PCL Bakersfield CA

SEATTLE — Shortstop Ketel Marte put his skills on display at Triple-A Tacoma prior to his July 31 summons to the big leagues, so it’s not surprising he was picked among the Pacific Coast League’s top prospects.

Marte, 21, was cited Thursday by Baseball America as the PCL’s No. 8 prospect after batting .314 with a .359 on-base percentage and a .410 slugging percentage in 65 games for the Rainiers.

"A switch-hitter, " the magazine reported, "Marte has quick, line-drive swing and a good feel for the barrel. He is an aggressive hitter, but doesn’t strike out often and increased his walk rate this year.

"He has above-average speed and knows how to use it."

Marte carried those skills into the big leagues as soon established himself as the Mariners’ hitter by compiling a .283/.351/.402 slash in 57 games.

"The emergence of Marte was kind of exciting, " manager Lloyd McClendon said. "He did a lot of good things in a short period of time. I think he has a bright future."

Marte’s selection caps it a thin year for the Mariners at the upper levels in Baseball America’s annual rankings of the Top 20 prospects in each minor league. Here’s the list:

***Triple-A Pacific Coast League (Tacoma): shortstop Ketel Marte (ranked eighth).

***Double-A Southern League (Jackson): None.

***Hi-A California League (Bakersfield): outfielder Tyler O’Neill (19th) and left-handed pitcher Ryan Yarbrough (20th).

***Lo-A Midwest League (Clinton): None.

***Short-A Northwest League (Everett): outfielder Alex Jackson (fourth), shortstop Drew Jackson (fifth), right-handed pitcher Andrew Moore (seventh), right-handed pitcher Enyel de los Santos (15th) and left-handed pitcher Luiz Gohara (17th).

***Arizona Rookie League (Peoria): right-handed pitcher Nick Neidert (sixth) and right-handed pitcher Dylan Thompson (20th).