Earlier this week, the Mariners announced their 2023 international free agent class with nine signings from four different countries. Much of the attention went to Jeter Martinez, who signed for $600k, and to Felnin Celesten, considered the second-best prospect in this class by MLB Pipeline. Celesten signed for a team-record $4.7m, which is in line with the going rate for elite international amateurs.
But projecting 16-year-olds is often a fool’s errand. Not only are these players still going through puberty, they’re adjusting to a new country and receiving world-class instruction for the first time. Perhaps nobody on the Mariners’ 40-man roster better illustrates this unpredictability than Jonatan Clase.