My Final Mariners 2023 Draft Board
These are just my preferences. But they should be yours. And the Mariners'.
The below Seattle Mariners-specific draft board is about my personal preferences if I were running the Mariners’ draft and does not include potential signability issues — under slot, over slot, likelihood to sign.
Baseball Things: Mariners Draft Preview — My 10 favorites for 22, 29, and 30, plus why this draft is a unique and critical opportunity for the club
Many of the below players are not going to be available at No. 22 when the Mariners’ first selection comes up — as many as 21, to be potentially exact — but here’s my Top 50:
Dylan Crews, OF — LSU
Crews’ bat-to-ball skills, power production, and swing decisions are as good as any draft prospect in at least two decades, and he should be a significant asset in an outfield corner.Wyatt Langford, OF — Florida
Langford is a bit bigger than Crews but is faster under way and may have more raw upside, but with a lower floor due to defensive uncertainty and a shorter track record of high-level performance.Paul Skenes, RHP — LSU
Among the best draft-eligible arms of the last 20 years and the best since at least Gerrit Cole (2011) and Stephen Strasburg (2009), Skenes throws harder than any of them. It’s not just velocity, however. Thanks to deception, a plus slider,and average control, Skenes is most of the way to No. 1 starter status.Max Clark, OF — Franklin Community (IND)
Clark is a legitimate defender in center with at least plus future speed and athleticism to spare, including in his hands and arms where he generates plus bat speed, suggesting a chance at 20-plus homers.Walker Jenkins, OF — South Brunswick (NC)
Jenkins isn’t the athlete Clark is but carries easier power projection from his 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame and swing mechanics traditional scouting loves.Matt Shaw, SS — Maryland
My favorite of the college infielders, Shaw reminds me of Brian Dozier, but with more foot speed and a chance to be a plus glove at second where his arm fits best.Kyle Teel, C — Virginia
One scouting director called Teel “as much of a sure thing offensively as any player in the draft” including Crews and Langford. Teel doesn’t possess quite the superstar upside of the two SEC stars, but he has a chance to be just as valuable as a left-handed JT Realmuto,Tommy Troy, 2B — Stanford
Troy is likely a second baseman or centerfielder long-term, but his bat should play well at either, thanks to terrific hand-eye producing high contact rates. His comps to Bret Boone make some sense but are mostly based on being a smallish right-handed batter with a ferocious swing.Brayden Taylor, 3B — TCU
Taylor’s athleticism suggests future Gold Glove defense at third and a real chance at some Chase Utley-level box and bases production.
Colin Houck, SS — Parkview (GA)
Houck is a likely third baseman long-term, but a strong, athletic one with hit and power tools grading anywhere from above-average to plus.Brock Wilken, 3B — Wake Forest
Wilken should get to the big leagues as an average or better defender at third base, but the bat may be more of a .300/.380 with 18 homers type than the prototypical corner power bat.Rhett Lowder, RHP — Wake Forest
I’m not the biggest fan of mid-rotation starters in the top half of Round 1 of any draft, let alone one of this caliber, but Lower’s profile is flush with probability and there’s a chance he’s a bit more than a No. 3 if he can find better fastball command.
Enrique Bradfield, CF — Vanderbilt
Bradfield’s tools scream Top 5 prospect, but there are questions about the hit tool on top of the built-in concerns he’s always going to lack impact power. He’s a bona fide 80 runner and 70 glove in center, though, and those things never slump.
Chase Dollander, RHP — Tennessee
I’n back and forth on Dollander and Lowder, but if both were somehow available at No. 22 I’d roll with Dollander on the upside play. It’s a No. 1 ceiling despite the disappointing year.
Arjun Nimmala, SS — Strawberry Crest (FL)
Everything about Nimmala says Top 5 pick except the present hit tool. He has bat speed and subsequent power projection. Scouts have likened the right-handed hitting Nimmala to the lefty-swinging J.P. Crawford, but with better bat speed and projectable power.
Blake Mitchell, C — Sinton (TX)
Mitchell is as close to a surefire future catcher as prep players come, so despite the inherent concerns with the demographic, Mitchell is a first-round talent with moderate concerns about his bat. If I were Scott Hunter, I’d take Mitchell’s left-handed swing and chance to hit 20-plus homers and run home to mama bragging about another first-round hit on my resume.Kevin McGonigle, SS — Bonner (PA)
McGonigle is somewhat similar to last year’s top pick Cole Young — they are even from the same state — but with easier bat speed and better chance to develop average power. He also figures to stick at shortstop.Samuel Stafura, SS — Panas (NY)
Stafura seems to be one of the more underrated prospects in the draft for me; He gets mostly 70s for run and gets perplezingly dinged hard for a lack of present power. He hits the ball hard and simply hasn’t learned to generate loft. He’s not wiry and isn’t generally considered projectable physically, but average power seems more than reasonable to go with above-average contact and defense. That’s a first-round player.Noble Meyer, RHP — Jesuit (OR)
Meyer has one of the bigger upsides in the class, but also as much risk as any demographic. The frame is projectable at 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds, and he’s already pitching comfortably in the mid-90s. His curveball projects to plus ranges, too. He probably has to work on fastball shape, but this is a potential No. 2 starter.Chase Davis, OF — Arizona
Yep, I’m probably high-man on Davis, but I can’t get past the bat speed, sharp trend in the right direction with the hit tool, and a chance to make a defensive impact in the big leagues. Carlos Gonzalez?
Hurston Waldrep, RHP — Florida
Stuff wise, Waldrep is a Top 10 player in this class, but even if he gets to 22, I can’t find enough reasons for Seattle to pull the trigger. He doesn’t fit their preference this high for arms to throw strikes and display projectable breaking stuff, and he sounds an awful lot like Bryce Miller, whom they grabbed in the fourth round two years ago. The difference iscollege production, and I don’t really care that much about it.
Nazzan Zanetello, SS — Christian Brothers College (MO)
I’ll be high-man on Zanetello and like it. He’s a terrific athlete with a charge in his hands and feet projecting power on top of speed, and he’s shown an ability to make good swing decisions. He’s 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds and just turned 18 in late May. He may be a tough sign anywhere after the top 25 since he’s committed to Arkansas and could end up a Top 10 pick in three years.
Thomas White, LHP — Phillips Academy (MA)
White isn’t likely to be signable for most clubs in a lot of spots, but we’re ignoring that here since it’s incredibly difficult to quantify and project. White has big velo and a plus curveball, probably getting him through the lower minors rather quickly. How much more is in the tank for the mid-90s heat is uncertain, since the body is maxed out at 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds — some of the video I’ve seen suggest to mehe’s at least 235-240 pounds.Jonny Farmelo, OF — Westfield (VA)
The player most often linked to the Mariners is Farmelo, a plus or better runner with the agility and twitch to stay in center and hit 20-25 homers down the line. I’ve heard comps to Colby Rasmus and Andy Van Slyke. He’s likely to be an over-slot pick after the Top 20 or 25, but get this kid in Peoria, make one tweak and watch him soar as a five-tool talent with All-Star upside.
WATCH: Joe Doyle with Farmelo
Colt Emerson, SS — Glenn (OH)
He’s probably a second baseman or left fielder, but one with a chance to offer impact power and good OBPs.Charlee Soto, RHP — Reborn Christians Academy (FL)
Soto is nasty, with big velo and four-seam shape, but separates with two projectable offspeed pitches, something rare for prep arms and generally reserved for first rounders. He may be a project, however, since he didn’t pitch consistently this spring and when he did showed fringe command.Roch Chowlowsky, SS — Hamilton (AZ)
Some see a future shortstop led by defense and power, but there are fixes necessary here. His setup and swing are “all over the place” mechanically, including how he uses his lower half, evoking “foundation” concerns from area scouts. He’s the prep shortstop version of Bradfield Jr.Cooper Pratt, SS — Magnolia Heights (MS)
Pratt is going to be a third baseman, but despite a lack of easy home run power in high school, Pratt makes a lot of contact and shows the kind of plate skills that project long-term. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Ole Miss commit could be a tough sign if he slides toward Round 2, but a club that sees a relatively easy way to generate backspin and get his barrel to the baseball more may see Pratt a Top 30 talent.
Jacob Gonzalez, SS — Ole Miss
There’s probably zero chance Gonzalez falls out of the Top 15-20, and certainly not to 29. He’s surehanded and has the arm and instincts to play shortstop, and offers some probability with average hit and power tools. He could be this draft’s Zach Neto, carrying a limited ceiling but gets to the show rather quickly, though he probably carries more natural power in exchange for some speed.Bryce Eldridge, 1B/RHP — Madison (VA)
I don’t tend to give amateur players much additional valye for having a shot at the majors as a two-way player, or even the idea they have two ways to get there. The former is a pipe dream, unless it’s a reserve and reliever scenario, and the latter tends to take additional years to come to fruition. Eldridge’s season has brought the same sentiment to the forefront as his swing and power suggest top 40 and as an arm he looks like a Day 2 pick. He’s not as athletic as Joey Gallo, so it’s probably first base for the long haul, but 40 homers also isn’t out of the question.
WATCH: Doyle with Eldridge
Nolan Schanuel, 1B — Florida Atlantic
Schanuel is a data and production pick, but it’s a little harder to buy the performance since he doesn’t face top-level pitching. He reminds me a bit of Seth Beer, but with better bat speed.Aidan Miller, 3B — Mitchell (FL)
If Seattle wants a prep hitter, this is probably the best one with any chance to get to them at 22.George Lombard Jr., SS — Gulliver Prep (FL)
Risk and reward, not boom or bust, is a buzz phrase around prospects like Lombard, who may have 70 power but is quite crude at the plate. His shortstop future is debateable.Brice Matthews, SS — Nebraska
Matthews sells out for power a lot and there is a lot of work to do with the attack plan. But he’s a very good middle-of-the-field athlete who probably leads at the plate with 20-25 homer power and some walks, rather than high averages.Mac Horvath, OF — North Carolina
I dare you to watch Mac Horvath hit and not think of Mitch Haniger. I dare you. And don’t lie. Or I’ll know.Yohandy Morales, 3B — Miami
If Morales can find a way to stick at third, I’m all over the upside here in the Top 30. That doesn’t seem to be the case, but, it’s still a potential 40-homer bat with some strikeouts and .250 batting averages, though he can get out on his front foot at times, then overcompensate for that and leave too much weight on his back foot, generating a lot of ground balls.Ralphy Velazquez, C — Huntington Beach (CA)
No one is sure he;s a catcher, but he sure can hit. The comp is Omar Narvaez, but with a power-over-hit projection at present.Ty Floyd, RHP — LSU
There’s less projection in the body, but Ty Floyd is this year’s Bryce Miller and he’s already throwing 93-97 mph consistently. He has three secondaries, none of which stood out in college, but he’ll miss bats with the four-seamer, and clubs love that foundation. We know Seattle does.Brandon Sproat, RHP — Florida
I think Sproat is most likely a reliever, but that also was the word on Miller and Bryan Woo coming out of school. He’s up to 99 mph and has a hard changeup and two area scouts don’t like the wrist action on the slider, suggesting it may never develop. But Seattle has done more with less, and have a track record of improving control and command, of which Sproat will need.Joe Whitman, LHP — Kent State
Whitman is safer than Sproat and Floyd, but may take longer to blossom and carries a lower floor. There are concerns about the arm action and how that impacts his ability to locate.Eric Bitoni, SS — Aquinas (CA)
A long-term corner defender and one of the younger prospects in the class, Bitoni looks the part of a power hitter with a chance to hit for average.Dillon Head, OF — Homewood-Flossmoor (IL)
Head has some Bradfield Jr. in his profile, but has more time to develop physically and a better frame to add strength and get more game power. I got a “75” run grade from a checker who doesn’t hand out 80s for anything but fastballs. He’s a long-term play, but the payoff could be big. He’s likely to be an over-slot signing anywhere after the Top 20.Jacob Wilson, SS — Grand Canyon
Wilson is going higher than 43, I just don’t like him much for Seattle; I see a lack of upside, and another shortstop with a chance to be a major leaguer but without clear paths to being an everyday player.Alex Clemmey, LHP — Bishop Henderson (RI)
You want a moldable left-handed pitching prospect to tear down and rebuild to your liking? Clemmey is that guy. He’s 93-97 with a few visits to 100 mph, and at 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds there’s a lot to work with here. Have fun, Max! (also, Hi, Max. Good job at the Futures Game)Jack Hurley, OF — Virginia Tech
Hurley’s ability to punish fastballs fro the left side is apparent on first look, but there’s not a lot of slug in the results, thanks to a swing engineered to knock the cover off the ball, rather than drive it. He’s a plus runner, too, so I find it hard to believe the flat swing and strikeouts knock him into Day 2.Ryan Lasko, OF — Rutgers
Lasko’s power potential may sell someone in Round 2 or higher, and he can run and defend in center, creating a profile that tends to go before Round 3.Cole Carrigg, OF — San Diego State
Carrigg attacks aggressively and hits a lot of line drives, but has never lifted the ball for consistent extra-base pop and his swing projects 40-grade power in the majors. But he should be able to stay in center. His zone hostility and exit velos aren’t Seattle’s style, but the foundation here is very intriguing.Jace Bohrofen, OF — Arkansas
The tools say Top 30, the swing mechanics and inability to square up breaking balls say Day 2. He’s a good athlete, though, and hit 16 homers in the SEC this season.Mitch Jebb, SS — Michigan State
The swing is unorthodox and the competition less than stellar in the Big Ten, but Jebb can run, make contact, and play short.Jake Gelof, 3B — Virginia
Gelof has fun power but isn’t a great athlete and has some swing-and-miss concerns. Still, .240/.320/.500 is an everyday player.
Seattle’s Picks
ROUND 1: 22, 29
COMPETITIVE BALANCE A: 30
ROUND 2: 57
ROUND 3: 92
ROUND 4: 124
ROUND 5: 160
ROUNDS 6-20: 187, 217, 247, 277, 307, 337, 367, 397, 427, 457, 487, 517, 547, 577, 607
FULL DRAFT ORDER + SLOT VALUES
Bonus Pool
The Mariners have the seventh-largest bonus pool in the draft at $13,170,900.
EVERY TEAM’S BONUS POOL