Bernie On The Scene: A Closer Look at Tacoma

A recent scouting trip took me to Sacramento where I saw the A's Triple-A club play a series with the Tacoma Rainiers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Mariners. Here's a look at what I saw regarding Seattle's Tacoma club:

To begin, some of the more highly prized prospects were playing at Double-A Jackson at the time of my visit. They included top-prospect left-handed pitcher Danny Hultzen, right-hander Taijuan Walker, third baseman Francisco Martinez and shortstop Nick Franklin. Franklin and Hultzen have since been promoted to Triple-A and neither has gotten off to a rousing start. They are both top-notch prospects, so their adjustment struggles can be overlooked for now.

I did get a long look at several other Mariners prospects that I will include in this summation.

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