"He Really Wants to Be Great:" Modesto Nuts Reporter Describes Seattle Mariners Top Prospect

Speaking on the most recent edition of the "Refuse to Lose" podcast, Chris Correa of the Turlock Journal described his first impressions of M's infield prospect Felnin Celesten.

A patch remembering the September 11th terrorist attacks is seen on a Seattle Mariners hat during the game against the Atlanta Braves at T-Mobile Park in 2022. | Lindsey Wasson-Imagn Images

The Modesto Nuts, the Low-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, began their season last Friday night and went onto sweep the San Jose Giants, the Low-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.

Perhaps it was some payback for what happened at the big-league level, where the Giants swept the Mariners in three games.

The Nuts are the reigning California League champions, but are set to leave town after this season because of some California League affiliation shuffling. The Mariners will shift their affiliation to the Inland Empire 66ers.

This Nuts roster features some of the top prospects in the Mariners' organization, including pitcher Ryan Sloan and infielder Felnin Celesten.

Celesten, a 19-year-old shortstop, is ranked as the No. 71 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline. He's projected to make his major league debut in 2028. Through three games, he's gone 3-for-13 (.231) with three RBIs and a stolen bases.

Speaking on the most recent edition of the "Refuse to Lose" podcast, Nuts reporter Chris Correa of the Turlock Journal spoke about what stood out to him upon meeting Celesten at the team's media day last week.

"....He really wants to be great. He is so young and he's so talented, he probably should have been in Modesto last season until the injuries came up. He had two hamstring injuries and a hamate injury that he needed a surgical operation on, but he is 'itchin at the bit. You can just tell."

You can listen to the full interview below and a new episode comes out on Tuesday!

Related Stories on Seattle Mariners

NEW PODCAST IS OUT! Brady is back for another episode of "Refuse to Lose," where he recaps the first seven games of the season, and he's got his overwhelming first week takeaway. Furthermore, he wants the M's to trade with the Boston Red Sox, but for who? And he talks with former M's All-Star and current MLB Network host Harold Reynolds about his time in the organization and more. And Chris Correa stops by from the Turlock Journal as we get ready for another Modesto Nuts season. CLICK HERE:

HOW IS JULIO PERCEIVED?: After an A's post-game show host took a shot at Julio Rodriguez over the weekend, we asked Buster Olney of ESPN how J-Rod is perceived around the sport. CLICK HERE:

HAROLD REYNOLDS JOINS US: Reynolds, the former M's All-Star and Gold Glover, stopped by the "Refuse to Lose" podcast for a conversation on his career and much more. CLICK HERE:

Follow Seattle Mariners on SI on social media

Continue to follow our Inside the Mariners coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following Teren Kowatsch and Brady Farkas on "X" @Teren_Kowatsch and @RefuseToLosePod. You can subscribe to the "Refuse to Lose" podcast by clicking HERE.