Locked On Mariners - Daily Podcast On the Seattle Mariners - Mariners 2023 Midseason Prospect Re-Rank: No. 30-16

Episode Date: August 24, 2023

The Seattle Mariners are enjoying one of their last off-days of the year, which makes this the perfect opportunity to look at the farm and re-do our Mariners prospect ranks! Colby and Ty breakdown prospects 30-16 and discuss players like Prelander Berroa, Zach DeLoach, Darren Bowen, and Cade Marlowe! The top-15 will be unveiled tomorrow and things are looking really good down on the farm!Be sure to follow or subscribe to Locked On Mariners wherever you prefer your podcasts! For questions and other inquiries, email: [e-mail] the show on Twitter: @LO_Mariners | @danegnzlz | @CPat11Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!IbottaDownload the free Ibotta app and use code MLB for $5 off when you register. eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit. eBay Motors dot com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.BunchesDownload the Bunches App today and when you do, our friends at Bunches have featured the LOCKED ON MLB Bunch in the “Discover” tab. Find the Locked On MLB bunch HERE. NutrafolTake the first step to visibly thicker, healthier hair. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners ten dollars off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you go to Nutrafol.com/men and enter the promo code LOCKEDONMLB. GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONMLB for $20 off your first purchase.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Right now, when you bet on a Super Bowl Winner, you can GET BONUS BETS EVERY TIME THEY WIN IN THE REGULAR SEASON! FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON.SleeperDownload the Sleeper app and use promo code LOCKEDON and you'll get up to a $100 match on your first deposit. Terms and conditions apply. See Sleeper’s Terms of Use for details. Currently operational in over 30 states. Check out Sleeper today!FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

With the draft and the trade deadline and the rearview mirror, it's time for our midseason re-rank of the Mariners Farm System. Today we go over prospects 30 through 16. You are locked on Mariners. Your daily Seattle Mariners podcast, part of the Locked-on podcast network, your team every day. Ahoy, sailors, it is Thursday, August 24th, 2023. This is timing as all us and Colby Patton for the Lockdown Mariner's podcast brought to you by Bunches. Download the Bunches app today.

And when you do, our friends over at Bunches have featured the Lockdown MLB Bunch in the Discover tab. You can also click the link in the description to join the lockdown MLB bunch community today. Thank you so much for making us your first listen, subscribe, like, and turn on alerts if you're watching on YouTube or subscribe and leave a five-star review on your preferred podcast platform if you like what you hear. And if you're part of the crew and rock with us every single day, let us know in the comments below. And if you want to hear from us even more, please consider signing up for our Patreon. You can now get a free seven-day trial to check out the show. The link, as well as their social accounts, is in the

description of this episode. Mariners have an off day today, so we figured there be no better time to do our mid-season re-rank of the Mariners Farm System. The draft and the deadline are both behind us. The Marrists have added a ton of new prospects within the last month. Colby and I have compiled two separate top 30 lists. We have combined those two for one master list

by using a point system based on where we've ranked each player. Today we'll be doing prospects 30 through 16. Tomorrow will be 15 through one. And before we hop into the rankings, as always. This is just for fun. We are not scouts, but this is how we would rank the Mariners prospects

based on what we've read and what we've seen. We're not really privy to much information that isn't out there for the general public. But Colby and I have been doing our own prospect ranks for the last few years. You guys seem to like it and we enjoy doing it. So let's get into them. Here are prospects

30 through 23 to begin. At number 30 we have Ashton Izzy. I ranked Ashton Izzy 29th. Colby did not have him ranked. Right-handed pitcher who threw in the Complex League drafted last year by the Mariners 19 years old. And we're going to say this about quite a few of these guys, but Izzy is probably a reliever when it's all sudden done.

If you're a pitcher on the back half of this list, that's probably the most likely outcome for you if you make it to the bigs. But it's a fastball slider mix for Izzy. He didn't have a good first year in Pro Ball, statistically, 835 ERA, only over. 18 innings though. The slider is solid, but the story here is the fastball, which is already flirting with the high 90s at 19

years old. So if the velocity continues to tick up and he can get more value out of the slider, I think there's the bones of a high leverage reliever here, but a lot of work to be done. Colby, do you have any thoughts on Izzy? I know you didn't rank him, but I know that you do like him a little.

Yeah. You know, Izzy, basically every pitcher is more likely to be a reliever than a starter with the exception of like the George Kirby's and like the Logan Gilbert's like guys who just have insanely high you know floors um even Brian Wu was was more likely to be a reliever than a starter for pretty much his entire career so um it still might be probably not but still might be uh so yeah you know Izzy is is a really interesting guy um he's very young there's plenty of time for him to uh climb these ranks and and I suspect he will he's a

talented arm. And, you know, like we always say, anytime the Mariners bring you an arm, you have to be interested because they're pretty darn good at this. Yeah, absolutely. Coming in at number 29 is Gene Munoz. Colby, you ranked him 28th. I didn't have them ranked right-handed pitcher

who also threw in the Complex League 20 years old. What do you think about Gene Munoz? Yeah, you know, like I said, 20 years old, right-handed pitcher, definitely a reliever. uh here uh you know 6 1 uh his listed weight is about a buck 55 not really buying that uh right now but he is you know a slight guy uh but yeah complex league this year it's actually his uh first year state side uh so i what i like is uh the walks have gone down every year in his career he's he throws plenty of strikes it's not command it's control over command like most relievers uh 13

15.5K per 9 so far in the Complex League this year, 20 years old. I don't think he's going to get moved up to Modesto. He probably starts next year in Modesto. It's a good fastball. It's a good breaking ball. And it's good stuff with an improving ability to throw strikes. He's a decent athlete. So, yeah, I think Munoz, there's some, I don't want to say there's high leverage potential here.

There might be. You never know when guys pop. But I think there's a pretty solid floor here as a major leaker, assuming that the, you know, the command and control continues to develop. And he continues to put on some better weight. But, yeah, I just think it's an exciting arm. It's a guy to watch. And the numbers are pretty eye-popping.

And this is a guy who could, in theory, once he gets, you know, to, I mean, the complex league is organized ball. But you don't want, A ball, double A, all that. I think he can be pretty quickly. Yeah, affiliate ball, I guess. Sure. I think he can move pretty quickly. So I think Munoz is a guy who could be in the big leagues in two years as kind of a mid mid mid reliever. Coming in here at number 28 is Spencer Packard.

He was 29 on our list back during the during the off season. You ranked him 29th. I ranked him 28th outfielder who is currently having a pretty good year down in AA. He's going to turn 26 in a couple of months. but again, he's having a hell of a year swing in the bat. 301, 397, 472 with 13 home runs while striking out just 15.8% of the time

and walking 12.1% of the time. Nice lefty swing that looks like it can play a little bit at the major league level, but that's about all he has to offer. Not a good defender, even in a corner, not a particularly good runner either. He has to hit, and he has to carry over that plate discipline. He's shown in the minors as well. His path to success as a major leagueer to me

is mostly going to be by walking and hitting. a lot of singles and doubles. So. I think he's got some, some over the fence power, but yeah, it's mostly gap to gap power. I don't think the power profile is enough to be in everyday first baseman,

which is kind of where you, he kind of has to play because he's, it's not going to happen for him in the outfield. And again, he is 25. He'll turn 26 at the end of this, at the end of the season. So yeah,

you know, for a 25 year old who, if he was 22 and he was doing this at double A, you'd be considering the bat, special and like yeah you just find a place to play him but he's not he's 25 i think that he needs to be promoted to triple a now give him a month in in the pc i'll see what he can do he's rule five eligible this year i don't think that's going to be an issue uh i don't think they're going to add him or anything like that but the numbers are the numbers and he walks almost as much as he

strikes out he's got 13 homers this year um you know the on base skills look legitimate uh there there's a guy who can hit a little bit can he hit enough to be a major leaguer a major league bench guy because that's what's going to have to carry him it's not going to be the speed it's not going to be the defense can he hit he's got to hit he's got to hit like 270 280 to have about to be a big leager um can he do it i don't know i i like i like what he's done the last two years i think i do believe that he can hit for some average and you know pretty good gap power but i think he's got to be more than that to be a big leaguer and because of that and because of his age that's why he didn't move

up the list. But he did stay steady and that's saying something considering the Mariners added some real significant talent in the last year. Another guy that didn't really move up the list for us. He ranked 26 during the offseason for us. He ranks 27th here. Zach DeLoch, another lefty hitting outfielder who's having a decent year in AAA. He's 25 years old now.

Yeah, again, like I said, he's had a solid year in Tacoma and he's probably ready for a taste of the bigs right now, but his profile overall hasn't really changed. Colby, what do you think? Yeah, he's, you know, he runs pretty well, but he's not a burner. He plays pretty good defense, but he's not a premier glove, even in a corner. He can play center field if you need them to, but you really don't want him to. He's got some power, but it's not plus power. You know, he's just kind of a fourth outfield type, honestly.

but the big concern for me, and this has kind of been recently, striking out a lot this year, almost 30% strikeout rate. That's pretty significant. Again, you like that there's some power, 18 home runs. It is the PCL, so, you know, but there is gap to gap power there. There is a pretty good athlete. It's not terrible defense. It's not terrible base running.

It's not like he can't help you in these other places, but 29% strikeout rate in AAA. Like now we've seen Marlowe have a high strikeout rate and then come up and look like he never strikes out. So maybe that's Deloche here. But again, he's 24. I mean, sorry, 25. He just turned 25 last week. It's a little old to be a prospect, but he's a good athlete. He can fake it in center field if you need him to.

He's fine in a corner. He's got some bat speed. He's got some pop. He draws walks. It's the strikeout. If he was striking out 22. percent of the time. I think there's a good chance he'd be in the big leagues right now. But I see a fourth outfielder. You know, I think he's a less athletic Cade Marlowe with a little bit less

pop. And that's, it's valuable. Like if Deloche was added to the major league roster today, yeah, like nobody would be like, ooh, that's, I don't know what they're, you'd be like, okay. Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, if they went Deloche over Mike Ford, I'd get it. Yeah. I wouldn't be like a massive fan of it, but I get it. At least, you know, Deloche can give you some value in the field. But, yeah, and still maintains that lefty bat and might be able to draw a walk. Because right now, Mike Ford is pretty much home runner walk for you. He's three true outcome guy.

Yeah. So, I mean, Deloche doesn't obviously have that power upside, but if he can get on base a little bit here, I don't know, maybe. Run a little bit. Yeah, I'd keep an eye on him maybe just as a dark horse for the September call-ups, at least before Kelnik comes back up, but we'll see. All right, we got more prospects coming up for you here in just a moment. But first a reminder of this episode of the Lockdown Mirrors podcast is brought to you by Bunches. Bunches is a new app built just for sports fans where you can chat sports in real time.

Click the link in the description to join the app or go to the Apple App Store. Download Bunches now. I'm telling you, you're going to love the conversations with other locked on sports fans. Chat about your team every day. Download the Bunches app today. And when you do, our friends of Bunches have featured the Lockdown MLB bunch in the Discover tab. You can also click the link in the description. to join the Lockdown MLB bunch community today.

And you're listening to the Lockdown Mariners podcast. Thank you again for making us your first listen. The Mariners, of course, have an off day today. They get back after it tomorrow night. T-Mobile Park against the Kansas City Royals and catch all the action on the Mariners hometown broadcast with Sirius XM via the SXM app. We are re-ranking the Mariners Farm System.

We are currently in the prospect range of numbers 30 through 23. and we're going to go to number 26 here. And that's Brody Hopkins, our first 2023 draftee to make the list. Brody Hopkins right-handed pitcher drafted in the sixth round by the Mariners this year. You had him ranked 25 in your list, Colby. I had him ranked 26th. This was one of our favorite picks of the Mariners draft this summer. Dude's just an absolute freak of an athlete.

He's more than likely going to be a reliever. but there's a much clearer path, to me at least, to a high leverage role than with someone like Izzy, for example. Hopkins is probably going to be triple digits on the sinker when it's all sudden done, and the horizontal break on the slider already is gnarly. So if all goes well, again to me, he could be a souped up version of Kendall Graveman.

What do you think? More like a souped up version of Michael Lorenzen. like he is like he is that type of athlete I don't know if you guys remember this but Lorenzen actually dabbled with being a two-way player he got some time in the outfield yeah Hopkins is that good of an athlete we watched him score by leaping over the catcher during draft season like throws 96 to 98 off the mound pretty good slider uh it's it's an interesting weapon I think Seattle really is only planning on using him as a as a you know pitcher. But you know,

it is nice that there are other ways he can help you. For example, yesterday, right? Mike Ford is the is the, is the, zombie runner at second base because you don't have any other position players.

Well, Brody Hopkins was on your team, even though he's a, you know, a pitcher. Yeah. He's fat like, Hopkins,

I think I read like legitimate 65 speed like on, on a sky and scale. Not for a pitcher, not like just like he's legitimately fat. He's a really good athlete. There's a lot of fun things he does on the mound too. He's a guy that I think they might give a shot to start. But if they just put him in the bullpen,

he has the potential to fast track. It's the fastball slider guy, two seamer, a slider guy that we saw Seattle take over and over and over again. But yeah, I think there's a chance to start here. And I think Michael Lorenzen is actually a pretty good comp, just a really good athlete, strong arm.

Good stuff, not great stuff. Command, control kind of comes and goes. but I think that there is, I think that you're just kind of banking on the, on the athleticism here and hoping the Mariners can teach him how to pitch. And that's, that's a pretty good bet most of the time. So I'm a fan of Hopkins.

Coming in here at number 25 is Axel Sanchez, the 20-year-old infielder high A. We had him ranked ninth during the offseason. He had a major fall here. You ranked him 23rd in your list. I ranked him 27th. we were so high on him heading into the season but he's just had a terrible year again still only 20 years old but it's hard not to be incredibly disappointed right now with the season

that he's had colby where do you stand on sancho's yeah he's more likely than not to be outside in my top 30 when we redo these ranks usually sometime in spring spring training yeah he's just I think the Mariners may have erred in pushing him, you know, to whatever it. I think they may have rushed him a little bit to that assignment. I think starting him at Modesta was the way to go. But yeah, it's just cratered this year. The swing and miss has gotten exasperated. He's just not a confident guy right now.

29.2% strikeout rate. You know, it was 27 last year, but the walk rate's gone down. He's not barreling up the baseball nearly as much. There's still some above average power. There's still some raw power. There's still really good tools here. He can play shortstop. That's legitimate.

He's pretty good base runner. But there were holes in the swing and there were questions about his game plan at the plate last year when he was putting up good numbers. And now they've continued, he just looks completely overmatched. So I think it's one of the few miscalculations the Mariners player development has made seemingly this year. But Sanchez, I mean, he's probably going to repeat the level next year. And he's got to produce. Like at the end of the day, he has to produce. And he has to get back to what he was because there is a, you know, a shot at a major leaguer here.

But if you can't turn it around for the rest of this year and you come in to next year, kind of, you know, then you're probably going to find yourself being one of those, you know, low a flame out type of players. And, you know, he's got work to do. but a good athlete and it's it's not impossible that he turns things around yeah uh coming in here at number 24 is right-hand pitcher darren bowen uh who uh has made his pro debut this year uh down in medesto 22 years old colby you had him ranked 27th i have him ranked 21st uh friend of the show darren bowen he's he's been on this uh show we i got to talk to him a little bit a few weeks ago you should go listen to that interview. Really good kid.

I'll say this. I think Bowen can actually start. I've watched him three times this year, and I've walked away very impressed every time. He's already setting mid-90s on the four seam. He's touching the upper 90s. The slider is solid. He's throwing some really good two seams as well.

The change up right now is more of an idea, but I think he can develop that into something more real. I mean, there's a lot of swing and miss here. over 11 k's per 9 right now in Modesto. Though I do have some concerns about the command and control of his pitches. He's also, he's 22 years old. So how much more room does he have to grow? But yeah, I think there's some real upside here with Darren Bowen.

What do you think? Yeah, I think the biggest concern with Bowen is pretty obvious. It's a very slight stature. Can he physically stand going, you know, every five days going five, six, seven innings? We don't know. We just, we don't know. And like he said, he's 22. There's not a lot of projection left physically.

Still some, but he's not going to go from 160 pounds to 210. Like, that's just not going to be who he is. And maintain his athleticism. So I think for me that's a bigger concern. It's a really good slider. It's a really good fastball. So I totally get why you have him where you do.

I like him too. He's in my top 30 in a good system. But, yeah, I have concerns about his ability to start. you know it's just i i think the fastball slider gave him a really good floor as a middle relief guy but i do wonder how he is going to hold up physically uh coming in here at number 23 is walter ford right hand of pitcher who was drafted uh last year made his pro debut this year in the complex league 18 years old but he like axel sanchez is another a big faller from our offseason rankings. We had him seventh

during the off season. He is now 23. You had him ranked 24. I had him ranked 23. So we're pretty much in line on that thinking the vanilla missile just did not really take a step forward in his first year pro ball. So yeah,

what do you think? Yeah, he's still so young that you don't want to write him off entirely and I don't think we are just because he fell pretty far. But yeah the fastball really hasn't taken leaps forward uh that was kind of his calling card is you know it was an up to a hundred touching a hundred with the fastball good run it just kind of been an average

fastball today the off speed stuff really hasn't taken off um either it just kind of been a stagnant year for for now it's his first year in pro ball um the numbers themselves aren't terrible 23 strikeouts and 23 innings 3570 r a 10 walks that's a little high opponent's sitting 284 like he's just not had a good year of development it's like I said he's 18 I think just turned 18 like a few months ago so he's a very young player and there still is a lot to like about this arm but it it it was definitely a step back this year I don't think there's anybody who would debate otherwise but Walter Ford took a step back this year and when you combine that with the amount of talent the marries have added in the draft and and other things it's pretty plain to

me that he is still a guy worth watching but he's He's not a guy that I would necessarily count on as being like the next wave of pitching coming to Seattle. He's at least four years away based on what we've seen right now. Yeah, I would assume that he's going to start the year Modesto next year. And we'll kind of see what that increase in workload does for him and what he's able to do in the off season. Because right now the stuff just needs to take a step for it. It's just not where you would hope it would be a year after getting drafted. All right.

So we're going to be doing Prospects 22 through 16 in just a moment. First, a reminder of this episode of Lockdown, Marys podcast is brought to you by Sleeper. Want the chance to win more money with less picks. Head on over to Sleeper, where you can win up to 100 times your money on just two or more fantasy baseball picks. All you have to do is choose two or more players that you like, it's like more or less on their stats like home runs,

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Terms of Conditions apply. See, Sleeper's terms of use for details, currently operational in over 30 states. Check out Sleeper today. And you're listening to the Lockdown Merrittus podcast. Thank you again for making us your first listen as we re-ranked the Mariners Farm System doing prospects 30 through 16 today. We'll do 15 through 1 tomorrow.

and tomorrow you can also catch the Mariners and the Royals on the Marys hometown broadcast with Sirius XMV the SXM app. All right, let's get back into these prospects here, Colby. Number 22, Ben Williamson, third baseman, drafted out of William and Mary in the second round for the Marys. He even played a little bit in Modesto

or has been playing a little bit down in Modesto this year. You had him ranked 22nd. I have him ranked 24th in our respective lists and he was a money saver in the second round but I think we're both pretty intrigued by him. What do you like about him, Colby? Yeah, well, we can start with the fact that he's an above average third baseman, a true third base glove. There's no question about whether or not he can handle that position. He can handle it and then some.

So right there, you start with a pretty elevated floor. And then you kind of start looking at a lot of what we got to see in terms of bad at ball data in small samples. Bulls and he's a guy who, if I'm not mistaken, he played really well in the Cape, which we know the Mariners do value. It's a chance to be an above average hit tool. I think he can get to average power. So there's a lot to like here. Again, you know, maybe he's more of a, you know, utility type.

He actually runs okay, so he might be able to fake it at second base or shortstop if you need him to. But there's a lot to like here. He is a plus defensive third baseman who has already shown a pretty safe and average hit tool. And then it's just going to come down to the power. If he can get to 25 home runs, he is an everyday third baseman. You know, at the next level, he's basically a Eugenio Suarez if he gets 25 home runs. Now, he has a chance, I think, to hit 260 and get to 25 homers with the defense,

which would make him a little bit better than a Eugenio. Long way to go. I mean, he is 22. He'll be 23 next year. So we'll probably start next year in Modesto has a chance to get to Everett. You know, and we'll see. We'll see how it looks. Obviously, we don't have a lot of data right now on his performance in Modesto.

It hasn't been great by the numbers. But, you know, the mayors care about things like exit vloes and all that. So we just don't have access to that. But I do think this chance to. At least down there, have seen some clips. Yeah. Yeah, no, the glove is totally legitimate. And I think he's.

going to hit. So I think he'll hit enough. Do I think he'll hit enough to be an everyday player? I don't think, I don't know. That's my guess. Like, yeah, I think he could. I wouldn't bank on it, though. Sure. And if you can't hit enough to be an everyday player, you're probably not going to crack the top 20. So I think Williamson is probably at least going to be a utility type. And I think that carries value. And I think it's a guy who could run a little bit. He can play a really good third. He got some pop. Like, I think it's, I think it's a solid utility type at least. Yeah. I like it. I like it. Number 21, Michael Morales, right-handed pitcher who was drafted, what, two years ago?

Last year? When was it? Last year with Ford. It was in his third round. Yeah, yeah, it was last year. Vendorbelt commit. They were able to rip him away from there.

So that's, you know, not an easy thing to do either. He's, he's been pitching down in Modesto this year, 21 years old. You had him ranked 20th. I have him ranked 22nd.

Morales is more command over stuff, obviously not in the same vein as George Kirby, right, but there's some real projection here. And that works both ways. It probably makes him closer to a surefire bet to start games in the majors at some point, but it also means the ceiling here is relatively low and relatively unexciting. I think he's a number five, who can look like a number four at times. To me, he's another Taylor Dollar, which is fun. because if dollar didn't get hurt this year,

he might have been able to provide you with some much needed depth. But if Morales's stuff doesn't get much better than it is right now, he's probably never going to escape this like 18 to 24 range in our rankings. Yeah, he's just a dude. I mean, as much as you guys think I hate Emerson Hancock, like his stuff is significantly better than Morales right now. So, yeah,

he's just another guy for me. He's a number five starter, maybe. By the way, There's going to be a very shocking development tomorrow with the Emerson Hancock discourse. TIE has him lower than I do. That's a tease. That's a tease and an accurate one. Watch him do the mental gymnastics to get around it.

But yeah, no, I think Morales is fine. Like, I think he's pretty firmly a top 30 prospect in the system. But I think he's a major leaguer, but I don't think he's a particularly good major leaguer. I think he's probably just about league average. which again does have value and plus he is he just turned 21 like 11 days ago so there is a possibility they send it to gas camp maybe the fastball you know ticks up a couple or maybe they get more spin on it or maybe they they can sharpen up the curveball the change up's pretty decent already like yeah maybe they can maybe they can tweak a few things here and there and they can max him out at

a like a mid level number four starter but I do feel like that's a ceiling so yeah slow ceiling guy coming in here at number 20, Alberto Rodriguez is the outfielder required in the Taiwan Walker trade with the Blue Jays a few years back. He made his way to double A this year, 22 years old. He'll be turning 23 soon. 19 in your rankings, Colby 20 in mine.

He was the 30th, the last ranked prospect in our offseason ranking. So he's jumped up a bit. This has been one of the better stories in the Mariners Farm system this year. Rodriguez was added to the mayor's 40 men a while back to protect him from the rule five. He had a mediocre season last year, got DFA'd, but stayed with the Oregon. It's a good thing

he did because it seems like maybe he's figured some stuff out. Again, he'll turn 23 in October, slash in 304, 382, 533 between high A and double A this year. Strikeouts have been an issue. It's a pretty limited profile, both offensively and defensively, but definitely

a step in the right direction for him this year. What do you think, Colby? Yeah, the strikeouts are the big issue. He struck out about half as much in Modesto or in Everett. Sorry, in Arkansas as he did in Everett, but he's also played like one third of the games. So he's kind of making that adjustment to the better quality pitching.

Well, still maintaining a pretty good average, but the power's kind of gone. I think you're looking at maybe a fourth outfield type here. He's not a great defender. He's definitely a corner guy, kind of a fringy arm. So he's probably built for left field. field. You know, and there's some pop here, certainly. There's some bat to ball skill here, certainly. There's some pitch recognition skills. There's some, you know, working counts,

CTZ type of things here. So there are a lot of like half tools that he has. And it's just a matter whether or not he can make that leap next year. He'll probably repeat double A to start next year. But there's a chance that bat carries him to the big leagues. And he's a fringe average outfielder. He's a fourth outfielder at best. That's his ceiling, I think. But fourth outfielders have value. So I think that he's got a shot to be a big leaguer here in the next 18 months, but he will have to take steps forward.

He's going to have to cut down the strikeouts a little bit, or he's going to have to hit for more over-the-fence home run power because a 30% strikeout rate while you're slugging, you know, 380, 400. That's not going to cut it. So he's got some work to do. but you know I think he certainly has raised his stock this year. Yeah, agreed. Agreed.

Coming in at number 18 or number 19 rather is right-handed pitcher Perlander Baroa, who's down in AA right now, 23 years old. You have him ranked 18th in your list, Colby. I have him ranked 19th. He ranked 16th in our off-season rankings. And I'd say this has been a pretty disappointing year, for Barrow because he should be up with the big league club right now, but he's just not throwing enough strikes.

And clearly the Mariners just don't trust him enough to the point that they're giving opportunities to the likes of Edward Bizarro and Devin Sweet over him. But there's high leverage stuff here and the potential to give Seattle something they could really use right this second. It's possible we could see him as one of the September callups, but are you getting concerned at all about Baroa, Colby? not really um you know it's the strikes he's throwing more strikes recently but it's more so the command about like just leaving pitches in the middle of the plate uh more so than anything but the fact

that the mariners don't trust him yet and they've we've seen them cycle through rider ryan and go get um you know justice for rider by the way sure you know they went they got bizardo they they when they got luke weaver like they've added guys from outside the org instead of going back to him after his one outing it's it's a little you know know eyebrow raising but you know I think you just have to trust the Mariners on this broa we knew he was a reliever coming into the year that's how we had him ranked the numbers have been fine he's certainly but I don't know if he's gotten better right from where he was at the beginning of the year and I'm not concerned about that

but I do think that the Mariners clearly are because again Bizarro Ryan Weaver sweet like Campbell like these are all guys that Baroa is had is better than like stuff wise and yet the Mariners won't trust the stuff says something about Baroa I think yeah uh coming in here at 18 is outfielder Aidan Smith who was drafted in the fourth round uh last month uh he is one of the uh 20 23 guys that um got the call up to um medesto recently uh so recently uh so he He's going up there along with Colt Emerson and Ty Pete. So that's exciting. You had him at 21.

I have him all the way at 15. I really like the idea of Aidan Smith a lot. And clearly the Mariners do as well after going overslaught on him in the fourth round. The reason that I have him ranked so high is mostly because I think the overall upside here is far greater than that of someone like Rodriguez or, even Cade Marlowe. Smith is a good athlete with good contact skills. It's probably more doubles than home runs, but he's got the pop to put some balls over the wall.

Probably ends up in a corner, but might be able to handle all three outfield spots. There's a real shot for him to be an everyday player. And honestly, I look at this profile, and from a pure production standpoint, I feel like there's a little right-handed Dominic Canzone going on here. Maybe Mark Kana. I don't know.

You got any thoughts on Smith? just that he's 19. So he's a little bit on the older side for the complex league for first year, a complex league guy. And yeah, I just, I just want to see it. You know,

I think, you know, typically speaking, I am much more willing to give the benefit of the doubt to guys who have played, you know, multiple years of professional baseball. And Smith is what?

10 games, eight games? Yeah, something like that. Yeah. Yeah. And the numbers are fine. They're totally fine.

but they're not eye popping. No, I think Smith is a really, you know, good prospect and I think he'll probably be top 10 before too long. But, you know, I just,

I just want to see it a little bit. And I just, I see a lot of good tools. I don't see any great tools. Sure. From Aiden. So until I see like him apply the tools, the,

I mean, I think there's a lot of 50s and 55s on them. Sure. But I just, I got to see it before I get to carry away with them. You know, that's going to sound counterintuitive. you see some of the guys I have ahead of him, but you get the idea.

I'm just not quite sure what to do with Aden Smith quite yet, but I do like the player quite a bit. Coming in at number 17 is outbuilder, Cade Marlowe, who of course has made his major league debut, 26 years old. You have him ranked 17th. I have him ranked 18th. And last time we did these rankings, he was 18th. So he hasn't moved at all, but obviously he's gotten off to a sensational start in his major league career. slowing down a little bit lately but nevertheless what the marries have gotten from him

so far is a major win for them I've been so impressed with his ability to hit tough left he was like Frombervaldez and Andrew Tafin but it's still fewer than 100 plate appearances so far and like I said you know we've started to see the cracks a little bit we'll see how he adjust back but I still feel like right now he's probably a fourth outfielder at the end of the day so that's why I didn't move him up

my list and I assume that's the same for you right. Yeah. You know, the fact that he was able to come to the big leagues and cut down on the strikeouts is, is why he, you know, I'm a little bit more willing to,

you know, consider Kate a part of the future. But, yeah, you know, we've seen him kind of start to regress here, uh, over his last handful of at-bats.

Uh, but yeah, you know, he's got some speed. He's got some pop. He can play all three outfield spots. Um, he looked better in center field than he did and left,

uh, you know, when he got, when he got the chance. chance to play there. So yeah, I think he's a fourth outfielder. I feel pretty good about that. He's got some pop. I don't know if he's ever going to be a starter. Like I don't think I would ever feel good about like Cade Marlow getting 500 played appearances for me. Right. But maybe like it's it's a non-zero chance that he can do that. But for now it just, you know, I think he's, you know, some pop, take some take some walk, steal some bags, play some pretty good defense type of guy. And that's that's valuable. And he's major league ready right now, which certainly helps. And then lastly, we're going to wrap things up here with Jeter Martinez, right-handed pitcher recent international signing. He was down in the DSL this year.

I just wrapped up his season there. 17 years old. You have him 16th. I have him 17th. He, again, he just wrapped up a very impressive first year at Pro Bowl. What do you like about him, Colby? 6'4, buck 80, already thrown in the low to mid-90. good slider showing the ability to maybe work in a change up here like that there's a good shot here

that he's a legit three pitch mix guy who's going to add who could in theory add 40 pounds of good weight to his frame uh you like he said the numbers are there the production is there the raw stuff is there and he won't turn 18 until you know next February so there's a lot to like about if this if he was doing this in modesto right now he'd probably be top 10 like it's just give him some time let him go through the system normally don't rush him don't push him he's 17 years old but he really dominated uh you know this year in his first taste of pro ball and and there's a lot of reason to be really uh excited for him i think the velo's going to go up as he puts on more weight i think the slider's going to get sharpened i think he's got a really high floor of a really good

reliever and he throws strikes already you know he needs to polish up the command a little bit but he throws plenty of strikes for his age he's a good athlete it just looks like the mayor's found another steal an international free agency because i i'd be pretty surprised assuming he's here if he's not and martinus isn't in the top you know 10 when we do this list a year from now like kids legitimate he's got good stuff he's got room to grow and he's a pitcher he's know, and the Mariners, they're good at this. So, right. Yeah, I think, I think Jeter's got a legit shot, even though he's only 17.

I feel pretty good about his chance to be a big league starter. Yeah, super excited to see him stateside, perhaps next year. That's going to do up for our show again tomorrow is going to be Prospects 15 through one. Thank you so much for joining us here on the Lockdown Mariners podcast for Colby Patnode. I'm Tiding Azal. Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter at LO underscore Mariners. you can follow me at Dan Gonzalez, the C-A-N-E, G-N-Z-L-Z,

and Colby at C-Pad 11, that's C-P-A-T-1-1. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok as well over at Locked-on Mariners. That's one word, Locked-on Mariners. You can also find all that stuff in the description of this episode.

Thank you again for making us your first listen. Again, you can catch the Mariners on the Royals, starting tomorrow night over the course of the weekend on the Mariners' hometown broadcast of Sirius XM via the SXM app. Have yourself a beautiful baseball day, and we'll see you next time. Peace.