Felnin Celesten Stars In Second Taste Of High-A
June 26, 2026 — EVERETT, Wash.: Not many players in the Northwest League have taken a larger leap in development during the 2026 season than Everett AquaSox shortstop and Seattle Mariners No. 7 prospect Felnin Celesten. “All of the credit goes to him and the work he does every day
June 26, 2026 — EVERETT, Wash.: Not many players in the Northwest League have taken a larger leap in development during the 2026 season than Everett AquaSox shortstop and Seattle Mariners No. 7 prospect Felnin Celesten.
“All of the credit goes to him and the work he does every day with his routines,” AquaSox Hitting Coach Chase Miller said. “The routines are designed for him to hit the ball hard on a line and not necessarily be afraid to swing and miss.”
Signed from international free agency in 2023, Celesten caught the injury bug early into his career, missing all of his first campaign with a hamstring strain. He made his professional debut with the Arizona Complex League Mariners in 2024, where he hit .352 with 27 RBIs and 17 extra-base hits in 32 games before having another year cut short — this time by a wrist injury that required surgery.
Receiving a promotion to the Single-A Modesto Nuts to begin 2025, Celesten tore up the California League by hitting .285 with 19 doubles, 55 RBIs, and 37 walks in 93 games. His efforts earned him a promotion to High-A in August, where he faced early challenges. In his first taste of the Northwest League with the AquaSox, Celesten struggled, hitting just .158 with two extra-base hits and four RBIs in 11 games.
“[The routines], him being healthy, and being back in High-A for a second time and getting the at-bats have all come together for a perfect storm of getting some good results,” Miller said.
Just 20 years old now, the switch-hitting shortstop from La Romana, Dominican Republic, has blown the cover off of the baseball across 65 games played in his return to High-A to begin 2026. Celesten leads the Northwest League in many major statistical categories including batting average (.320), on-base percentage (.412), OPS (.942), and total bases (131). He also has the second-most hits (79), trailing only Trevor Cohen of the Eugene Emeralds.
During the offseason, Celesten made it a focus to continue building his body while striving toward offensive consistency from both sides of the plate.
“One of the most important things is taking care of my body,” Celesten said through translator and AquaSox Outfield Coach Edgardo Rivera. “When you feel good, you have more chances to play good baseball.”
Along with gaining strength, much of Celesten’s development can be credited to his own process and an improved ability to drive the baseball.
“The biggest leap for him I would say, on-field wise, has been hitting from the left side. A big point of emphasis coming into this year was to improve the contact and improve the launch profile a little bit to get him off the ground a little bit more and more on a line,” AquaSox Manager Ryan Scott said. “We've got him more on a line and hitting the ball is more square that way, and that's been a phenomenal improvement for him this year. He's really attacked what he needs to do in the cage, he goes about his work on the field the right way, and we're seeing it translate on the field with how hard he's hitting the ball from the left side.”
“It seems like if he gets a first-pitch heater over the plate, he's been crushing it. Then he started to get pitched pretty difficult and has shown the plate discipline to go along with it too. It's been this fun up-and-down battle and, again, a lot of credit goes to him,” Miller said. “He's competing and he's challenging himself more in practice. He has a better perspective on the failure that comes with the more challenging practice too. I think that [perspective], being really committed to his play in games, and being willing to fail knowing that every plan isn't necessarily perfect have helped him keep going and string together a lot of good at-bats consistently.”
Recent successes in the batter’s box for Celesten include hitting for the cycle in a seven-inning game against the Emeralds on June 25 and a power surge of four home runs hit across five games from June 20-25. Earlier in the season, he held a 25-game hitting streak that was the longest in all of Minor League Baseball. It was also a streak that fell just three games short of breaking the Northwest League record 27-game hitting streak set by the Vancouver Canadians’ Spencer Horwitz in 2021.
ICYMI: Everett's very own Felnin Celesten hit for the cycle during last night's game against the Eugene Emeralds!
— Everett AquaSox (@EverettAquaSox) June 26, 2026
Relive all four of the Seattle Mariners No. 7 prospect's hits with KRKO's Pat Dillon on the call! pic.twitter.com/9NPBP8Fn1p
As the old saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. Celesten earned a higher spot in Scott’s batting order as a result of his performance — oftentimes hitting third — by showcasing elite run-producing abilities when the players in front of him reach base. His 46 RBIs rank fifth in the Northwest League, and Everett’s 407 runs as a team lead the league’s six clubs.
“I like keeping him in that third spot with Jonny Farmelo and Luke Stevenson, or Farmelo and Josh Caron, ahead of him — guys who I know are going to get on base. Felnin has a good chance of going and driving those guys in, or finding his own way on base to get on for other guys that can do a little bit of damage as well,” Scott said. “He's fitting into that role beautifully because he's not trying to be anybody else. He's trying to just continue being himself. If he gets a fastball over the plate on the first pitch, he's going to take a swing at it. He's going to do his thing.”
In the field, Celesten has also taken strides as a shortstop, continuing to build fundamental skills defensively through a combination of practice reps, commitment to learning, studying film, and asking the questions that create building blocks for improvement.
“Dominating his throws is the biggest thing. Getting his throws into the chest [of the first baseman] as consistently as possible,” Scott said. “A lot of his work in his pregame is going to be focusing on the accuracy with his throwing. A lot of it still stems from the lower half when he's fielding ground balls and getting his feet going in the right direction. The more he can cut down distance and gain some direction toward first base, the easier those throws are going to become so that's really the main point of emphasis.”
“There are times where he's playing the game and he looks like he has a smoothness, like a suave, to him. And what's great about Felnin is that he's always asking questions,” Seattle Mariners Defense and Baserunning Coordinator Zach Vincej said. “He's always wanting to learn. I was showing him some video of some highlights of him and he was smiling ear to ear. He wants to get better and… you can see how much he loves the game and how much he wants to improve. He's a perfectionist, he wants to be great, and it's our job to keep him on that runway.”
Fundamentals on display!
— Everett AquaSox (@EverettAquaSox) June 17, 2026
Felnin Celesten displays great ball knowledge by nailing the lead runner for the out 🔥 pic.twitter.com/s6ZQIWzQFj
For Vincej, who managed Celesten briefly with Everett in 2025, the mature approach and dedication to growth that Celesten brings to the ballpark every day is evident. Vincej cited how both Celesten’s batting and fielding abilities have grown since the 2025 season, showcasing the improvement he has made on his trajectory toward becoming an everyday big-leaguer.
“A lot of things have stood out to me. It’s been really fun to see him perform from both sides of the plate and from a defensive standpoint, watching with my own eyes, how he's moving, how his glove presentation is, and how he's making more of the routine plays,” Vincej said. “He's more engaged and his pre-pitch looks great. You can just tell the maturity of it. It's hard to describe one particular thing on defense but I just think it's just a combination of many different factors that make a good defender.”
And for Celesten himself, the desire to be a great baseball player, his faith, and the opportunity to make his family proud lead his mentality. His passion for the game shows in his performance, his routines, and his smile on the field, and he has no plans on slowing down any time soon.
“I love this game — this is my passion. I live for this,” Celesten said. “My family is also one of my motivations. They're always behind me. They told me to keep chasing my dreams and never quit. They're my motivation.”
PICTURED ABOVE: Felnin Celesten
PHOTO BY: Evan Morud
ABOUT THE EVERETT AQUASOX: The Everett AquaSox are the defending 2025 Northwest League Champions and serve as the High-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. Established in 1984, the club has been affiliated with the Mariners since adopting the AquaSox name in 1995. For the latest updates on the 2026 season — including community initiatives and appearances by Webbly — follow the Frogs on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, or visit AquaSox.com. Season ticket packages, group outings, and picnic experiences are available now by calling (425) 258-3673 or by visiting the AquaSox Front Office at 3802 Broadway.
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