Mariners Announce April Minor League Awards
INF Caleb Cali has been named Mariners Minor League Player of the Month; LHP Jhonathan Díaz Pitcher of the Month & RHP Jesse Wainscott Reliever of the Month
SEATTLE, Wash. — Seattle Mariners Director of Player Development Justin Toole announced today that infielder Caleb Cali has been named Mariners Minor League Player of the Month, left-handed pitcher Jhonathan Díaz Pitcher of the Month and right-handed pitcher Jesse Wainscott Reliever of the Month for April.
Cali, 23, hit .404 (23x57) with 17 runs scored, 7 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home run, 14 RBI, 2 stolen bases and 11 walks, getting on base at a .507 clip, slugging .649 with a 1.156 OPS in 15 games with the Class-A Modesto Nuts. He reached base safely in 14 of his 15 games during the month, helping lead the Nuts to an overall record of 15–5 (.750) in April.
Cali led the California League in batting average (.404) and slugging percentage (.649) during the month, ranking 2nd in OPS (1.156), 3rd in on-base percentage (.507), T-2nd in doubles (7), T-4th in hits (23), T-3rd in extra-base hits (10) and T-6th in total bases (37).
The right-handed hitting corner infielder was selected by the Mariners in the 16th round of the 2023 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Arkansas, making his professional debut with the ACL Mariners last season. Cali, who was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and went to high school in Orlando, Florida, posted an .891 OPS over 13 games in rookie ball last season.
Díaz, 27, went 4–0 with a 2.45 ERA (9 ER, 33.0 IP) with 4 walks and 36 strikeouts in 6 games (5 starts) with Triple-A Tacoma, leading the Rainiers to a 5–0 record in his starts.
Díaz led the Pacific Coast League in WHIP (0.88), ranking T-1st in wins (4), 2nd in strikeouts (36), 2nd in opponent batting average (.208) and 3rd in ERA (2.45) during the month. The left-hander posted a 0.38 ERA (1 ER, 24.0 IP) with 1 walk and 27 strikeouts over his first 4 outings of the year, highlighted by his 10-strikeout performance on April 4 at Salt Lake.
The Valencia, Venezuela native has spent 3 seasons (2021–23) in the Majors with the Los Angeles Angels, going 2–1 with a 4.84 ERA (19 ER, 35.1 IP) in 11 games (6 starts). Díaz was signed by the Mariners as a minor league free agent with an invitation to Major League Spring Training on Feb. 7, 2024.
Wainscott, 23, posted a 1.04 ERA (1 ER, 8.2 IP) with 2 saves across 8 appearances with Modesto during the opening month of the season. The righty recorded 9 strikeouts and did not walk a batter, posting a 0.808 WHIP for the Nuts.
The Indianapolis native attended Eastern Illinois University (2019–22) and Arizona State University (2023), signing with the Mariners as an undrafted free agent on Aug. 10, 2023.
