Live Looks: Visalia Rawhide @ Lake Elsinore Storm 4/6

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The Diamondbacks have an incredibly fun farm system and this game featured Druw Jones, one of the biggest names in it. His presence, Robby Snelling's pro debut, and some other names in these farm systems playing win this one made it a good game to check out.

CF Druw Jones, #3 on Diamondbacks T30 and #15 on T100

The tools were as advertised for Druw Jones. He is incredibly athletic and fluid in everything he does. At the plate, Jones did not quite get the results or square any ball up particularly hard. But he had some good at bats, particularly his eight-pitch dogfight of an at bat to lead off the game against Robby Snelling (who looked really really good right from the start). Jones was tracking pitches well, laying off tough pitches, and fighting off a bunch of good stuff as well. The pitch recognition was there, which is something you love to see at his age. His swing itself is a bit of a work in progress. He tends to fly open with his front side and pull his head simultaneously, but he has plenty of time and all the tools needed to fix that. 

I was most impressed with his work in center field. Jones just glides out there and he can really move. The plus plus speed that he has is going to make a huge impact on his game and should allow him to play a really good center field. He made one throwing error on a throw to third where he sailed it way over the bag and into the stands, but he had a few other accurate throws. Jones made an absolutely absurd play in center, going back to the wall after covering a bunch of ground and snagging it with his backhand. A scout next to me could not believe he caught that, and I couldn’t either. This guy gets the hype he deserves and I walked away extremely impressed.

LHP Robby Snelling, #5 on Padres T30:

Snelling stole the show a bit in this game. This was his professional debut and he went three clean innings with three strikeouts. The fastball was mostly 93-94 and got up to 96 on one gun. His slider was 80-83 and the rarely used changeup was in the 84-86 range. His command with all of his pitches was really good and when he can locate the heater like that, his slider is going to be successful. The fastball has some nice firm run on it and plays to both sides of the zone. Maybe his most intriguing skill is his ability to spin the slider, which looked like an above-average breaker with legit break. The slider that he got Jones to go down looking with, as seen below, was a really nice pitch early in the game.

Robby Snelling can really spin it. 2 strikeouts through the first two innings including this one. Got Druw Jones looking after a battle of an at bat.

#4 on @ProspectsLive Padres top 30. pic.twitter.com/zGDV1pTGJi

— Grant (@GrantCarver32) April 7, 2023

Changeup development will be a key for the lefty going forward. He did not use it a ton and it looked a little flat but it was staying around the zone when he threw it so the feel is there. Needs to get a little more consistent movement on it going forward. It was a really strong showing overall for Snelling and his fastball/slider combination combined with his above average command makes him a really intriguing prospect.

CF Samuel Zavala, #3 on Padres T30:

Zavala is still extremely raw but he definitely has some tools. He has plenty of projection in the body and adding some size will do him well. The upper body movement is extremely fluid and his torso movement is loose as well. He got in trouble when he relied on his arms a bit too much and swung through some pitches. The bat-to-ball skills look like a bit of a question mark in this one and when he did get to the ball, the contact was not very impactful. He also had an at bat against a lefty that he really did not see the ball well against, especially the breaking stuff, and went down quickly.

It may not have been the most impressive night for him, but it’s easy to see why Zavala is a guy to watch going forward. The projection and the raw tools are there to be refined, and he has plenty of time to do it.

SS Roman Verdugo, #11 on Padres T30:

Verdugo struggled a little bit with the hit tool in this one, but he did have one ball squared up decently well for a hit. He is very pull heavy right now and will need to adjust that approach going forward. Verdugo is just 18 so he has plenty of time to grow, but he looked a little on the smaller side to me tonight. 

His hands looked quick and the swing was pretty consistent despite the lack of results. How much impact is in that bat is the question going forward, and more reps to refine his approach will do him wonders. 

2B Manuel Pena, #22 Diamondbacks T30:

Pena’s most impressive work tonight came in the field, where he made a really nice play moving to his right and throwing on the run from behind second base to nab the runner at first. The arm strength was shown on that play. He moves well and could be a good fielder at second base if his time at short is done. At the plate, he was patient with the approach and looked to be recognizing pitches well. The impactful contact was not there, but he is a player with a good combination of projection and current skills that make him a guy to keep tabs on.

Deep Drives: LSU/South Carolina Showdown

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It’s not too often that you get to have eyes on two of the best players in a draft cycle. Well, that’s exactly what we got over the weekend in Columbia.

While Mother Nature had other plans for us, this weekend’s series between LSU and South Carolina was an electric factory. Despite the rubber match being canceled, we managed to get two great games in from a draft perspective. In this week’s return of Deep Drives, I’ll welcome one of our newest draft writers in William Mann, who gets to have some fun on writing blurbs. From Paul Skenes getting tested to Ethan Petry becoming an icon in Columbia, here’s our takes from a wild weekend down south.

RHP Paul Skenes, lsu (No. 4 on Top 400, 199 digs+)

What Paul Skenes has done this year atop LSU’s rotation has been nothing short of incredible. Coming into his start on Thursday, he had struck out 51.9% of the batters he had faced on the year, a figure we have not seen since Strasburg’s 2009 season to this point. South Carolina posed to be his biggest challenge of the year, and while he had two blemishes that would ultimately hand him his first loss of the year, he’d still find a way to impress and even up that insane strikeout rate.

He’s undergone an insane transformation under Wes Johnson’s supervision. Formerly 92-95 MPH in our look at CNT, Skenes is now comfortably in the upper 90’s and touched 100 MPH on numerous occasions Thursday. It comes in like a bowling ball and he has excellent command of the pitch, mainly working east-west across the zone. The pitch will get upwards of twenty inches of run or more, which is truly absurd. The slider is his primary out pitch, a high-80s offering with serious late bite and sweep that plays very well low in the zone. He showed an ability to manipulate the shape, showcasing more depth at times, though it’s primarily a big sweeper with fifteen inches or more horizontal movement. It’s easily plus. The change-up did not get much usage, with only two being thrown, but it has great velocity separation in the 88-89 MPH range with big tumble. It’s likely an above-average pitch moving forward. He’s got great feel to spin, as well.

Here's a better angle of Paul Skenes' outing for LSU.

FB was a bowling ball at 96-100 MPH with six whiffs, manipulated SL shape (one tighter spin/one pure sweep) in mid-80's, threw in a single CH @ 89 with hard tumble. Pitches from third base side, tough angle for batters. pic.twitter.com/FplKmjgIGL

— Tyler Jennings (@TylerJennings24) April 7, 2023

The aforementioned two blemishes he had would be two long home runs from Ethan Petry and Braylen Wimmer. South Carolina tested him throughout on close pitches and didn’t chase all that much early, as Petry showcased in his first at-bat. Petry’s home run was on a 99 MPH heater on the outer third, whereas Wimmer got a middle-middle heater and he did not miss it. He ultimately tallied ten whiffs overall with eight strikeouts in the three innings before a lightning delay ended his night. As a result, his strikeout rate on the year has jumped up to 53% (!).

Skenes is likely one of the best collegiate arms in recent memory. A true three-pitch mix with the big swing-and-miss traits he has, as well as very good command of his arsenal and ease of operation, really stand out and if Dylan Crews did not exist this year, you’re likely looking at the 1.1 favorite with three months remaining to the draft. It’s hard to envision Skenes falling out of the top three picks at this moment in time. - Tyler

OF Dylan Crews, lsu (no. 1 on top 400, 196 bags+)

On the other side of the ball for LSU, what Dylan Crews has done in 2023 is bordering on legendary. He’s had control of the top spot in this draft class for his entire collegiate career thus far and he’s only gone and continued to improve, currently hitting above .500 over halfway into the season with high exit velocities and contact rate. However, he showed some struggles at the plate in his battles against South Carolina pitching.

It felt as if Crews was being a bit too selective and patient at the plate and dug himself holes rather early in counts, allowing South Carolina pitchers to get into their weapons in two-strike counts. Crews has shown a tendency to struggle with sliders and change-ups and that’s what got him on the strikeouts he had over the weekend. At one point, he had swung at a slider in the dirt early in a count before whiffing on a change-up down and in. He’d end the weekend with just one single to his name that was of the infield variety. He did get hit twice and walked once in the second game, which allowed LSU to capitalize and take the lead in the top of the ninth to avoid a sweep.

With those struggles noted, he still showed off the tools that’s allowed him to become the 1.1 favorite. In batting practice, it was a line drive showcase to all fields. There’s plenty of bat speed visible to the naked eye, too, helping his potential plus power grade. As a runner, it’s above-average to plus speed, as he recorded a 4.16 home-to-first time on Friday and followed that up with a 4.25 on the infield single. You don’t find that kind of run tool with a right-handed hitter often. The speed allows him to get great range in center field and he showcased solid routes in both games. It’s enough to say he’ll hold down that spot unless there’s a better option for a team in the minors, where his arm would play well at. It’s a true five-tool potential profile and as of now, I have a hard time thinking he doesn’t go 1.1, but more clarity will appear as we creep closer to draft day. - Tyler

OF ethan petry, south carolina (197 bags+)

Ethan Petry likely will have the key to the city of Columbia come July. Why? Well, for starters, this is the most impressive freshman in the country at this point in time and is the driving force in a potent Gamecock offense that has solidified itself as one of the best in the nation. Oh, and it’s likely that this is a high-end first-round profile in 2025.

Folks, Ethan Petry has done it again.

Gets a breaking ball down in the zone and absolutely does not miss it for a grand slam to blow this game wide open. Easy swing, easy juice.

Dare I say it....1.1 2025? pic.twitter.com/x5JbrcyPPK

— Tyler Jennings (@TylerJennings24) April 7, 2023

His plate discipline and approach are rather advanced for a freshman in the SEC, and while he could draw more walks, he does a good job of limiting strikeouts and doesn’t show too much swing-and-miss to his game. His power comes very easy and there’s plenty of juice in his bat, which he displayed with two home runs in Thursday’s game, including one against Paul Skenes. He’d spit at 99 MPH and 100 MPH just off the outside corner in his first at-bat before pulling a 99 MPH heater on the outer third for a mammoth line drive homer, traveling 400 feet and leaving the bat at 111 MPH. He’d strike out on a nasty slider from Skenes in the next at-bat, but he’d crush a down and in slider from Micah Bucknam in his third at-bat for a grand slam, sending Founders Park into a frenzy. It’s truly special what he’s done.

Defensively, he’s got the stereotypical frame to play the outfield, a physical specimen with a projectable upper half to his body. He takes good routes and has a solid arm, though most of his value presently comes from the bat. He did have some infield time as a prep, and maybe there’s a chance he gets to play there at some point in his college career, but it’s likely that he sticks in the outfield. He does have some good athleticism, though his run tool is never going to stand out and is likely below-average at best. However you view this profile, you’re looking at the likely SEC Freshman of the Year winner. - Tyler

SS Jordan thompson, lsu (no. 217 on top 400, 140 bags+)

If there was anyone I’d have to say was the best bat throughout the weekend for LSU, it’d have to be their shortstop, Jordan Thompson.

Thompson has slowly, but surely, evolved himself into more of an offensive threat while on campus in Baton Rouge. He’s still got some issues with spin away from him, but this is a kid that will battle pitchers in the box. He had multiple at-bats that lasted seven to eight pitches, fouling off pitches and protecting the plate. What was a bit of a surprise was the power in the bat. He had two long home runs to his pull-side, both of which were on pitches in the inner third of the plate. The kid knows how to turn on a pitch, sending both out with exit velocities hovering around 105 MPH and one of the balls landed halfway up the bleachers in deep left field. His swing is more suited for line drives, primarily to the gaps, too.

He’s certainly improved overall with his defense at shortstop, coming off a campaign with eighteen errors in 2022, though he admittedly struggled at times against South Carolina. It felt as if he was rushing himself and should have slowed down to make plays, accruing two errors throughout the series. He’s got the range and arm to stick at the position, though he likely profiles more as a utility infielder who starts at shortstop in the minor leagues. He’s certainly raised his stock this year and likely finds himself being drafted somewhere in the early part of Day 2. - Tyler

RHP Jack Mahoney, south carolina (no. 80 on top 400, 131 digs+)

In what’s been a pleasant surprise in 2023, South Carolina RHP Jack Mahoney has seemingly turned himself into one of the better SEC arms in this year’s draft class. He had missed the entirety of the 2022 season with a torn UCL, but he’s making a statement in 2023 and profiles as the best arm the team has.

RHP Jack Mahoney is going to be a name to watch come draft day.

Heavy bore on heater at 91-95 and command it well east-to-west. Slider is go-to breaker with sweep in low-80's, flashing CH at 82-83 with good fade. Looking at a potential third-rounder. Up to 5 K's. pic.twitter.com/4eU5YDnvJ8

— Tyler Jennings (@TylerJennings24) April 7, 2023

There’s a good chance that Mahoney likely throws harder down the line with the way he moves down the mound, though for now, he’s primarily in the 92-95 MPH range with two-seam life that plays horizontally across the zone. He’s shown an ability to paint the corners with the pitch, though he likely won’t miss a ton of bats moving forward. He only had two whiffs on the heater, one up and away from Tre’ Morgan and the other boring in on the hands of Paxton Kling. The slider is his best pitch overall. A sweeper in the 80-85 MPH range, his slider is his primary out pitch that tunnels well with his fastball. It gives him a potentially dominant two-pitch pairing that would play very well out of a bullpen down the line. He mixes in a change-up that is firm and dives away from lefties, though it’s sparsely utilized.

He’s had a very good year up to this point and the command, which was a bit of worry coming off the injury, has looked very solid. This is a profile that could find itself scratching its way into the second round, though as of now, a third-round selection seems more likely. Mahoney has the potential to move quickly, especially if an organization believes he’s better suited for a bullpen role moving forward. With that said, he’s earned the opportunity to start at the next level. - Tyler

SS Braylen swimmer, south Carolina (168 bags+)

Wimmer displayed many reasons why he was selected in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Phillies on Thursday night. He doesn't fear anyone at the plate between, not even the best pitcher in the country, Paul Skenes. Wimmer went 2-for-3 with a homer, a pair of walks, and a pair of RBIS.

He is 6'4 and looks every part of it with his upright stance at the plate. This frame allows him to take long strides and be a plus runner for his size. On the flip side, however, his frame looks to be negative at short, and while he has a tendency to make highlight reel plays there, he often looks clunky, and he's still learning at the position.

Wimmer isn't a hitter that's going to get cheated at the plate, and this is what positioned him to have such a quality night up there. He displayed this perfectly in the third inning when Skenes grooved him a 98 mph fastball middle-middle, and Wimmer completely took advantage of it with the ball leaving the park. The ball left his bat going 107 mph and went a nice 407 feet before finding former Gamecock Tight end Nate Adkins's hands. Wimmer finished the day with a couple of walks and a single.

Braylen Wimmer is a very polished senior, and he has picked up right where he left off SEC play last year. Many questioned his decision to return and play shortstop for his final season, and while the position change is still up in the air, no one is questioning his ability to handle the bat when the lights shine the brightest. - William

RHP James Hicks, south Carolina (no. 300 on top 400, 114 digs+)

Just like Wimmer, James Hicks was also selected in the 2022 MLB draft, but by the Brewers in the 15th round. With last season being very short-lived for Hicks due to a torn UCL, he decided to return to school to make a more prominent name for himself and improve his stock for the next cycle.

While not overpowering in stature, Hicks is a nice 6’2 190 and utilizes this athletic frame well on the mound. He is a real competitor on the mound, and on Thursday night against LSU, there were plenty of moments showcasing this.

Hicks is a true sinkerballer who uses his slider to complement the movement of the sinker well. The sinker sits around 90-92 but can occasionally run it up to 94. The slider is a true putout pitch here and has a whiff rate over 40%. The slider is nasty and flashes plus potential to me. The sinker is full of life and can be a plus pitch going forward.

All in all, Hicks has done everything the South Carolina staff asked of him, including a very impressive outing Thursday night against top-ranked LSU, where he went 4 innings, giving up two runs. Although he gave up these runs, he looked comfortable out there and mostly pitched to contact until eventually giving up a two-run shot to SS Jordan Thompson. Hicks has been labeled a Swiss army knife by many, which raised his draft stock from a year ago. He is one to keep a close eye on as the draft continues to creep up on us. - William

Honorable Mentions: 3B Tommy White, LSU; RHP Will Sanders, South Carolina; 1B/OF Tre’ Morgan, LSU; RHP Gavin Guidry, LSU

SoCal Stars: No.3 Santa Margarita Catholic vs Servite

The end of March had some excellent stars to watch, but a special outing between what seems to be one of the best teams in California in Santa Margarita Catholic taking on Servite was the highlight of the third edition of Socal Stars. 

Luke Lavin, C, 2023, SMCHS

Lavin has a very long and still lean frame for a backstop, but that doesn’t affect his ability to present a low target for his pitchers, he moves well for his size and shows solid tools, with room to improve his receiving behind the dish. The tool that stands out is the bat, he presents himself as a confident hitter in the box and his size allows him to get leverage in his swing. The hands start low with a step and hand load but has excellent bat speed that can produce hard contact, and he sprayed a few line drives around the yard.

‘23 Catcher Luke Lavin (@StanfordBSB commit) with a hard line drive into RCF. Bjg frame with strong hands and a compact swing, gets good extension on follow through as well pic.twitter.com/d8Oz5PFpmk

— Cameron Emamian (@CameronEmamian) March 25, 2023

One impressive thing that also helped him stand out at the plate was the willingness to stick with his approach, he was aggressive in the zone, hunting his pitch and not missing it, but willing to take if it wasn’t what he wanted. His biggest areas of growth will be receiving, where he has soft hands but has issues sticking pitches, especially pitches on his arm side and pitches low. He did show off a strong throwing arm as well, hosing down a runner in game 1 that had a solid jump but was out by several feet, the arm is strong and accurate with some carry to the bag. Lavin is unranked in the current Prospects Live top 400, but the Stanford commit is someone to keep an eye on as he could develop nicely after reaching campus

Blake Balsz, C/1B, 2023, SMCHS

It’s great to see a talent behind the plate in high school, but to have depth like this is a blessing for SMCHS. Blake Balsz is a different type of player than his teammate Luke, Blake was at 1B in game 1, but it’s worth noting he’s committed to UCLA as a Catcher, and is playing 1B moreso to make sure Lavin can play as well. Balsz has some versatility and is a more compact frame, with a bit more present strength in a smaller frame. He keeps his hip closed during his stride which allows him to rotate well and use a lot of his lower half strength in his swing to generate his power. While there is some pre-pitch movement, he gets his hands in a good spot and it’s a level swing, and a contact-heavy profile, there isn’t a lot of room to grow on the frame but his gap-to-gap approach of hitting can play with plenty of line drive XBHs.

‘23 Blake Balsz C/1B (@UCLABaseball commit) out of Santa Margarita high school with a line drive single to RCF. Also showed off some leather at 1B taking a hit away from Roman Martin pic.twitter.com/L9K0zxkjRm

— Cameron Emamian (@CameronEmamian) March 24, 2023

Defensively it was a bit of a whirlwind, missing a pickoff from his pitcher early on in game 1 but made up for it with several nice plays in the field later. He has solid reflexes defensively and good hands, which translate both at 1B and catcher. 

The Seattle Mariners Have A Generational Opportunity In The 2023 MLB Draft

This article is brought to you by Tyson Tucker, one of the newest members of PL’s Draft Team

One of the main storylines taking place within the 2023 MLB Draft centers around Jerry Dipoto and his Seattle Mariners. The M’s hold three picks (22, 29, 30) in the top 30 of the draft, presenting a rare and massive opportunity. So rare in fact, that Dipoto says in his 24 years of working in the draft, he’s never been a part of something like it. 

Dipoto shared some of his thoughts on Joe Doyle’s Overslot podcast, “To have three picks in the top-30 is exciting for us. Particularly excited because, frankly, this is an area of the draft that has been very productive for us. We feel like we’ve done very well in this general zone. The types of players that go off the board in the 20-30 range in the draft, are typically those that embody the criteria we hold in high value. We’re well situated to make these picks.”

He even went as far as to make a statement regarding a strategy they plan to employ. “We are likely to do something creative. We’ve tried hard to be creative in years where we’ve had a Comp B pick, but you need extra slot money to do anything…creative.” It’s clear the staff recognizes the opportunity at hand, expect them to be innovative with a freedom that isn’t typically afforded in this magnitude.

The instance is irregular in the fashion that the last time it did take place was back in 2016 when the Padres had the honor bestowed upon them. As we look back to those picks currently, San Diego walked away with two quality MLB starters. Albeit, both are no longer with the organization.

Quantrill helped land Mike Clevinger and Lauer brought over Trent Grisham and Zach Davies. Gone for the team but multiple guys who created immense organizational value. Which, in essence, is what the MLB Draft is all about.

It’s clear there’s a great opportunity at hand.

Picks and pool

One of the reasons this opportunity is so rare is because of how the M’s came to have these top picks. The first came through regular means. Pick No. 22 is their regular selection given their finish in the previous campaign.

The second came from an instance that is new to the MLB Draft. Seattle was awarded a pick at the end of the first round because of the new Prospect Promotion Incentive. Which is explained by the MLB in these terms, “If a player who was rated as a preseason Top 100 prospect by MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, and/or ESPN (at least two of the three) and was on his team's Opening Day roster goes on to win the Rookie of the Year Award, the club is awarded a Prospect Promotion Incentive pick after the first round.” Julio Rodriguez’ 2022 Rookie of the Year campaign fit the criteria and has been awarded to the Mariners immediately after the first round; Pick No. 29. 

The third pick comes in the form of Competitive Balance Round A, dealt to teams with the smallest markets or revenue pools. The M’s found themselves with the first pick within the competitive balance round right behind their Prospect Promotion selection. And to make the case even more advantageous for Seattle, both picks got moved up two spots because of some other team’s big spending. Both the Mets and Dodgers first-round selections were moved back 10 spots because they exceeded the competitive balance tax threshold by over $40 million. So what would have been picks 31 & 32 turned into picks 29 & 30. A non-zero value move that gives the M’s another leg up. 

What affords Dipoto the opportunity to get creative is the slot value allotment that comes with these high picks. And as of Tuesday April 4th, we now know what the slot values and bonus pools will be for the 2023 MLB Draft. It’s more than fair to say the Mariners are well situated.

Here’s the Top 10 courtesy of MLB.com:

1. Pittsburgh Pirates - $16,185,700

2. Detroit Tigers - $15,747,200

3. Washington Nationals - $14,502,400

4. Minnesota Twins - $14,345,600

5. Oakland Athletics - $14,255,600

6. Cincinnati Reds - $13,785,200

7. Seattle Mariners - $13,170,900

8. Miami Marlins - $12,829,600

9. Kansas City Royals - $12,313,500

10. Colorado Rockies - $11,909,800

Other than the Mariners, who check in at #7, every team on that list holds a pick within the Top 10 of the draft. And as we know the M’s first pick is outside the top-20. As far as the total bonus pools, the Mariners’ top 3 pick values combine to be $9,029,800; which is more than 12 teams’ total pool. You’ve heard me say it a couple times, but the opportunity at hand is nearly unprecedented. In large part thanks to the ever-rising slot values. The M’s hold the cards in the back half of the first round.

So, where do they go?

To know where they might go in 2023 we must look back to where they’ve gone previously under Jerry Dipoto & Scott Hunter.

They’ve nearly done it all since Dipoto took the reins in 2016. First it was college bats, then it was college arms, and in the last two years, it’s been high school bats. It’s fair to say they really don’t have a first round “type.” They identify the guy they deem fits their needs best for the given situation and run with it. To make an educated guess on a player they might draft would mostly be a shot in the dark. Dipoto and Co. are going to play the role of a wild card on draft night, but we can identify options they may have presented to them.

Scenario 1:

They float down prep. Blake Mitchell is a premium high-school catcher who can really swing it, while also being up to 97 MPH on the bump, so you know the arm strength is there. It’s solid athleticism and great makeup on an up-the-middle player. All these factors fit the mold of what the M’s have done with recent prep picks but also make him likely to go off the board in the area of the 15th pick. On the off chance Mitchell is still available around 17th or 18th, I think you see the M’s make some promises on the dollar amount they can match going overslot on pick No. 22.

With the two remaining selections I think you see a team that realizes a window opening up on the Major League side of things and looks to supplement that. Colton Ledbetter and Juaron Watts-Brown are players that are performing at power conferences within college baseball and could be semi-quick movers. Both of which should require slot or less at their draft position. College arms will be a mainstay of these scenarios because the organization has shown they have a pitching infrastructure they fully believe in. Expect a college arm to be one of the selections especially with the depth of that crop in this class.

Scenario 2:

In this scenario, they catch a falling prep. As I mentioned above, this is a team that has a window opening at the major league level for the first time in decades. They’ll look to grab some college players who can move fast. So in this scenario, they go grab Tommy Troy, a versatile, athletic do-it-all type of up-the-middle player. A true hitter who brings more than that to the table.

After that, they nab a premium prep hitter in Aidan Miller. Miller missed a portion of his high school season with a broken hamate bone in his hand. Before the injury, Miller was a fringe top-10 prospect. He’s even likely just a tier below consensus top-10 players in Max Clark and Walker Jenkins. Miller is committed to Arkansas and could get close to honoring his commitment unless a team like the Mariners can catch him at this position. It wouldn’t be the first time they nabbed a big-bodied 3B after grabbing Tyler Locklear and Tyler Keenan in recent years. It’s not an up-the-middle player, but we’ve heard their staff say they can afford to take on more risk this year. Miller fits the mold. 

Going over-slot to nab Miller at No. 29, requires them to go just a touch under-slot at No. 30 with Alabama LHP Grayson Hitt. Hitt is a projectible guy who has more recently tapped into his ceiling. Dipoto and staff have not been shy about getting arms in which they have identified deficiencies through biomechanical means. Knowing in turn they can make the necessary adjustments to tap into more. They get their college arm here and it’s an arm they believe they can mold into future value.

conclusion

When it comes time to turn in the card(s) this July, it’s hard to know where the Mariners will go. We can presume they’ll want to stick to their typical high-character, middle of the diamond, impact player. Odds are they will also nab a college arm to supplement the infrastructure they’ve built out as an organization. Above all else, as we’ve heard them say, expect some creativity.

When you have tenured GMs and scouting directors making remarks about never experiencing an opportunity like this in their career or even franchise history, it’s easy to understand the weight of the situation. And while three picks in the top-30 adds a little pressure, it also affords a ton of freedom and opportunity. Both of which the higher ups in Seattle are relishing as we speak. 

It will all come to fruition on Sunday, July 9th during MLB All-Star Week. Which happens to be where you ask? Seattle. A draft being held in Seattle, in which the hometown team will hold the cards for much of the latter half of the first round. The stars are aligning for what figures to be…

A generational opportunity.