Julio Rodriguez winning the Rookie of the Year Award and the Mariners' additional CBA pick meant they had three of the first thirty picks, giving them leverage to get extremely creative and they certainly did so. Seattle popped high school bats with all three of those picks, combining to go roughly $900,000 above slot value with the first two before making it all up with the next three, then subsequently blowing another $650,000+ over slot on a fourth high school bat in the fourth round. I love the upside that comes with high school bats, and I think the Mariners have a chance to get multiple stars out of this class. After all those bats early, they pivoted to college pitching later in the class and overall brought in a ton of talent, even if they failed to sign twentieth rounder (and Washington native) Will Watson despite offering him early fifth round money.
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Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. "2-50" would indicate that a player was drafted in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.
1-22: SS Colt Emerson, Glenn HS [OH] {video}
Slot value: $3.5 million. Signing bonus: $3.8 million ($503,400 above slot value).
My rank: #32. MLB Pipeline: #29. Baseball America: #27. Prospects Live: #34.
The Mariners knew they had the money to spend with this pick and spend they did, going half a million dollars above slot value (between the 19th and 20th pick values) to sign Colt Emerson away from an Auburn commitment. There were quite a few high school shortstops projected to go in the mid to late first round, but many thought Emerson could be the best of all of them and it looks like the Mariners were among them. This pick harkens back to Cole Young a year ago, though Emerson has the benefit of being almost a full year younger on draft day. Both are athletic, hit over power left handed hitting shortstops who grew up less than one hundred miles apart and taken one pick apart in back to back drafts. He's an extremely advanced hitter for his age, especially considering he's a cold weather bat from a small town eastern Ohio, with a patient approach that helps him confidently lay off both fastballs and offspeed stuff. He has very quick hands in the box as well, helping him get to pitches all over the zone and giving him a plus hit tool overall. Standing 6'1", there's some projection there but he's very skinny and needs further fill out, which he has already begun to do. The power is fringy at this point but could get to average with further physical development. Defensively, his athleticism and strong arm give him a shot to stick at shortstop, though he's closer to an average runner than plus and could be pushed to second or third base by a better defender. The Mariners love his combination of youth, present polish, and trajectory, and they see him as a potential 15 homer bat with high on-base percentages at a premium position.
PPI-29: OF Jonny Farmelo, Westfield HS [VA] {video}
Slot value: $2.8 million. Signing bonus: $3.2 million ($399,300 above slot value).
My rank: #33. MLB Pipeline: #39. Baseball America: #45. Prospects Live: #53.
I was higher on Jonny Farmelo than the big three publications listed, and it looks like the Mariners were higher than all of us in giving him $400,000 above slot value to sign away from a UVA commitment, just above the slot value for the 25th pick. Farmelo is a really interesting prospect that has a chance to be an impact player in quite a few ways. He utilizes a lightning quick left handed swing to produce hard line drives all around the field, with some projection in his 6'2" frame that could help him grow into above average, maybe even plus power as he learns to elevate the ball more consistently. He's also a very disciplined hitter that is very comfortable in the box against high level pitching, as evidenced by a highly touted April matchup with Giants first round pick Bryce Eldridge where he went 3-3 (video linked above). I was present for that game, and he really impressed me with his ability to work the count and foul pitches off until he got something he liked and drove it. If there's one drawback to his offensive game, it's that his swing can get grooved at times and he can have trouble adjusting back to pitches he didn't initially recognize out of the hand. Defensively, Farmelo's plus speed will give him a chance to stick in center field with a little more refinement. I get a really good feeling here and I think he'll be an every day guy in Seattle for a long time.
CBA-30: SS Tai Peete, Trinity Christian HS [GA] {video}
Slot value: $2.73 million. Signing bonus: $2.5 million ($232,500 below slot value).
My rank: #48. MLB Pipeline: #53. Baseball America: #99. Prospects Live: #89.
Tai Peete had late, quiet helium this spring as most major outlets considered him a third to fourth round prospect. He's been a bit of a mystery man to the broader public, having showcased as a two-way prospect last summer with a fastball up to 96 but he didn't pitch this spring with an apparent elbow injury. Instead, he wowed scouts with a big, beautiful left handed swing that naturally produces plus raw power. It's one of the most explosive operations in the high school class this year in a way that simply cannot be taught. The rest of his offensive game is pretty raw, though, as he has been inconsistent in games and has a tendency to chase higher end velocity and breaking stuff. The Mariners are betting that that part of his game will improve with time, as Peete is very young for the class and won't turn 18 until a month after the draft. Meanwhile, his plus speed and cannon arm make him a potential weapon at shortstop if he can add some polish on that side of the ball, which buys the bat time to develop. If the hit tool comes together, he has a very good chance to be the best player in this Mariners class. That's why they gave the Atlanta-area native a $2.5 million to sign away from a Georgia Tech commitment, and they saved a little money with that bonus being closer to the 34th overall pick.
2-57: 3B Ben Williamson, William & Mary {video}
Slot value: $1.44 million. Signing bonus: $600,000 ($836,500 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #243. Prospects Live: #111.
After spending big with their first two picks, the $200,000+ the Mariners saved on Tai Peete wasn't going to be enough to they picked up Ben Williamson for less than half of slot value in the second round, giving him a signing bonus that would have fit in the middle of the fourth round. At pick #57, he was also the first player drafted that wasn't on my rankings, in part due to the fact that he had very late helium and wasn't on most people's radars until late in the draft process. Williamson spent four years at William & Mary but didn't break out until 2023, where he slashed .391/.512/.667 with 12 home runs and a 22/40 strikeout to walk ratio over 54 games, then followed that up with a strong run through the Cape Cod League with a .394/.462/.515 line in nine games before the draft. He's not huge at 6', 190 pounds, but he's extremely disciplined at the plate with a professional approach befitting of a man who will turn 23 in a couple of months. The Northern Virginia native has a loose setup in the box with a big leg kick, but channels that into a short, direct right handed swing that produces solid average, perhaps slightly above average raw power and doesn't swing and miss much. It's a pretty nice all-around offensive profile that could project for 15 home runs a year with solid on-base percentages. Defensively, he stands out at third base with plenty of quickness and range and enough arm strength to make it work. He should move relatively quickly and has a shot to be a decent everyday third baseman or a utility infielder down the line. He's off to a hot start to his pro career, slashing .400/.455/.700 through six games between the Arizona Complex League and Low A Modesto.
3-92: RHP Teddy McGraw, Wake Forest {video}
Slot value: $736,400. Signing bonus: $600,000 ($136,400 below slot value).
My rank: #89. MLB Pipeline: #84. Baseball America: #78. Prospects Live: #167.
The Mariners got Teddy McGraw for the same $600,000 bonus as second rounder Ben Williamson, and he has a chance to be a real steal if he bounces back healthy. McGraw had a nice sophomore year at Wake Forest with a 4.08 ERA and a 67/38 strikeout to walk ratio over 70.2 innings in 2022, and he's also a two year performer in the Cape Cod League with a 3.20 ERA and a 47/16 strikeout to walk ratio over 45 combined innings between 2021 and 2022. Unfortunately, he lasted just seven batters into 2023 before undergoing Tommy John surgery, the second of his young career after first going under the knife in 2019. Back on the Cape, though, he showed first round stuff and that's what the Mariners are buying. The fastball sits in the low to mid 90's and touches 98, and he throws two variations in a running/sinking two seamer and more of a riding four seamer, the latter of which is newer for him. He also snaps off a plus slider with nasty hard bite, and his changeup looks like it could give him a third above average pitch to boot. That's a first round arsenal, especially considering the strides he has made with his command, moving towards average before his injury. The 6'3" righty is also an athletic mover on the mound with a somewhat low release, so the hope is that he can bounce back from surgery and ideally continue to sharpen that command. If he comes back at full strength, it's a real impact starting pitching profile that makes for incredible value as a third round under slot selection. However, the track record for pitchers undergoing a second Tommy John surgery is spotty, and the full comeback isn't as much of a guarantee as it is after one surgery. That's the gamble Seattle is making, and they'll have to wait until 2024 to see how that starts to pan out.
4-124: OF Aidan Smith, Lovejoy HS [TX] {video}
Slot value: $531,300. Signing bonus: $1.2 million ($668,700 above slot value).
My rank: #137. MLB Pipeline: #78. Baseball America: #273. Prospects Live: #104.
Aidan Smith was the Mariners' sixth pick of the draft, but he got their fourth largest signing bonus by signing away from a Mississippi State commitment for more than double his slot value and roughly the value of the 64th overall pick here at pick #124. He quietly tore up the DFW high school ranks this spring, proving to be one of the toughest outs in Texas and battering his way to this spot. Smith has a line drive stroke from the right side, getting long through the zone and spraying the ball around the field with ease. He's not much of a power hitter at this point, but at 6'3" he has some room to tack on more muscle and could reach average or better power as he develops and learns to drive the ball in the air more. In that sense, he's not too dissimilar to Jonny Farmelo, though the swings are very different. I'm a little more bullish on Farmelo's ability to tap his power in the long run, as Smith's bat speed is more average. Like Farmelo, Smith is also a plus runner and he's got a stronger arm, with the chance to provide real value in the outfield, potentially in center field. Overall, the Mariners are buying into the continued development of his game power, which would make him a five tool player. The only Mariners high school bat to get into a minor league game so far, he's 2-7 with a walk and three strikeouts through a couple of games in the Arizona Complex League.
5-160: 2B Brock Rodden, Wichita State {video}
Slot value: $374,400. Signing bonus: $200,000 ($174,400 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #229. Prospects Live: #193.
The Mariners picked up a nice senior sign in Brock Rodden, who signed for eighth round money here in the fifth round. Already 23 years old, he has long been a favorite of area scouts for his gritty style of play and consistent performance at Wichita State. Hailing from tiny Oktaha, Oklahoma, he began his career at Seminole State JC outside of Oklahoma City, then transferred to Wichita State and hit .355/.457/.677 with 34 home runs and a 63/78 strikeout to walk ratio over 111 games in two seasons. He was drafted by the A's in the tenth round a year ago, but turned them down and made himself some money in the process. Rodden is undersized at 5'9", but does a great job of channeling power from his lower half to his upper half to tap fringe average power, more than you'd expect for his size. He gets great (i.e., the right kind of) separation between his upper and lower half as well, enabling him to adjust to pitches all over the zone and make plenty of line drive, all fields contact. Throw in great plate discipline and you've got a guy who struck out in less than 10% of his plate appearances in 2023, so he should have no issue transitioning from the AAC to pro pitching. Defensively, his plus speed makes him an asset in the field, though he doesn't have the arm for the left side of the infield and fits best at second base going forward. The speed also gives him a shot to be a super utility type that can also play all over the outfield if need be. Having turned 23 in May, he'll want to move quickly and should be able to. So far, he's slashing .231/.231/.308 through six games between the Arizona Complex League and Low A Modesto.
6-187: RHP Brody Hopkins, Winthrop {video}
Slot value: $297,400. Signing bonus: $225,000 ($72,400 below slot value).
My rank: #157. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #337. Prospects Live: #90.
This has a chance to be the Mariners' most interesting pick, though Tai Peete is hard to beat. A star high school football player in South Carolina, he originally stayed home at College of Charleston and exclusively played the outfield as a freshman, then barely played on either side of the ball as a sophomore. He transferred to Winthrop as a junior in 2023 and contributed as both an outfielder and as a starting pitcher, slashing .288/.368/.538 with nine home runs as a hitter while also pitching to a 5.83 ERA and a 66/44 strikeout to walk ratio over 54 innings. Though the offensive numbers look a bit better, his future is on the mound. Hopkins sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and can touch 98, with sinking action from a low release point that can be really tough to square up. He has shown great feel to snap off an above average sweeping slider, and the changeup is starting to come along as well. The real draw here, though, is the athleticism. It plays on the football field, it plays in center field, and it will play on the mound. The 6'4" righty operates like a slingshot on the mound, with an elastic delivery that will be conducive to, well, whatever the Mariners want to do with it. For now, the command is well below average and won't play in pro ball, so tightening that up will be the first order of business. Now that he has given up hitting and will be moving into a pro development program, he's got a good shot to do what he needs to do. It's probably a relief profile due to the command and lack of a changeup, though he's the kind of prospect that could leap forward in the Mariners' system so you never know about starting.
7-217: RHP Ty Cummings, Campbell {video}
Slot value: $232,900. Signing bonus: $225,000 ($7,900 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #213. Prospects Live: #266.
Seattle picked up another relief type here with Ty Cummings. He has been a key cog in the Campbell bullpen for three years now, and he carried a 3.14 ERA into his final appearance of the season before South Carolina touched him up for eight runs, finishing with a 4.31 ERA and a 52/23 strikeout to walk ratio over 54.1 innings. Cummings is a low slot righty with a wicked running fastball that sits in the mid 90's and can touch 97 in short stints, carving SoCon hitters up with impunity. He adds a sweeping slider that can get loopy, but looks like an above average pitch when he stays through it and runs it into the mid 80's. At this point, the changeup is a tertiary pitch. His command is fringy for now and he'll likely remain a reliever in pro ball, where his fastball/slider combination can eat and the Mariners can hope to tighten things up just a little bit.
10-307: OF Jared Sundstrom, UC Santa Barbara {video}
Slot value: $165,500. Signing bonus: $165,500.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked. Prospects Live: unranked.
The Mariners drafted Burlington, Washington native and Burlington-Edison High School alum Will Watson in the twentieth round, but he did not sign and instead transferred to Southern Cal for his junior season. That makes Jared Sundstrom the closest thing to a Pacific Northwesterner joining the Mariners, having grown up in the small Mendocino County town of Gualala about three hours northwest of San Francisco. He began his career at Santa Rosa JC before transferring to UC Santa Barbara, where he hit .322/.401/.684 with 15 home runs and a 42/21 strikeout to walk ratio over 49 games. Standing 6'3", 225 pounds, he brings above average raw power to the plate and can drive the ball with authority to all fields, giving confidence that it will play in pro ball. He has a fringy hit tool with decent plate discipline and bat to ball, so he'll want to tighten that up to tap his power against better pitching. Sundstrom is a solid runner that should make for a nice fourth outfield/platoon bat. So far, he's off to a hot start slashing .267/.368/.733 with a pair of home runs through five games between the Arizona Complex League and Low A Modesto.
15-457: OF Carson Jones, Virginia Tech {video}
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked. Prospects Live: unranked.
Carson Jones was not a prospect at all just a couple years ago, having slashed .198/.296/.333 in 47 games (just 14 starts) over his first two years at Virginia Tech. In fact, he didn't even get regular playing time until later in his junior season in 2022, but if you combine his last two seasons, he has hit .306/.431/.657 with 22 home runs and a 72/42 strikeout to walk ratio over 74 games for the Hokies. Listed at 6'2", 190 pounds, he looks bigger in the box with an open stance and a powerful left handed swing, and that power will play in pro ball. It's a pretty direct swing too that gets quick through the zone, though his pitch recognition and pure bat to ball skills are below average which led to an elevated strikeout rate over 25% at Virginia Tech. He's a solid runner that has a chance to be an average defender in an outfield corner, and overall it's probably a power hitting platoon bat profile in the long run. Jared Sundstrom is a righty and Jones is a lefty, so even though it never actually works like that, the Mariners are set up here to potentially pair them together down the line. He only has one pro hit so far, but it was a home run and he's also walked, been hit by a pitch, and stolen a couple bases in his two games in the Arizona Complex League.
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