Mariners Switch-Hitting Prospect Has Made His Case for a Double-A Promotion

The Mariners may not need much more proof from Felnin Celesten.

Dec 9, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Miami Marlins president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto speaks with the MLB Network at the Hilton Anatole during the 2024 MLB Winter Meetings. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

It’s fair to ask: What is the Mariners front office waiting for? They have a switch-hitting shortstop tearing it up in High-A Everett. Felnin Celesten has turned Funko Field into his playground, and clearly looks ready for the next challenge. 

He’s slashing .311/.412/.482 with eight home runs, 38 RBI and 16 stolen bases. Three of those homers have come in his last eight games.  The numbers are loud enough for a promotion discussion even if he’s still developing his identity at the plate. 

Of course, he still has some stuff to clean up. But the Mariners should be curious enough to wonder how his bat plays against better arms and sharper secondary stuff.

Felnin Celesten Has Given the Mariners Enough Reason to Push Him

The switch-hitting part of Celesten’s season sparks even more curiosity. Against right-handed pitching, he’s looked more than comfortable. He’s slashing .337/.423/.500. From the left side, he looks like a player who is starting to figure out exactly what kind of damage he can do.

Against lefties, it’s a little different. Celesten is hitting just .220 from the right side, so his overall numbers are definitely a little skewed. But even that split comes with some important context.

Celesten still has a .375 on-base percentage and a .420 slugging percentage against left-handed pitching. He also has five home runs against righties and three against lefties. So while the left-handed swing looks more advanced, the right-handed swing isn’t empty. There’s enough there to believe the gap can close with more reps. And that brings us right back to Double-A.

If the Mariners want Celesten to grow, they need to challenge him. There’s only so much more he can prove by staying comfortable. A promotion would be a natural next step for a player who has earned the right to be tested by better pitching.

A big thing to watch for is the current timing. This time last year, on June 23, 2025, the Mariners did a bit of shuffling in the farm system. Both Michael Arroyo and Lazaro Montes were promoted to Double-A Arkansas after destroying High-A pitching. Even better, those same two players, on June 25, 2024, were promoted from Single-A to High-A. 

With that said, if the Mariners were to make another shuffle in their farm system, it may be happening this week. Maybe even later today. And if it does happen, you should fully expect Celesten to be one of the names on that list.