2025 MLB Draft Review: Seattle Mariners

Full list of draftees

The Mariners have drafted really, really well lately, and this class was no different. Beginning with arguably the best pitcher in the class to add to the embarrassment of riches in their rotation, Seattle focused the majority of its bonus pool on three big picks at the top: lefty Kade Anderson ($8.8M), catcher Luke Stevenson ($2.8M), and prep shortstop Nick Becker ($2.75M), with no other draftee receiving more than $640K. It was a pitching-heavy class that saw them take nine arms in their first twelve picks, but they did look at Cal Raleigh up in the big leagues and decide they wanted three more, taking a trio of power hitting college catchers in Stevenson, Grant Jay, and Luke Heyman. The three have combined for 135 home runs over 472 games in their college career and in the eight seasons under their belts, none have ever hit fewer than a dozen home runs in a single year.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.
Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. For example, "2-50" would indicate that a player was taken in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.

1-3: LHP Kade Anderson, Louisiana State
Slot value: $9.5 million. Signing bonus: $8.8 million ($704,400 below slot value).
My rank: #3. MLB Pipeline: #2. Baseball America: #4.
Kade Anderson's meteoric rise has been something to behold, and in an organization that develops pitching as effectively as Seattle, it's a downright scary match. Anderson immediately took on a large role as an LSU freshman in 2024, earning second round projections for himself coming into the 2025 season as a projectable lefty with a nice combination of stuff and pitchability. He continued creeping up draft boards by striking out at least eight batters in each of his first six starts, then rocketed forward with a fourteen strikeout, complete game shutout against Oklahoma on April 3rd. By mid-season, he was a mid-first rounder. When he took the mound on June 21st for the opening game of the College World Series championship, there was already buzz about the first overall pick. All Anderson did that day was toss another complete game shutout, allowing just three hits and striking out ten against a Coastal Carolina team riding a 26 game winning streak, cementing his spot as one of the top pitchers in the class. His $8.8 million bonus was the largest given to a pitcher in this year's class, and now he projects to become an ace in Seattle someday soon. The fastball has moderate velocity, sitting in the low 90's and touching 97 at peak, but plays up with its life that helps it sneak past bats in bunches. He has long relied on a plus curveball with huge spin rates and deep finish, while this season he successfully added a sharper cutter/slider into the mix. His changeup, which has taken a step forward this season as well, gives him a fourth above average pitch and a weapon against right handed hitters. The 6'2" lefty is still a skinny kid who may lack a ton of projection, but the now product is exceptional and he answered durability questions in a big way by leading NCAA Division I with 119 innings pitched (and 180 strikeouts). Anderson fills up the strike zone with all four pitches and projects for at least above average command, repeating his simple delivery well to conserve energy and last deep into starts without sacrificing stuff. He has earned comparisons to pitchability lefties like Cole Hamels, Max Fried, and J.A. Happ, though he's not quite as big. Anderson seems like a likely #2 starter who could glide to the big leagues quickly and hold down a rotation spot for a long time. To boot, he was a draft-eligible sophomore who only turned 21 in July, making him younger than most college draftees.

CBA-35: C Luke Stevenson, North Carolina
Slot value: $2.76 million. Signing bonus: $2.8 million ($41,700 above slot value).
My rank: #25. MLB Pipeline: #33. Baseball America: #25.
The Mariners saw what Cal Raleigh was doing this year and decided to pick up a very similar player in Luke Stevenson. One of the centerpieces of UNC's freshman recruiting class two years ago, Stevenson immediately took over as the program's starting catcher and has blasted 33 home runs in two seasons for the Tar Heels, holding down first round projections throughout. Lauded for his pop, he can drive the ball to all fields with authority with a compact, explosive left handed swing that elevates the ball consistently and produces plus power. His 19 home runs in 2025 finished fourth among Division I catchers, tied with Seattle's twelfth rounder Grant Jay. Stevenson is an extremely disciplined hitter that knows how to work counts and find his pitch, running some of the lowest chase rates in the 2025 draft class while walking over 20% of the time. That trait is important because he has below average pure bat to ball, which can get him in trouble against pitchers who know how to execute in deep counts. Stevenson projects as a three true outcomes hitter who could hit 25+ home runs per season, which alone would make him a valuable asset as a catcher, while running low batting averages buoyed a bit by higher walk rates. Key to his development going forward will be learning to execute against quality stuff in the zone as pro pitchers get more aggressive attacking him at his weak spots. Behind the plate, his glovework has come a long way and he now projects to not only stick as a catcher but excel in that regard with the requisite actions, blocking, and framing. His above average arm, too, is an asset. There are a ton of parallels to Raleigh in this profile and the Big Dumper shows Mariners fans exactly what could happen in Stevenson reaches his ceiling, though his bat to ball has a ways to go in order to get him there. Like Kade Anderson, he was a draft-eligible sophomore who did not turn 21 until July.

2-57: SS Nick Becker, Don Bosco HS [NJ]
Slot value: $1.64 million. Signing bonus: $2.75 million ($1.11 million above slot value).
My rank: #46. MLB Pipeline: #51. Baseball America: #79.
Using their entire savings from Kade Anderson and then some, Seattle brings in a big time talent in Nick Becker whom they signed for roughly the value of Luke Stevenson's #35 pick here at #57. Becker brings a great combination of present ability and future projection. A cold weather bat who grew up in New York and attended high school just across the border in New Jersey, he already brings a very advanced game as the younger brother of UVA shortstop Eric Becker and the son of former minor leaguer Jeff Becker. He takes great at bats and has performed consistently against top arms and warmer weather competition that may have had more reps, with great pitch recognition that helps him pepper line drives to all fields and continue to be a thorn in pitchers' sides. While he's hit over power right now, he is still growing and now stands 6'4" with bushels of room to get stronger. As he tacks on strength, he has a chance to grow into average or better power as he grows out of being a line drive bat. Similarly, he is an advanced defender with good body control and enough arm to stick at shortstop, elevating the profile considerably. Becker is an above average runner as well and figures to be a mobile threat on both sides of the ball even as he gets bigger and potentially slows down a tick. While he lacks a plus tool, he has All Star upside as a potential high average type that can hit 15-20 home runs per season and stick at shortstop. Shortstops who can near the middle of the order are hard to come by and get MVP votes when they do come around.

3-91: RHP Griffin Hugus, Miami
Slot value: $851,800. Signing bonus: $640,000 ($211,800 below slot value).
My rank: #126. MLB Pipeline: #169. Baseball America: #113.
Griffin Hugus spent two years at Cincinnati, where he served primarily as a reliever to middling results, then transferred back home to Miami where he blossomed into one of the Canes' more reliable starting pitchers. He capped off the season with a complete game win over Ivy League champion Columbia in the Hattiesburg Regional for his second to last start, and ultimately brings the Mariners a nice combination of stuff and pitchability for a discount. The fastball sits low 90's and touches 95, playing above its velocity with run and ride that help it hop through the zone. He throws a plus slider with late bite that functions as his best pitch, while truer curveball is more of an average breaker to catch hitters off balance. Hugus throws a changeup too, though it's a fourth pitch at this point. While the South Florida native showed below average command back at Cincinnati, it sharpened up during a very strong Cape Cod League run (2.31 ERA, 24/4 K/BB in 23.1 innings) and held closer to fringy during the 2025 season. Additional fine tuning would likely do him good as he gets better as at repeating his uptempo delivery that features some drop and drive to generate power. The 6'2" righty has the size and stuff to stick in the rotation, and now he just has to prove that he can throw enough strikes and repeat his delivery late into games. If starting doesn't work out, his fastball could tick closer to the mid 90's and he can lean more heavily on his banger slider in short stints as a reliever.

4-122: LHP Mason Peters, Dallas Baptist
Slot value: $617,200. Signing bonus: $550,000 ($67,200 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #312.
This feels on brand for the Mariners, who grab one of the tougher lefty relievers out there for a slight discount in the fourth round. Mason Peters spent two seasons at Temple JC in Texas, where he improved significantly from one year to the next and earned a spot at Dallas Baptist for his junior year. Spending most of the season in the bullpen, he did make a few starts including an absolute masterpiece against Liberty in May in which he retired eighteen of the nineteen hitters he faced and struck out ten over six no-hit innings. Peters sits low 90's and touches 96 at peak, coming in with tough angle especially for lefties. His curveball is his best pitch, a two-plane banger that dives across the plate with hard finish and helps him rack up most of his strikeouts. An average slider rounds out the arsenal. Everything plays up for the Waco native because he hides the ball well from a closed off, crossfire delivery that puts nice angle on his pitches. His command has improved to fringy and looks like it should be plenty playable in pro ball. Listed at just 5'11", 175 pounds and utilizing an uptempo delivery, he likely sticks as a reliever long term and focuses on his fastball and curveball. He's likely a bit short across the board between size, arsenal depth, and command if he wants to start. Still, the fastball/curveball combination from a tough lefty angle should make him a valuable reliever, and given the investment here, the Mariners likely see late inning upside.

5-152: OF Korbyn Dickerson, Indiana
Slot value: $461,100. Signing bonus: $461,100.
My rank: #66. MLB Pipeline: #83. Baseball America: #120.
This is a really nice pickup for the Mariners in the fifth round. Korbyn Dickerson put his name on the map with a huge senior season at powerhouse Trinity High School in Louisville back in 2022, then made it to campus at Louisville just across town. Things didn't quite work out with the Cardinals as he sat on the bench his freshman year and received just 22 plate appearances as a sophomore, so he transferred to Indiana for his junior year. Being back in his home state (he crossed the bridge every day to attend Trinity) ended up being just what the doctor ordered, as he exploded for 19 home runs and a .314/.381/.632 line across 56 games for the Hoosiers and made the Big Ten all conference team. Dickerson has massive power, generating everything from an explosive right handed swing and lean strength in his 6'1" frame. The hit tool has taken a big step forward but remains below average as he tends to expand the strike zone but lacks the pure bat to ball to make it work once he starts seeing better pitching in pro ball. His 18.8% strikeout rate was not outrageous this past year, but Indiana did not play the same grueling schedule as many SEC and ACC clubs and Dickerson only got one game against schools from those conferences, putting up a 1-3 performance against his former mates at Louisville. Priority #1 for the Mariners will be helping Dickerson shore up his approach and prepare for better pitching. If he does so and can continue to tap his power, he has star potential. He's also a force on the other side of the ball, showing off above average speed and plus instincts in center field to play Gold Glove defense in the grass. As a right handed hitter who can get streaky at the plate, that glove should give him every opportunity to win an every day role regardless. Dickerson could top out at 25-30 home runs per season while playing a strong center field, albeit with low on-base percentages. He is a true four tool player with everything but the hit tool.

12-362: C Grant Jay, Dallas Baptist
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: #164. MLB Pipeline: #170. Baseball America: #128.
Grant Jay represents great value in the back half of the draft. A three year starter at Dallas Baptist, he leaves as one of the greatest hitters in school history and as their all time leader in home runs (61). In his three years, he never hit fewer than 19 home runs in a season, never hit below .300, never put up an on-base percentage below .400, and never slugged below .650. Jay flicks the barrel through the zone with shocking ease while generating borderline plus-plus raw power from his compact right handed swing, playing up in games as he consistently elevates the ball with authority. He crushes fastballs, but so far, he has had no answer against quality offspeed stuff. He struggled mightily on the Cape last summer (.141/.299/.295, 43.3% strikeout rate) and has never struck out fewer than 71 times in a season, running a career 29% strikeout rate at Dallas Baptist with his 25.6% mark in 2025 representing a career best. Jay has well below average bat to ball that might translate to a 30 grade hit tool in pro ball, though his success at DBU lends hope that Seattle's player development can get him right. The power is so impressive that if he can get even to a 40 grade hit tool, he could hit his way up as a power-first catcher. The Mobile native is built like a catcher at a stocky 6', 225 pounds, and his glove is trending in the right direction to keep him behind the plate. His strong arm is a help back there, but he will need to continue to make strides with his defense to stick as a catcher and handle high octane arms in pro ball. If he has to move out, he runs well enough to hold down a corner outfield spot, but pressure will then ratchet up on his hit tool and 40 grade might not be enough. It is in Jay's best interest to further hone his glovework behind the plate, where his power should be enough to carry him up the ladder as a power-over-everything backup catcher. That climb is a lot steeper if he's an outfielder.

14-422: C Luke Heyman, Florida
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $230,000 ($80,000 against bonus pool).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #127.
Yet another power hitting catcher, Luke Heyman has a long track record with scouts dating back to his prep days. A star prep prospect, he had plenty of day two draft interest but wound up on campus at Florida, where he has been the starting catcher for three years and clubbed double digit home runs in each season for a total of 41. Heyman had been draft eligible in 2024, but returned to Florida and put up his best season yet in 2025 despite missing the end of the season with a forearm injury. Listed at 6'4", 220 pounds, he is an imposing presence in the box and hits from a wide base, really channeling his strength into a loud barrel that produces plus raw power. That power plays closer to average in games because he doesn't always square it up and because in 2025, he focused more on contact than he had in the past. The result was a jump in batting average from .246 to .301 and a drop in strikeout rate from 24.3% to 18.5% without too much sacrificed power. The hit tool is still fringy and he carries a career .217/.353/.339 line and a 25.2% strikeout rate over two seasons in the Cape Cod League, so Heyman will likely always be power over hit. He's not the most mobile catcher in the world but has gotten better back there, where his plus arm gives him a chance to stick. The Orlando-area native will need to watch his conditioning and maintain his flexibility as he ages if he wants to remain a catcher, especially given the newfound catching depth in Seattle's system. With well below average speed, first base is just about the only other option, and as a right handed hitter, he'll really need to hit to carve out a role in that regard. Heyman likely projects as a bat-first backup catcher who can pop a few home runs, not too dissimilar to Grant Jay. He is old for a college junior and turned 22 before the draft.

20-602: SS Estevan Moreno, Notre Dame
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
Estevan Moreno, like Luke Heyman, was a well-known prep prospect that had interest in the top five rounds or so. Spurning those offers, he became one of the better recruits to reach campus at Notre Dame in recent years, where he jumped into the starting lineup immediately as the starting second baseman and held that role until sliding in as the starting shortstop in 2025. While Moreno hasn't put up particularly loud numbers in South Bend – he's a career .236/.334/.484 hitter, albeit with 30 home runs in 153 games – he brings plenty of upside on both sides of the ball relative to his draft position in the final round. He generates plenty of torque in his right handed swing, with an explosive barrel that makes the ball really jump when he squares it up. Noted for his polish as a Chicago-area prep, his approach has stagnated somewhat in college with career strikeout and walk rates of 30.1% and 8.1%, respectively, with his 7.6% walk rate in 2025 representing a career-low. It's probably average power with a below average hit tool. Still, Moreno is a talented hitter that moves well in the box, and if he can work with Seattle's player development to rekindle a better approach at the plate, he has what it takes to become a productive hitter. Interestingly, he has gotten more mobile while in college and his move to shortstop for 2025 might have been a surprise in 2022, but his arm and mobility have worked there for now. Even if he has to slide back to third base, his defensive outlook is stronger than it was and it buys a little bit of time for his bat to develop. Moreno is known as a baseball rat with a strong work ethic and in the twentieth round where most players don't get above A ball, it's a nice roll of the dice.

2024 MLB Draft Review: Seattle Mariners

Full list of draftees

The Mariners stayed true to their tendencies with this draft class. They started things off with an ultra athletic college pitcher, moved on to blowing most of their remaining bonus pool on a first round-caliber high school pitcher in the second round, then spent the rest of the draft targeting 23 and 24 year olds to save money while also finding spots here and there for some big power bats. By starting early, the Mariners found some of the best senior signs in the country, and overall I really like the class they pulled together.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.
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.

1-15: BHP Jurrangelo Cijntje, Mississippi State {video}
Slot value: $4.88 million. Signing bonus: $4.88 million.
My rank: #18. MLB Pipeline: #25. Baseball America: #24.
The Mariners made a splash in the first round by picking up the famous switch pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje, and he's the perfect fit. Cijntje (pronounced saint-jeh) first rose to fame as a switch pitching, switch hitting, two-way high school senior at Champagnat Catholic in South Florida, where he earned serious day two interest on account of his pitching. Instead, he made it to campus at Mississippi State where he struggled to a tough-luck 8.10 ERA as a freshman in 2023. A draft-eligible sophomore in 2024 due to turning 21 in May, he slowly pushed his way back into the top five rounds, then the top three, top two, and eventually to the middle of the first round as he seemed to get stronger and stronger with every start. While he switch pitched for the Bulldogs, most see Cijntje as a right handed pitcher only going forward. From that side, he sits in the low to mid 90's and approaches triple digits at peak with his fastball, putting big riding action on the pitch despite a lower release point. As he's progressed in Starkville, it's turned into a true plus pitch. He also shows a tight, hard slider with late bite, giving him a second above average pitch. The changeup at this point is inconsistent and a bit too firm, but it's shown flashes and isn't completely rudimentary. Meanwhile, his stuff is a bit more muted from the left side, with a fastball sitting around 90 with more run and sink unlike his riding right handed fastball. The slider is a bit sweepier, showing less power but more depth. From the right side, it looks like a legitimate #3 starting pitcher profile, while from the left he's more of a two-pitch guy who would work better in the bullpen where the stuff could add a tick. Unsurprisingly, Cijntje is a superb athlete that has gotten more and more refined in repeating his delivery, working his way up to average command with the chance to continue improving in that regard in pro ball, especially if he gives up pitching left handed. This arm fits extremely well in the Mariners' system as the same type of low launch, high ride guy they've had success with in the past. You won't find this combination of polish, athleticism, and trajectory often. Next up will be refining his changeup and continuing to take incremental steps forward everywhere else.

2-55: RHP Ryan Sloan, York Community HS [IL] {video}
Slot value: $1.64 million. Signing bonus: $3 million ($1.36 million above slot value).
My rank: #27. MLB Pipeline: #19. Baseball America: #26.
After picking up Jurrangelo Cijntje, the Mariners sank a massive over slot bonus into Ryan Sloan, spending roughly the slot value of the #30 pick here at #55 to buy him out of a Wake Forest commitment. While Sloan was considered one of the top prep arms in the class, guys like William Schmidt (now at LSU) and Cam Caminiti (Braves) were able to jump out first this past spring as the seasons started in Louisiana and Arizona, respectively. However, once Chicago started to thaw, Sloan proved to be every bit as good as his warm weather counterparts and shot back into the first round conversation. While the Mariners typically target athletic pitchers, Sloan gives them more of a size and strength guy. His fastball ticked up this spring, sitting in the mid 90's and touching 99 with flat plane, a potential plus-plus pitch. His slider flashes plus with late sweep, while his changeup looks very promising with late tumble, both looking especially deadly when he can locate them. The 6'5" righty has a big league body already with a big, durable frame, and while he's not the most athletic pitcher in the class, he gets down the mound well for a big guy and comes with tremendous upside. He has average command, which is very impressive for a pitcher with his caliber of stuff. Sloan could be an ace.

3-91: RHP Hunter Cranton, Kansas {video}
Slot value: $812,900. Signing bonus: $50,000 ($762,900 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #213. Baseball America: unranked.
After giving Ryan Sloan that massive bonus in the second round, the Mariners had to start saving money quick and did so by giving Hunter Cranton the second smallest bonus of any player selected in the top four rounds. He's extremely well travelled, having played high school ball at JSerra Catholic High School in Orange County, California alongside names like Royce Lewis, Gage Jump, and Cody Schrier. Cranton began his career at Saddleback JC just down the street from his high school, then after two seasons transferred to San Diego State but barely pitched at the latter. He's spent the past two seasons at Kansas, where he has found his groove in the bullpen and figures to stay there going forward with Seattle. Cranton's fastball is borderline elite, sitting in the mid to upper 90's and touching triple digits with riding and running action from a low release point. It earned chases and whiffs over a third of the time, elite marks for a fastball, and projects as a plus-plus pitch in pro ball. He also rips off a hard, tight sweeper that flashes plus in its own right, giving him one of the nastier one-two punches out there. On top of it all, Cranton pounds the zone and, at least at the college level, was able to consistently stay ahead of hitters. The Mariners absolutely love these types of arms and have a great track record with them, so this pairing could not be more perfect. On the downside, the 6'3" righty turns 24 early in the offseason. He's also a pure reliever that throws with considerable effort, a demographic that does not have a strong track record coming from the college level. The Mariners will look to buck that trend and get his reasonably-commanded fastball/slider combination to the big leagues quickly. So far, he has allowed four runs (three earned) over 7.1 innings for Low A Modesto, striking out thirteen along the way.

4-121: C Josh Caron, Nebraska {video}
Slot value: $594,000. Signing bonus: $594,900 ($900 below slot value).
My rank: #131. MLB Pipeline: #172. Baseball America: #300.
If you liked Mike Zunino and Cal Raleigh, you're going to love Josh Caron, the next power hitting catcher in line for Seattle. He was more good than great for most of his career at Nebraska, but came on late hitting six home runs in the 2024 Big Ten Tournament to launch himself into day two draft conversations. The power here is the calling card. The ball really explodes off his bat like few in this class, with plus power in games and some elite exit velocities when he really gets a hold of one. Meanwhile, the hit tool is fringier as he can swing through quality stuff in the zone and has a tendency to chase offspeed pitches. If he's going to tap his power consistently against pro pitching, he'll need to shore up the approach a little bit. He's very physical with a sturdy 6' frame, with good feel for his body to stick behind the plate long term. The actions themselves are a bit raw, but he should be able to iron it out and become a power hitting, bat-first catcher. He also didn't turn 21 until after the draft, making him very young for a college junior and giving him extra time to refine his game on both sides of the ball. Doing so could earn him every day playing time in Seattle. Caron has taken just fine to pro pitching so far, slashing .300/.378/.400 with one home run and an 8/5 strikeout to walk ratio through eleven games at Low A Modesto.

5-154: RHP Charlie Beilenson, Duke {video}
Slot value: $431,400. Signing bonus: $25,000 ($406,400 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
Still needing to save money from the Ryan Sloan pick, the Mariners picked up another senior sign reliever in Charlie Beilenson. He spent four years at Brown, but threw just 40 innings over those four years after losing 2020 to COVID and 2021 to the Ivy League voluntarily cancelling the season. Transferring to Duke for the 2023 season, he finally had his big breakout in 2024 when he was one of the best relievers in the country. As you might expect, he's extremely advanced and has a chance to move quickly through the minors. His low 90's fastball touches 95, but he leans heavily on his splitter to generate a ton of swing and miss. He also shows a tight slider and can split the difference with his fastball by utilizing a cutter, giving him a full array of weapons to mix and match against hitters. Beilenson's above average command is a separator as a reliever, while he sequences his stuff well and isn't afraid to go right after hitters. This complete profile didn't materialize overnight, though, and he'll turn 25 in the offseason. That makes him the oldest player in the entire draft and the only one born before the turn of the millennium. So far he has allowed one run over 3.2 innings at Low A Modesto, striking out four but walking five in the process.

6-183: RHP/C Grant Knipp, Campbell {video}
Slot value: $334,200. Signing bonus: $275,000 ($59,200 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #412.
If Josh Caron doesn't become the next Mike Zunino, Grant Knipp could give it a shot. He spent his freshman year at Alabama but did not see the field, so he transferred to Campbell and got better and better each season, culminating in a massive 2024 where he hit .402/.547/1.029 (not a typo) with 18 home runs in 29 game despite missing a month with a hamstring injury. He clocks in at a burly 6'2", 230 pounds an produces massive raw power from a quick right handed swing, absolutely pummeling baseballs with the best of them – you don't slug over 1.000 by accident and the exit velocity data backs that up. Pitchers simply refused to throw to him in 2024 if they were smart, and he didn't help himself by chasing at a fairly high clip. He still walked a very impressive 19.4% of the time, but he also swung through far too many pitches both inside and outside the zone. It's only going to get tougher against pro pitching, so Knipp will really have to shore up his approach and find pitches he can ambush to continue tapping that huge power. Sticking behind the plate will help the profile, but he's bulky behind the plate and will have to work hard to catch long term. If he moves to first base, he'll really have to get to that power in games consistently. Meanwhile, the Louisville native is also an extremely talented pitcher who could absolutely pitch in pro ball. He runs his fastball up to 98 and shows a semblance of command despite barely pitching at Campbell. He'll have to bring along his slider and hold that command together, but the arm talent is certainly there to pitch in a major league bullpen.

10-303: OF Anthony Donofrio, North Carolina {video}
Slot value: $181,100. Signing bonus: $50,000 ($131,100 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #449.
This is sneakily one of the better value picks of the draft. Like many players in this Mariners class, he's been around a long time, having begun his college career with Division III SUNY Cortland way back in 2019, where he didn't play much in his two seasons. He transferred to Stony Brook as a student but failed to make the baseball team, so he transferred again to Quinnipiac in 2022 and caught fire, hitting .355/.415/.623 with 23 home runs in two seasons. That caught UNC's attention, which he made his fourth home and slotted directly into the everyday lineup for a big season. Donofrio grades out well metrically, with above average raw power that played more to the gaps in games as he looked to knock the ball around the field. The approach is controlled aggression, as he'll chase out of the zone but makes adjustments and works counts well regardless, leading to an even strikeout to walk ratio that becomes all the more impressive when you consider the jump in competition he faced. Adding to the profile is his glove, as he's a plus runner who will be able to handle center field at the next level. Given that the bat might have some tweener indicators, that could serve as a big factor for him earning playing time at the major league level. Donofrio, a sixth year senior, is very old having turned 24 before the draft, but he's plenty advanced and has fought hard to be where he is. In just a few short years, the Long Island native rocketed from riding the bench at a D-III school, then getting cut from Stony Brook, to playing professional baseball in the Mariners' organization. So far he is slashing .241/.362/.362 with a 13/11 strikeout to walk ratio though eighteen games at Low A Modesto.

11-333: RHP Christian Little, Louisiana State {video}
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $200,000 ($50,000 against bonus pool).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #328.
At barely 21 on draft day, Christian Little has to be one of the youngest senior signs in the history of the draft. Despite having pitched four years in college and exhausted his eligibility, he's younger than Mariners first round pick and true sophomore Jurrangelo Cijntje. Little has taken a winding road to get where he is. Back in 2021 he was arguably the top high school pitching prospect in the entire country, but reclassified before his senior season to enroll at Vanderbilt early. Pitching as just a 17 year old freshman, he immediately became the Commodores' midweek starter and showed well for his age. He continued to show well as a sophomore in 2022, but amid a crowded Vanderbilt rotation picture he transferred to LSU for his junior season. However, he did not progress in his two years in Baton Rouge and now finds himself with the Mariners in the eleventh round. Despite his name, Little is a big guy with big stuff. The fastball can sit mid 90's and touch 98-99 at peak, and while it can get straight, he's added a cutter at LSU to give hitters a different look. He throws a hard slider that flashes above average at best, but it can blend into his fringier curveball, while his changeup grades out as fringy. The 6'4" righty has tacked on about ten pounds a year at school and now clocks in at 235 pounds, leading to a bit of stiffness in his delivery. While he was a solid strike thrower in high school, he has never found the zone consistently in college with a career 12.7% walk rate that never dipped into single digits in any season. The Mariners may look to completely overhaul his delivery and pitch mix to help him reach his former ceiling. The arm strength and talent is still tremendous, and given that he only turned 21 shortly before the draft, he's younger than most college draftees. The change of scenery from Nashville to Baton Rouge did not help, and while both are premier pitching development destinations in college baseball, the Mariners have one of the best pro pitching development systems out there as well. He profiles as a reliever on the surface due to his lack of command and the effort in his delivery, but his size, strength, and the depth of his arsenal could lead the Mariners to bank on his youth and see if they can't figure something out as a starter.

13-393: 3B Brandon Eike, Virginia Commonwealth {video}
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
Brandon Eike gives the Mariners a big bat late in the draft. He spent two years at UNC, but barely saw the field with just eleven total at bats and transferred closer to home at VCU. There, the Rams have made much better use of his bat and he hit .363/.435/.637 with 25 home runs in 116 games over two seasons. He capped it off in a big way, absolutely losing his mind in the 2024 A-10 Tournament where he went 12-19 with five home runs in four games as VCU swept its way to a conference championship. Two games later, he had a five hit game against Evansville in the Greenville regional. He's not the tallest guy in the world, but he's very physical regardless with long arms and a leveraged 6' frame. That helps him consistently tap above average power in games without selling out. Eike hasn't faced the toughest pitching in the A-10 but showed well on the Cape last year, where he hit .309/.369/.455 with one home run and a nice 11/7 strikeout to walk ratio over fifteen games. He's a patient hitter that controls the zone well, both against ordinary A-10 pitching and against much better pitching on the Cape. That should ease his transition to pro ball and help him continue tapping his power as he moves up the rungs. Sticking at third base will be key, as he has seen time at first base and a move across the diamond would put make it more difficult to find at bats. The bat looks playable at third base but he'll need to find an extra gear to earn regular playing time at first base. Through eighteen games at Low A Modesto, he is slashing .261/.329/.406 with two home runs and a 12/5 strikeout to walk ratio.

2023 MLB Draft Review: Seattle Mariners

Full list of draftees

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.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.
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.

2022 MLB Draft Review: Seattle Mariners

Full list of draftees

Continuing last year's trend that saw them select Harry Ford, Edwin Arroyo, and Michael Morales with their first three picks, the Mariners went heavy on high schoolers again this year with three more in their first four picks. They targeted premium athleticism with those prep picks, especially with the two pitchers in Walter Ford and Ashton Izzi that have strikingly similar profiles, then had to spend virtually the rest of the draft saving money. After selecting Izzi in the fourth round, four of their next six picks signed for $50,000 or less despite six figure slot values.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.

1-21: SS Cole Young, North Allegheny HS [PA]. My rank: #20.
Slot value: $3.29 million. Signing bonus: $3.3 million ($7,100 above slot value).
Part of the reason Jerry Dipoto felt comfortable dealing star shortstop prospects Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo to the Reds in the Luis Castillo trade was because of this pick right here. Cole Young was one of the more intriguing prep bats available throughout the draft cycle, showing extremely well over the summer and again this spring to earn chatter throughout the first round. The Mariners were thrilled to see him fall out of the top twenty picks, and didn't let him get any further. Young is a very polished young hitter that makes extremely consistent, hard, line drive contact from the left side. He rarely swings and misses, showing some of the better barrel adjustability in the class to spoil tough pitches and get on base just as pitchers thought they had him beat. Give him one in his wheelhouse, though, and he can really turn on the ball with impressive exit velocities and sneaky power. For now though, power isn't a big part of his game and he's much better when he's focused on all-fields line drive contact, which he knows and executes. Defensively, he glides around the dirt at shortstop with above average instincts and a strong arm, giving him every opportunity to stick there in the long run. Interestingly enough, if you met the Pittsburgh-area native on the street, you might never know he's a professional athlete. He's strong and lean at six feet tall, but carries himself with great humility and strikes you more as a typical high school kid in interviews. He's a smart kid that was strongly committed to Duke, and he'll put his head down and get to work in the Seattle system. Look forward to a potential 15 homer bat with high on-base percentages and good defense at shortstop if you're a Mariners fan.

2-58: 3B Tyler Locklear, Virginia Commonwealth. My rank: #50.
Slot value: $1.28 million. Signing bonus: $1.28 million.
Tyler Locklear is one of the more polarizing prospects in this year's class, but the Mariners are all in. He has been nothing short of a one man wrecking crew at VCU, and in 2022 put up some of the best numbers in the entire country by slashing .402/.542/.799 with 20 home runs and a 25/47 strikeout to walk ratio over 62 games. He got hotter and hotter throughout the season, including an eleven game run leading up to regionals in which he slashed .700/.786/1.475 with nine home runs and zero strikeouts to lead VCU to an A-10 championship. Locklear brings tremendous raw power from the right side, a product of just good old fashioned brute strength and a calm, quiet setup that gives way to an explosive swing. He hits the ball as hard as anybody in college baseball, to the point where he can still do damage even when he doesn't quite square it up. The Baltimore-area native is also extremely disciplined at the plate and looked laughably overqualified to face A-10 pitching this spring, but he also hit .256/.333/.504 with nine home runs and a 32/6 strikeout to walk ratio in the Cape Cod League last summer and has shown he's perfectly comfortable against high end pitching as well. Now there are reasons some teams didn't like him nearly this early, and the trio of MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, and Prospects Live had him ranked #98, #99, and #82, respectively. He's a well below average athlete that will most likely end up at first base or in left field, putting all of the pressure on his bat to make that transition from the A-10 to pro pitching. While he did slug nine home runs on the Cape, he did expand the zone much more often than he did at VCU and some still think pro pitchers may adjust to him fairly quickly. The Mariners are clearly not of that line of thought and neither am I, and we'll get to sit back and watch to see what route he goes. The upside here is that of a 30+ home run bat that gets on base at a high clip, anchoring Seattle lineups with Julio Rodriguez, Cole Young, Harry Ford, Kyle Lewis, and Jarred Kelenic for the long run.

CBB-74: RHP Walter Ford, Pace HS [FL]. My rank: #53.
Slot value: $887,400. Signing bonus: $1.25 million ($362,600 above slot value).
Signing for nearly as much money as Tyler Locklear sixteen picks later is Walter Ford, one of the most interesting players in the class who had been committed to Alabama. Ford originally attended McAdory High School on the outskirts of Birmingham before transferring south to Pace High School in the Pensacola area and reclassifying, making him one of the youngest players in the entire draft. He was a bit uneven this spring, which quieted some first round chatter, but the reality is that the Mariners are getting an incredible ball of clay with as much upside as anybody in the class. Ford sits in the low 90's with his fastball, touching 97 when he reaches back, with high spin rates and steep downhill plane. He shows good feel for spin with a slider that flashes above average at its best, while his firm changeup is a distant third pitch. The command has been less consistent, especially with his offspeed stuff, as he's still growing into his body and learning himself as a pitcher. The 6'3" righty is a premium athlete with a ton of projection, a quick arm, and impressive ability to get down the mound and channel his strength, all well before his 18th birthday that won't roll around until the offseason. The Mariners have a lot of work to do, including ironing out his delivery and getting him more consistent with his mechanics, as well as refining his offspeed stuff, but there aren't many young kids that can move on the mound like Ford can. If they get this right, they could have a true ace on the mound and a fun Walter Ford-Harry Ford battery that will be tough on Chevy drivers.

4-126: RHP Ashton Izzi, Oswego East HS [IL]. My rank: #211.
Slot value: $474,900. Signing bonus: $1.10 million ($625,100 above slot value).
The Mariners continued their spending spree with a fourth consecutive seven figure bonus to Wichita State commit Ashton Izzi, who teamed with White Sox first round pick Noah Schultz in the Oswego East High School rotation. Izzi turned a lot of heads this spring and made his way up draft boards with his combination of stuff and athleticism. His fastball typically sits in the low 90's, but reaches 97 at its best and there should be more velocity coming. He has feel to spin a breaking ball, with a slider that flashes above average but still needs to find its identity with inconsistent shape, while he does have some feel for a changeup. The 6'3" righty stands out most for his projection, with an extremely athletic frame that has plenty of room to add weight. He moves well on the mound, utilizing a shorter arm stroke with a relatively steep approach angle on his pitches, though his command has been inconsistent to this point. It's honestly a very similar profile to Walter Ford one pick ahead, albeit with a bit less athleticism and more than a year older. The Mariners will work with the Chicago-area product to put on weight, get stronger, and get more consistent with his offspeed stuff and command. There is a lot of work to do, but the ceiling of a mid-rotation starter is within reach.

6-186: SS Josh Hood, North Carolina State. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $272,800. Signing bonus: $250,000 ($22,800 below slot value).
Josh Hood has been on scouts' radars for some time now, but finally gave them what they needed to see to pull the trigger in 2022. Originally a member of the Penn baseball team, he hit .331/.411/.580 as a freshman in 2019 but only played in eight games before the 2020 shutdown and then missed the entire 2021 season when the Ivy League inexplicably barred all its young healthy athletes from competing outside. He transferred to North Carolina State in 2022 and got regular playing time for the first time in nearly three years, slashing .268/.350/.498 with 13 home runs and a 57/31 strikeout to walk ratio over 57 games. The South Jersey native has a clean right handed swing and the ball jumps off his bat, giving him potentially 15+ home run power from a lean 6'2" frame. Despite interruptions, he's hit everywhere he's gone and has kept his strikeout rates to a reasonable level, and there should be no reason that should change in pro ball. While it's not an offensive profile that jumps off the page, it's very well rounded and it profiles well at shortstop, where he projects to stick long term. It's probably a utility infield profile with some upside if uninterrupted playing time allows his offensive game to take another step forward.

8-246: C Tatem Levins, Pittsburgh. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $175,600. Signing bonus: $50,000 ($125,600 below slot value).
Tatem Levins was an accomplished hitter at La Salle, where he slashed .318/.402/.524 with 17 home runs and more walks than strikeouts over a three year career. La Salle ended up disbanding their baseball program in 2022, so he transferred to Pitt and continued to hit with a .321/.435/.613 slash line, 16 home runs, and a 31/33 strikeout to walk ratio over 56 games. Levins stands out most for his extremely advanced plate discipline, which has enabled him to get on base a ton throughout his college career and will help him make a quick transition to pro ball. He crushes mistakes and elevates the ball with authority, which is why he knocked 33 home runs over his four year college career, but doesn't necessarily have have the raw exit velocities to project for significant power in pro ball. An average defender, he projects as a backup catcher at best and if not, a decent bench bat. If his defense does take, he could move quickly through the minors due to a bat that's probably already ready for High A. 

9-276: RHP Tyler Gough, JSerra Catholic HS [CA]. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $159,400. Signing bonus: $275,000 ($115,600 above slot value).
The Mariners went back to the high school pitching ranks one more time here in the ninth round, grabbing Tyler Gough out of the powerhouse JSerra program in Southern California. Gough crept up boards late in the process, and wound up command sixth round money in the ninth round to sign away from an Oregon State commitment. His fastball sits in the low 90's but can touch the mid 90's in short stints, playing up with great riding life and a flatter approach angle. His go-to offspeed pitch is a curveball that gets deep break at times but needs to add significant power, while he's also flashed a harder cutter/slider and a changeup, the latter of which he slows his arm down to throw. The 6'2" righty throws strikes and generally stays around the zone, though he does have a little bit of trouble repeating his delivery and his command will need refinement in pro ball. There are numerous tweaks to be made to this profile, but the arm strength is there and he showed well at the MLB Draft Combine, giving the Mariners a lot to work with.

17-516: RHP Stefan Raeth, Washington. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: up to $125,000. Signing bonus: $50,000.
The Mariners did make one hometown pick in University of Washington grad Stefan Raeth. Raeth is not originally from the Pacific Northwest, having grown up in Northern California and bouncing around the Bay Area from Acalanes High School to Napa Valley College to Los Medanos College before landing in Seattle. He spent two years with the Huskies and was at his best in 2022, when he posted a 3.39 ERA and an 89/19 strikeout to walk ratio over 66.1 innings as a long reliever. He sits around 90 with his fastball, but it plays up because he hides it well from a shorter arm action. His slider has some sweep and should miss bats in pro ball, while he also adds an average curve and changeup. The 6'1" righty throws a lot of strikes and has an efficient delivery, so the main focus will just be adding power to his stuff to help it play up a little better against pro bats. He already controls the zone well and missed a lot of bats in college despite a lack of velocity, so any gains should immediately impact his numbers in a positive way.

2021 MLB Draft Review: Seattle Mariners

Full list of draftees

The Mariners have been one of the most consistent teams in terms of drafting college players early, going that route with their first pick every year from 2015-2020. They changed it up this year and brought on Harry Ford, their first prep in the first round since Alex Jackson in 2014, and they'll be hoping for better this time around. They went all in, in fact, and took preps with their next two picks as well, sitting nearly a million dollars over their bonus pool by the time they got to the fourth round. It was a draft focused on athletes, as Ford and second rounder Edwin Arroyo were two of the most impressive in the class, while the pitchers followed the trademark Seattle low release profile, in stark contrast to the Phillies' draft that I wrote immediately before this one tending more for high release guys.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.

1-12: C Harry Ford, North Cobbs HS [GA]. My rank: #14.
If you're going to take a high schooler in the first round for the first time in seven years, you might as well make it a fun one. Harry Ford is an incredibly talented ballplayer that warranted my highest ever ranking for a high school catcher (rankings go back to 2015), and he fully earned it. By now, you've probably heard about Ford's elite athleticism, and it's not just because he's the rare catcher with true plus speed. He deploys that athleticism extremely well behind the plate, getting down low or side to side extremely nimbly and if he gets crossed up, he seems like the kind of guy whose natural quick reactions could save his face from an unexpected fastball or keep an uninvited breaking ball in front. As with most high school catchers, he does need to get a bit more consistent with his fundamentals, but that's hardly a knock and he'll likely become at least an above average defender back there. Some have suggested moving him to another position to best utilize his speed, but when he's so agile behind the plate and does a good job, why mess with it? Moving on, we have a special bat as well. Ford generates a ridiculous amount of torque in his right handed swing despite a smaller 5'10" frame, not too dissimilar to Marlins first rounder Kahlil Watson in that regard. That torque gives him plus raw power that he gets to in games, and the Atlanta-area native additionally shows great plate discipline even against the top arms in the country. There's some swing and miss that comes naturally with a high-intensity swing like his, though given his ability to select good pitches, it's not overly concerning. Really, the only drawback here is the poor track record of high school catchers. Ford is a special talent no doubt, but all high school catchers getting drafted in the first round are special talents. So the question becomes, is Ford just special, or is he special special. Honestly, I think he's the latter, or else I wouldn't have included him this high on my rankings, and the Mariners obviously believe that as well. Committed to catching pipeline Georgia Tech, he instead signed for full slot value at roughly $4.37 million.

2-48: SS Edwin Arroyo, Arecibo Baseball Academy [PR]. My rank: #76.
If you're looking for top-tier athletes, why stop at just one? The Mariners are getting another special athlete in Edwin Arroyo, the highest drafted player from Puerto Rico since Delvin Perez went 23rd overall in 2016. Arroyo probably couldn't beat Harry Ford in a foot race, but he does have elite body coordination that serves him extremely well on both sides of the ball. In the field, he's a plus defender at shortstop that can make all the plays and then some, with a strong arm playing up further due to his ability to throw from all angles (or even with his left hand because he's fully ambidextrous). At the plate, Arroyo is a switch hitter who can really whip the barrel through the zone and finds the barrel consistently. He's a bit slight for now at a listed 6', 175 pounds, but if he can tack on some additional strength, he should be able to tap at least average power down the line. The northwestern Puerto Rico native is extremely young for the class, not turning 18 until August, which significantly helps his offensive profile because it gives him more time to grow into his frame and more time to learn to tap his power. There are a lot of ways Arroyo could develop, but the Mariners know they're getting a premium athlete at a premium position who has more time than most to grow into his game. Committed to Florida State, he signed for $1.65 million, which was roughly $110,000 above slot value.

3-83: RHP Michael Morales, East Pennsboro HS [PA]. My rank: #118.
We've got a third straight high schooler in Michael Morales, who has been a pretty well-known name for a while now. He's been more inconsistent than some others, but when he's at his best, he looks like a legitimate top two rounds talent that the Mariners are happy to get in the third. The 6'1" righty can run his fastball up to 94-95 at his best while comfortably sitting in the low 90's, though at other times he can dip to around 90. His curveball and changeup both look like above average pitches when he's going right, and he fills up the strike zone better than many other preps. On the flip side, those pitches can flatten out at times and when he leaves them over the plate, they get hit. Morales has a very athletic, projectable frame and repeats his delivery well, and there's a good chance that if he made it to campus at Vanderbilt, Tim Corbin's staff would have ironed out whatever was causing his inconsistency and had him at his best more often than not. The Mariners are looking to get in on the ground floor and do it themselves, seeing a combination of stuff and command that could enable him to pitch near the top of their rotation. One downside is age, as he turns 19 in August and is more than a full year older than Edwin Arroyo. The Harrisburg-area native signed for $1.5 million, which was $766,900 above slot value.

4-113: RHP Bryce Miller, Texas A&M. My rank: #89.
Flip Bryce Miller and Michael Morales and you have a couple of picks that would have lined up pretty closely with my board. Bryce Miller was eligible in 2020, but his lack of a track record (especially in the rotation) kept teams from offering him enough money to leave school. A full time starter for the first time in his college career in 2021, Miller thrust himself up draft boards with an absolute gem against New Mexico State on March 6th (7 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 15 K) and ultimately finished an up and down season with a 4.45 ERA and a 70/37 strikeout to walk ratio over 56.2 innings. There remain some questions as to whether he can stick in the rotation even after he made ten starts this spring (plus three more relief appearances), but at its best, the stuff is extremely loud. He can run his fastball up to 97-98 at its hottest, coming in with tremendous ride and a flat plane that play extremely well in today's game. His slider looks like a plus pitch at its best his curveball safely above average, and his changeup solid average, and he can provide plenty of strikes too (though in-zone command remains a work in progress). Now that's not always what you get from the 6'2" righty, who remains very new to starting and can see his velocity tick down significantly late in starts, even into the upper 80's, while his curveball can flatten out and he'll lose the strike zone. It probably doesn't help that the only time I watched him pitch in real-time was the day he walked a season-high eight batters against eventual national champion Mississippi State in May. Also working against Miller is his age, as he turns 23 in August and is more than five full years older than Edwin Arroyo. Still, the Mariners think they're buying low. Even if he's almost 23, the New Braunfels native is still pretty new to starting and working out the kinks, so if Seattle can help him bulk up a bit and learn to pace himself a bit better, they have a premium arm on their hands. I think Miller has a chance to become a mid-rotation starter, but even if he's forced back to the bullpen, the stuff stands out even among most "if he ends up in the bullpen" guys and he could be a high-leverage reliever in the bigs. He signed for $400,000, which was $112,400 below slot value.

6-174: RHP Bryan Woo, Cal Poly. Unranked.
The Mariners didn't draft anybody from the Pacific Northwest this year, but the closest they came was Bryan Woo, who grew up just outside Oakland. An unheralded recruit out of Alameda High School, he had a 9.13 ERA as a freshman but has been trending straight up. 2021 was his best season yet, as evaluators will be much happier with his sharp 42/8 strikeout to walk ratio than his 6.11 ERA over 28 innings, though he did go down with Tommy John surgery in April. I only found video of exactly one pitch online, so we're going to have to go off other scouting reports for the most part. The 6'2" righty sits in the low 90's with his fastball and was touching 95-96 this spring, significantly higher than he has in the past and he has the frame and arm speed to add even more velocity in the future. He primarily pitched off that fastball and was hit hard when he left it over the plate, with some thinking the pitch plays too true and that he needs to find a better way to keep hitters off balance. There's a slider that flashes above average, but he'll likely need to take another step forward with it to help his fastball play up. The Mariners could decide to take it slow, put work into his changeup, and have him work up as a starter, but the more likely path is to move him quickly after surgery as a reliever who could approach triple digits. Woo signed for $318,200, which was $31,700 above slot value.

8-234: SS James Parker, Clemson. Unranked.
James Parker was a breakout performer for Clemson this spring, slashing .324/.411/.500 with eight home runs and a 51/24 strikeout to walk ratio over 52 games against a tough schedule. He's not the most explosive hitter in the class, but he finds the barrel consistently from the right side and has the natural strength in his 6'1" frame to profile for average power. There are some concerns about his hit tool, as he struck out in 21.2% of his plate appearances in 2021, but he handled himself well against a tough ACC schedule and has already transitioned well to the minors. Defensively, the Anderson, South Carolina native has some big play ability and a strong arm that should enable him to man shortstop at the big league level, and if he can continue to develop there it makes his bat look a lot better. More realistically, he'll likely end up a utility infielder with some pop, possible 10-15 home runs per season with middling on-base percentages. He signed for $150,000, which was $28,600 below slot, and is off to a red hot start hitting .396/.400/.708 with three home runs in eleven games, mostly at Class A Modesto.

13-384: SS Ben Ramirez, Southern California. Unranked.
Ben Ramirez has long been a household name for scouts in Southern California, as he was teammates with Keoni Cavaco (2019 Twins first rounder) and Casey Schmitt (2020 Giants second rounder) at local powerhouse Eastlake High School. He earned some scouting hype at the time and could have gone somewhere in the middle to back of day two had he been signable, but he came to USC instead and has now appeared in 147 career games there. After going undrafted in the shortened 2020 event, he came back in 2021 and slashed .304/.381/.529 with ten home runs and a 35/26 strikeout walk ratio over 51 games. Now lacking the upside he showed in high school four years ago, Ramirez has your prototypical college performer profile with an average all-around profile. He ran a very solid 14.3% strikeout rate over his four years in Los Angeles and after hitting five home runs over his first three seasons, knocked ten this year. The San Diego-area native has a simple left handed swing and understands the strike zone well, finding the barrel consistently and giving him an outlook as an average or above average hitter in pro ball. He probably won't hit for a ton of power, but his feel for the barrel should enable him to tap everything he has in his 6'3" frame without selling out, and he draws his fair share of walks too. The glove is a little bit stretched at shortstop but he's played everywhere for USC, making this a perfect utility infield profile. He signed for $100,000 and is hitting .381/.435/.476 over six games against mostly younger competition in the ACL.

19-564: C Charlie Welch, Arkansas. Unranked.
Charlie Welch took a long, winding road to stardom, but he got there eventually. Starting off at Jefferson High School in Tampa, he went all the way across the country to Pepperdine for school but hit just .211/.290/.284 as a freshman and came back home for a year of JUCO at St. John's River State. Welch was on the move once more and landed at Arkansas this year, where he struggled to find playing time in their menacing lineup early in the season. He made the most of his limited opportunities though and quickly became a fan favorite in Fayetteville with some massive pinch hits, eventually working his way into the starting lineup and finishing the season with a .388/.494/.821 line, eight home runs, and a 14/13 strikeout to walk ratio over 28 games. Having watched a lot of Arkansas' run to super regionals, it seems like every time he was up in a big situation, he delivered and then some. He has a very sturdy 6' frame that helps him tap his natural power, and could project for average in that regard in pro ball. Welch has shown some swing and miss in the past that might hold him back from tapping it, and he's a below average runner that won't be much of a factor on the bases. He was playing behind one of the best defensive catchers in the country in Casey Opitz, so the Mariners are relying on their looks at him from previous years when it comes to defense. It's a backup catcher profile if he does stick back there, which will help his bat profile, but it might be a bit stretched if he's forced to first base. One thing is for sure, he's not afraid of high pressure situations. He signed for $125,000 and is hitting .167/.375/.333 with a home run through seven games in the ACL.

2020 Draft Review: Seattle Mariners

1-6: RHP Emerson Hancock, Georgia
2-43: OF Zach DeLoach, Texas A&M
CBB-64: RHP Connor Phillips, McLennan CC
3-78: 2B Kaden Polcovich, Oklahoma State
4-107: 3B Tyler Keenan, Mississippi
5-137: RHP Taylor Dollard, Cal Poly

The Mariners left about $300,000 of their bonus pool unspent, which doesn't really sit right with me. They didn't severely short anybody with five figure bonuses, which is good, but the draft is the single most cost-effective way to add talent to your system, and if you don't do everything you can to maximize the talent you get through the draft, then I'm sorry but you're not trying to win. Anyways, I think the end product of this draft class is pretty decent, but for a team with four of the first 78 picks, I don't see a ton of upside. It's a pretty safe bet class, which there's nothing wrong with, but they had the money to chase some additional upside without sacrificing the "safe bet" factor and they chose not to. So overall I'd give the class a C, even though I like a lot of the names. They brought in a lot of talent, but they could have done better.
Full index of team reviews here.

1-6: RHP Emerson Hancock, Georgia (my rank: 5)
This is probably my favorite pick the Mariners made this year, as there is a lot of pressure to get the sixth overall pick right and I think they did that. Seattle loves pitchers who can control the strike zone (see Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, etc.) so Hancock certainly fits right into that picture. He has better command than Gilbert and better stuff than Kirby and even though he was the third pitcher taken this year behind Max Meyer and Asa Lacy, he was arguably the most complete pitcher in the entire class. Hancock is a 6'4" right handed pitcher from the small town of Cairo in far south Georgia, just about 30 miles north of Tallahassee, and he has been absolutely dominant for the Bulldogs. He was one of the best pitchers in the country in 2019, putting up a 1.99 ERA, a 0.84 WHIP, and a 97/18 strikeout to walk ratio over 90.1 innings against a tough SEC schedule, though the shortened 2020 was a bit more up and down with a 3.75 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and a 34/3 strikeout to walk ratio over 24 innings against weaker competition. Hancock has it all as a pitcher; he sits in the mid 90's with his fastball, reaching as high as 99 at times, and adds a full array of secondary pitches. His slider, curveball, and changeup all flash plus, though for the most part they're closer to above average than plus. Still, they all play up because he commands everything extremely well, tunneling pitches off each other and creating lots of confused swings from his competition. With a durable frame and a four weapons that he can command, there are virtually no downsides in his profile. However, because his name was discussed in the first overall conversation for so long, things undoubtedly get nitpicked, and there were some nits to pick with Hancock. While his slider, curve, and changeup all flash plus, none are the elite strikeout pitches you find in guys like Lacy, Meyer, or Garrett Crochet. Okay, well that's it. That's all the criticism I have for Hancock. He has ace upside with a most likely outcome being a strong #2, and very little risk so long as he stays healthy. I really like the pick at #6. Hancock signed for $5.7 million, which was about $40,000 below slot value (money they never redeployed anywhere else). Pre-draft profile here.

2-43: OF Zach DeLoach, Texas A&M (my rank: 76)
Zach DeLoach went to high school in Carrollton, Texas, just down the street from where I currently live in Addison. At Texas A&M, he started off his career in unremarkable fashion, slashing .236/.338/.338 with five home runs over 117 games between his freshman and sophomore seasons. However, his strong plate discipline and untapped raw power earned him a trip to the elite Cape Cod League, over the summer, and DeLoach showed up a different hitter with a shorter, cleaner swing. There, he hit .368/.434/.529 with five home runs and ten stolen bases in 43 games against very strong competition, and that continued into the spring, where he hit .421/.547/.789 with six home runs, six stolen bases, and just three strikeouts to 14 walks in 18 games, albeit against pretty weak competition. Right now, it's impossible to tell whether the shutdown helped or hurt him – the Mariners clearly buy into the new DeLoach being the real one, and they think he would have continued to rake in SEC competition, which would have vaulted him into the first round. However, if his numbers slipped in the SEC, it could have knocked him out of the top 100. His most well-established attribute is his strong plate discipline, which he has shown throughout his career in College Station and which enables him to handle advanced pitching pretty easily. There is above average power in his 6'2" frame that he has tapped much more consistently as of late, though his swing can still be a bit rigid at times and it's not quite as explosive as some other bats in this range. It's certainly better than it was early in his career, though, and given the legitimate success he had with wood bats against great pitching on the Cape, you would have to be a real pessimist to think he won't continue to hit in pro ball. There is a fairly wide gap in his likely outcomes in pro ball, and I see him settling in as a relatively streaky 20-25 home run hitter with solid on-base percentages, albeit with pretty ordinary defense in the outfield. He signed for $1.73 million, right at slot value. Pre-draft profile here.

CBB-64: RHP Connor Phillips, McLennan CC (my rank: 94)
This pick was the Mariners' big upside play, albeit one with significant risk. Phillips found his name in some top five rounds conversations coming out of high school just outside Houston last year, but rather than attend LSU when his asking price dropped him to the 35th round, he switched up his commitment to McLennan CC in Waco so he could be draft eligible this year. That paid off when he came out of the gate looking like he had taken a tangible step forward with his stuff. The fastball now sits in the mid 90's and can get up to 98, coming from a very loose arm puts some nice movement on it and that can hold that velocity deep into games as well. He's continuing to work on differentiating his curveball and slider, but he's made progress on that front and both could be plus pitches in time. The changeup isn't quite there yet, but Phillips only turned 19 in May, so he has plenty of time. The same goes for his command, which can be very spotty at times, but his arm works so well that the Mariners are confident they can continue to build that piece of his game. The 6'2" teenager has the look of an impact starting pitcher if he can continue to refine the rough edges of his game, though he'll need to continue the positive trajectory he's on in order to make the majors at all. Phillips' $1.05 million signing bonus was right at slot value for the 64th pick. Pre-draft profile here.

3-78: 2B Kaden Polcovich, Oklahoma State (unranked)
This was a little bit of a surprising pick, but an interesting one. Kaden Polcovich spent two years at Northwest Florida State CC before transferring back to Oklahoma to play for Oklahoma State, and he was off to a red hot start this year by slashing .344/.494/.578 with a pair of home runs and a 10/19 strikeout to walk ratio over 18 games. That came on the heels of a strong Cape Cod League performance, so it wasn't a fluke. Listed at just 5'8", he's a high energy player that outplays his size consistently, sort of like Dustin Pedroia. Polcovich will attack pitches in the zone, but he's also a very disciplined hitter who will let the bad pitches by and draw plenty of walks when he doesn't see pitches he likes. He also brings a leveraged, powerful swing from the both sides of the plate, which enables him to hit for more power than you'd expect. Together, that's a projection for perhaps 10-15 home runs a year with solid on-base percentages, putting him right on the fringe of starting. The bat will have to carry him because despite playing gritty defense, his physical tools are fairly limited and he'll probably end up at second base or in the outfield without much net value provided. A theoretically low ceiling, non-money saving guy without much track record prior to the last calendar year is a fairly risky pick in the early third round, but I'm definitely interested to see where it goes (technically they did save money, but since they never redeployed it anywhere else, it didn't help the team in any way). Polcovich signed for $575,000, which was $218,000 below slot value (money which went wasted).

4-107: 3B Tyler Keenan, Mississippi (my rank: 112)
Keenan is a big power bat out of Ole Miss, where he's raked for three years with a .306/.419/.550 career line, 31 home runs, and a 104/72 strikeout to walk ratio over 139 games. The Raleigh-area native is a huge guy at a listed 6'4" and 240 pounds, waving the bat around like a twig in his hands. His strength enables him to produce big raw power from the left side of the plate, and he's gotten to it very consistently against good SEC competition with those 31 home runs over three years, including 15 in 68 games last year. He's also a pretty solid contact hitter for his size and profile, getting on base very consistently throughout his career and slashing .403/.488/.791 with seven home runs over 17 games against weaker competition in the shortened 2020 season. There is a slight hitch in his swing that is reminiscent of Gary Sheffield, one which he'll probably need to iron out a little bit to make enough contact in pro ball. Together, that's probably a 20-25 home run profile with decent on-base percentages, but even more so than Polcovich, his bat will have to carry him. He's listed as a third baseman and has played there so far, but he's not quite agile to handle a modern third baseman's range requirements and is more likely to end up at first base. Personally, I see him as a platoon bat who could be an impact #5-type hitter if he ends up towards the upper end of his projections. Keenan signed for $500,000, which was $43,500 below slot (money which they never redeployed anywhere else).

5-137: RHP Taylor Dollard, Cal Poly (unranked)
Dollard spent his first two years at Cal Poly as a very successful reliever, then was dominant in the same role in the Cape Cod League (1.55 ERA, 0.58 WHIP, 27/1 K/BB in 17.1 IP). His transition to the rotation went really well in 2020, where he had a 1.67 ERA and a 36/4 strikeout to walk ratio over 27 innings against some pretty solid competition that included Michigan and Baylor. The velocity isn't overwhelming, sitting around 90 and really only topping out at 93, but he throws a very good slider that functions as his out pitch and a workable changeup. Everything plays up because he commands it well, and the pitch metrics are very good on both the fastball and the slider. The 6'3" righty from the LA-area will need a healthy velocity boost to succeed as a starting pitcher in pro ball, giving him the ceiling of a #3/#4 guy if he can get consistently into the low 90's and improves his changeup. If he can't add 2-3 miles per hour to his fastball, he likely fits as a decent reliever. Personally, I like his chances to remain a starter. He signed right at slot value for $406,000.

Undrafted: C Ty Duvall, Vanderbilt (unranked)
Duvall has been a mainstay in Nashville for four years now, slashing a career .284/.423/.418 with eight home runs and an 83/71 strikeout to walk ratio over 127 games. There isn't a ton of power here from the Ohio native, rather a consistent bat with plenty of experience both handling and hitting against high level pitching. Like most of these senior-sign catchers, he's a glove first player, and he was the guy behind the plate that helped Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter develop into arguably the top two pitching prospects remaining in college baseball.

Undrafted: C Matt Scheffler, Auburn (unranked)
His college jersey may have said Auburn, but the Mariners are Matt Scheffler's hometown team. He grew up just across the lake in Kirkland and graduated from Lake Washington High School, then spent two years at Piece Community College in Los Angeles. He transferred across the country to Auburn for his junior year, and after putting up unremarkable numbers (.260/.331/.342, 2 HR), he was off to a red hot start to 2020 with a .412/.516/.549 line, a home run, and a 4/8 strikeout to walk ratio over 16 games. He's a good defender who will stick behind the plate, and his offensive emergence in 2020 shows that he should hit enough to move through the minors. He probably won't hit for a ton of power, but Scheffler has always been very good about making consistent contact and has struck out just 30 times in 77 games for the Tigers. Unless he suddenly starts tapping real power, it's a pretty clear backup profile, albeit with a little bit of upside at the plate.