route running should allow him to play center field in the Majors on days where Julio Rodriguez needs a break. His floor over the next 18-24 months might be in the neighborhood of Taylor Trammell, who hasn’t yet established himself in the Majors but has shown flashes. And his ceiling would be an everyday player who might give up a little in the batting average department but makes up for it by drawing walks and running into some power while playing good defense.
Seattle and the Reds will play again on Tuesday night at 9:40 p.m. ET.
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