Locked On Mariners - Daily Podcast On the Seattle Mariners - Mariners 2023 Midseason Prospect Re-Rank: The Top 15!

Episode Date: August 25, 2023

Colby and Ty break down their top-15 Mariners prospects.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.

Today we unveil our top 15 Mariners prospects. Where do the recent draftees rank and will Cole Young overtake Harry Ford for number one? There's only one way to find out. Colby hit it. 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 Friday, August 25th, 2023. This is Tedding as Austin. Colby Patented for the Lockdown Mariner's podcast brought to you by Sleeper. Swing for the Fences on Sleeper. picks and you can win up to 100 times your money. Download the Sleeper app and use promo code locked on. You'll get up to $100

matched on your first deposit. Terms of conditions apply. See Sleeper's terms of use for details currently operational in over 30 states. Check out Sleeper 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 a free seven-day trial to check out the show. The link, as well as our social accounts, is in the description of this episode. And on the show today, we're going to unveil our top 15 Mariners prospects. We did 30 through 16 yesterday, so be sure to check that out if you haven't already.

Again, Colby and I have created two top 30 lists and have combined them for one master list by using a points-based system. And keep in mind, this is just for fun. We're not claiming to be experts. We're not scouts. We don't talk to scouts. just read and listen, watch things, and rank these players on which profiles sound most interesting to us.

So let's get into it here. Number 15, Teddy McGraw, he's not going to pitch this year, obviously, because he is coming off of an elbow procedure. And the thing on McGraw, right, is it's hard not to be concerned about the two elbow procedures. But there's, you know, possible middle of the rotation starter here, if everything pans out, I think. it's three average or better pitches and good athleticism. I do wonder how much more he can get out of his offerings, if anything.

But the biggest key for him is going to be obviously staying healthy and throwing strikes. So what do you think, Colby? Yeah. If McGrath didn't have these health issues, he had a shot to be one of the first five arms taken in this last draft. The stuff is really good. He's a good athlete up to 96, 97 with the fastball, a really dynamic slider. You know, it comes and goes a little bit, but that's typical with, you know, young pitching. The changeup is at least, you know, flashed average to above average as well.

He's a pretty good athlete throw strikes for the most part. So, yeah, I think there's a good shot to start here. But if he can't because of the health, then he is a high leverage reliever, like built to a T. And he's a high leverage reliever. The fastball is going to jump up a couple miles per hour is sliding. is he's going to throw the slider a lot more. So I think McGraw is

I think if McGraw was healthy this year he would be ranked higher than Emerson Hancock because the stuff But if he was healthy he probably isn't in the Mariners system. Right, right. But I mean the stuff is like

McGraw has the best raw stuff of any potential starter in the Mariners system. You know, it's pretty similar stuff to Baroa, I think. The more I read about it, but he can throw. strikes with some consistency. So yeah, McGraw is a really interesting guy.

We'll see what, you know, how soon he can pitch. Maybe he starts next year in Modesto. He probably would be there now, if not for the injury. But yeah, he's a very high upside arm and there's a lot of variance. He could be a number three starter. He could be, you know, a bullpen guy. Like there's a lot of, there's a wide range of possibilities here. But the upside is pretty legit.

Coming in at number 14 is outfielder Jonathan Clas, who still only 21 years old, but he's been in the organization for a while here. He's finally made his way to AA. You had him ranked 14th and your personal list. Colby, I had him ranked 13th. He was ranked 18th in our preseason rankings. Clossey was, of course, one of the Mariners two representatives in the futures game last month. Statistically, he's having a really good year. Looking at the numbers here, 18 home runs and a whopping 62. stolen bases between high A and

double A, but there are legitimate holes in the swing. And despite his elite speed on the base pass, he is not going to be a center fielder. To me, Colby, I think he's someone that can impact the game more than a, than a Cade Marlowe or Alberto

Rodriguez, but his profile still screams fourth outfielder. What do you think? Yeah, there's way too much swing and miss in his game. He's a switch hitter, so he's trying to deal with kind of two swings. the good news is is that, you know, he is just 21 and he's in double A. So he does have, you know, a couple more years to figure things out.

But yeah, I don't, I don't see, you know, I saw a lot of people like, oh, he's the top 10 prospect and all that. And I just, you know, I don't think he is. And in fact, I would say there's a pretty sizable gap between him and the top 10 that we're about to talk about. Yeah. Because like you said, I don't think he's a center field. I think he could probably fake it for a year or two because of the great speed. but he does not get good routes. He doesn't get good jumps.

Like he is not, he is an athlete playing center field. He's, I mean, he's kind of the opposite of Kyle Lewis, where Lewis wasn't a burner, but he took great routes. He got really good jumps.

And that's how he made up for it. And Klossade doesn't do any of that, but he's just faster. So I think there's a fourth outfielder with some speed here. I don't know how he can maintain power and improve his contact skills. I just don't see that. and a few times I've watched him and based on what I read about him.

So I think he kind of has to pick a path here. Either he's going to hit, you know, 200 with a 30% strikeout rate and hit 20 bombs or he's going to have to focus a little more on contact and hit 10 bombs. And even then he's probably not going to hit more than 240, 250. Coming in at number 13 is Tyler Locklear Corner infielder, who's probably going to end up being a first base slash DH type. Pretty much is already.

Second round pick out of VCU. last year for the Mariners. He just recently got called up to AA. You have him 12th in your list. I have him 12th in my list, but because of how we ordered some other guys, he ends up coming in at number 13 on the master list here. And he takes up a decent jump from 20th in our preseason ranks to 13th today. I would venture to guess that Locklear would have wound up higher on this list had he not gotten hurt. broken wrists kept him out for two months

but he's back and like I said he just earned himself in promotion to double a he's had a great year so far slashing 305 422 549 with 12 homers in high A I still have some concerns about the bat speed and how that's going to play in the majors and he's more or less you know like I said

going to be a first base slash DH type so everything is is ultimately going to fall on the bat. But so far, so good, right? Any thoughts on Locklear? Yeah. It's a first base only profile, so he has to hit. I mean, that's just the way first base profiles work.

But I do think that he's at least an average hit tool, and I think he's got 60, 65 power. It's legit power from, you know, left field to right center field. And he can go out of, you know, any ballpark. He's going to be a pretty decent first. basement. I don't think he's going to be Evan White or anything like that, but I think he's going to be more than more than adequate there at first. He's a pretty decent athlete. Actually probably could fake it at third. I mean, you don't want him to, but if you get into a pinch,

he could do it. So yeah, Locklear's a guy that's grown on me quite a bit since he was drafted. I see pretty much an everyday bat, I think, is what we're headed towards. And he could be a guy who's in the big leagues, you know, maybe next year, somewhere of next year. Again, he'd lose two months of development time. That hurts. But, yeah, because I think, you know, had he not, he would have been in Arkansas, you know, a month ago. And we'd probably be talking about him starting next year, maybe in AAA or maybe even, you know, earning a spot in the big club. So I do think there's some good power here.

There's a good hit tool. He has a pretty good knowledge of the strike zone, recognizes spin out of the pitcher's hand. So he's not going to really struggle with breaking balls, or at least he hasn't so far. So yeah, I think Locklear is a solid everyday major league's first baseman. And, you know, that's going to rank you pretty high if you have a pretty good floor like, you know, an everyday player, which I think Locklear does have. So there is going to be a discovery made here on this show in just a moment. But first, reminder, this episode of the 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 and select more or less on their stats like home run, strikeouts, hits, and more. Get your picks right and you can win big. Making your picks is easy and takes only 30 seconds or less, and if you win, you can withdraw your payouts safe and quickly. Use promo code locked on. That's L-O-C-D-O-N. You will get up to $100 matched on your first deposit. Terms of Conditions apply. See Sleeper's terms of use for details currently operational in over 30 states. Checkout Sleeper today. And you are listening to the Locked-on Mariner's podcast.

Thank you again for making us your first listen as we unveil our top 15 Seattle Mariners prospects. And speaking of the Mariners, they are going to be facing the Kansas City Royals tonight. And over the course of the weekend, over at T-Mobile parking, catch all the action on the mayor's hometown broadcast, Sirius XM, via the SXM app. All right. It's time for the moment Colby has waited for. Coming in at number 12, Emerson Hancock, right-hand. a pitcher who of course made his major league debut recently unfortunately suffered an injury that has ended his season abruptly but the interesting thing here if you're watching on youtube you will notice

that colby has him ranked nice and i have him ranked 14th apparently i'm the emerson hancock hater of the show one more time uh no uh look it's it's really two things It's really two things here, right? One, he's still the best pitching prospect in the mayor's system for me. I just like the bats ahead of him more, right? And two, most importantly, he's had a difficult time staying healthy. And now this thing has come up with his shoulder. And look, I still think he can get better, but he needs stability in order to do that.

And I just wonder if the injuries are going to sap him of that chance and ultimately sap him of his talent, even further because obviously the guy we saw recently wasn't who the mariners imagined they were taken back in 2020 the stuff was generally unspectacular he didn't really have an outpitch we talked about this he generated a good amount of ground balls but if you're not missing bats with any sort of consistency it's going to be hard for you you know to find yourself anywhere but the bottom of a rotation in today's game so with that said though he looked like a major caliber starter. He looked fine. He didn't look overwhelmed. So I still think there's a good foundation to build from here.

And had the injury not occurred, I probably would have put him in my top 10 still. I just, I have a lot of concerns about what more wear and terror on his body does for his chances of being anything more than a number five starter. So anything you want to add, Colby, anything you want to add Colby other than being snarky? I would just like to say vindication feels good. And also, if you're watching on YouTube, I'm sorry that the words aren't matching Ties mouth right now. Are they not? No, but we're not stopping.

So deal with it. So it's like half a second off. Anyways. Yeah. Vindication never tasted so good. It turns out that the Kyle Gibson comps were actually. something that Ty disagreed with because he thought that he was more late stage Kevin Kevin Millwood so yeah sucks to suck doesn't it Ty I for one I for one love Emerson

Hancock and think he might be a good high in number four starter right by the way you're fixed am I fixed okay cool I unplugged my mic and plugged it back in yeah would have been great if you let me know about that earlier I was where you can start no I got to go so whatever all right coming in at number 11 is is Las Montez, who is now state side. Colby had him 13th. I have him 9th. He ranked 11th, so he stays right there in our preseason ranks.

Yeah, so obviously, Las Montes is the next Yordon Alvarez. Chills, did it again. But all jokes aside, I mean, he does mechanically look like Yordon in some ways, and that makes sense because he's obviously worked with the same hitting coach in Cuba but yeah let's pump the markets a little bit folks let's let's chill uh nevertheless uh montes is having a great year uh and he's on a ridiculous stretch right now uh he's still so raw as a hitter and he's still 18 years old so whatever but the natural talent and power is so obvious uh he's gonna give you next to nothing defensively he's probably a full-time dh everything falls on the bat as a result

and you know with a hitting profile like his you got to work about, you know, high strikeout rates, stuff like that. But there's obviously a lot of upside here. And he's just generally a whole lot of fun. What do you think? Yeah. Yeah, he's bat only, which always, you know, causes me to have some concern. But 19 years old, it's a pretty advanced bat.

He's handling his, you know, his business. It's a, I think right now it's about a 25% strikeout rate last time I check, which for a 19 year old, you know, playing in Modesto is, is not, is not a problem yet. The power is legit. It's 70 grade at least right now. And you can kind of go everywhere with it. The swing,

uh, based on what I can see. And again, I'm not a swing guy, but sometimes it gets a little long. So he struggles to catch up with velocity at the top of the zone. But again, it's only every once in a while.

He makes adjustments. He's a polished hitter, uh, for his age. This is just about time. It's about time and patience and not rushing the, the guy, um, probably starts next year in Everett would be my guess.

And I think it's possible you could see him in the year in Arkansas, but you don't want to rush. Again, he's just 19 years old. And the power and the hit tool and the plate discipline and the recognition skills, they're all as good as you could possibly hope for for a 19 year old. But because the bat is his only ticket to the big leagues, you don't want to rush it. You want to be absolutely sure with him.

So I would still kind of treat him with some kid gloves for for the moment. But yeah, there's a really high ceiling here. And if you can hit 270 with 30 home runs, which Montes might be able to do, it doesn't matter what you do defensively because you're a big leaguer and you're probably a fringe all-star at least. So, yeah, Montes high ceiling. You just got to take your time here. Don't, don't be quick to rush him. I don't think there's any point in trying to get Montes to the big leagues at 21 years old. if it happens great but don't rush it don't push it all right so now we're getting into our top 10 here and we're going to start with dominic canzone who's obviously with the big league club just

recently joined the mariners organization as part of the paul seawall trade uh you have him ranked 11th i have him ranked 10th uh can zone um he's been solid since coming over a couple homers a few doubles been impressed with his plate coverage and overall plate discipline i uh I just I don't get the whole he is a great athlete thing I don't he's not he he looks like an average outfielder at best he's a decent runner but the few times I've seen him run the basis hasn't look great like I think a lot of people just see his tall and slender frame and assume he's super athletic and I mean like he obviously is relative to the average human being but relative to other baseball players his age I just I don't see it I don't yeah relative to other outfielders

especially like sure he's a fringe left fielder I think yeah so yeah I don't see the athleticism thing either I see athleticism in the box he his swing isn't grooved he can cover the high strike you can get down low he can he can he can you know he has a swing that can cover pretty much the entire plate which is indicative of his low strikeout rate so I do think that there's some athleticism in the box I do think that he would be an above average first baseman if they just said you know that's your position go play it um and i don't think they have to push him off the outfield because the ball's hit in his general area he'll catch it like it's not like he's you know mark trumbo out there but yeah he's certainly not jared kelnick or he's closer to

teoscar hernandez it just kind of you know he'll get the job done but uh yeah i i do like to back quite a bit um you know he's going to be off this list by the end of the year just because he's going to graduate. So this will be his only appearance in our in our list. But I do think the bat is legit. I do think that there's, you know, some 270, 280 with 20, 25 home run years in the bat somewhere. And then it just comes down to, you know, does he do it at first base or does he do it in

the outfield or, you know, and can he do it multiple years? But I think he'll settle in nicely to, you know, kind of a 115 WRC plus type of guy. I think that's probably where he's, his ceiling's going to be. And maybe there's a platoon thing here. but I still like my comp assess Smith. I feel like that's a really good one. Yeah, I like some of the things we've seen so far. He makes the Mariners line up deeper.

You can do a multitude of things at the plate. So yeah, he's going to be a good player. All right. Coming in at number nine is Johnny Farmello, one of the Mariners three top 30 picks in last month's draft. He's not playing pro ball right now unlike Aidan Smith and Cole Emerson and Ty Pete.

But obviously the Mariners really like him. They went overslaught on him. him of course you have him 10th in your rankings i have him eighth in my rankings uh what are your thoughts on on farm molo yeah obviously he's a really good athlete five tool guy play center field like he's got uh you know right now i would call it average power uh but i think he's probably got 55 60 raw power in him uh again he's a he's a freak athlete he's so raw but there are some things that i'm not wild about particularly a swing he kind of locks his front arm in and it kind of to me makes the swing look less wippy than it needs to be.

He has bat speed. So it's not an issue of that. It's just, you know, once you start to face better and better pitching, you have to be, you just have to be quick through the zone. And to me, he kind of locks that front arm in and it kind of drags through the zone. Not a huge fan of the swing, but again, he's 18 years old. He's not going to be in the big leagues for four or five years. They have time to fix that.

So that's just my only minor critique right now. And I just, you know, I feel like the athlete is insane. It's funny that, you know, we could talk about the Mariners drafting Tai Pete and that might not be the best athlete they drafted. Like, it's insane how athletic the Mariners went in this draft. And I like Formello a good bit. I'm excited to see him start. I'm going to guess we won't see him until next year. and then I think they'll probably put him in Modesto,

but they might just put them in the Arizona Complex League for a few weeks and just kind of go there. But yeah, the Complex League is done with their season. So we see Farmello, he'll get a cup of coffee in Modesto, and I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility. I would just say it's unlikely,

but this is a really tooled up kid. You're listening to the Locktime Marries podcast. Thank you again for making us your first listen as we unveil the Mariners top 15 prospects or our top 15 prospects for the Mariners. Speaking of the Mariners, you can catch them and the Kansas City Royals duking it out over at T-Mobile Park on the Mariners' hometown broadcast tonight

and over the course of the weekend on the Mariners' hometown broadcast with Series 6M via the SXM app. All right, top eight time. Coming in at number eight is Ryan Bliss, another guy who was brought over in the Paul Seawald trade from Arizona. He's currently in AAA right now. Colby, you have him seventh.

I have him 11th. And it's been a struggle for him in AAA here. But there's a lot to like here, obviously. Above average defense up the middle, gets on base, conceal some bags. He's got some sneaky pop for being 5'6. I know you really like Bliss. So tell us more. Yeah, I like guys who have multiple paths to the big leagues.

I like guys who have multiple paths to being everyday players as well. has both of those things. He's an average shortstop. He can totally play that position. You'd be just fine. But he's going to be an above average, maybe even plus second baseman, which is where I think he ultimately lands.

He's not a burner per se, but he's a good base runner. He knows his strengths. He knows his weaknesses. He's very smart out there. He can steal you 20 bags pretty easily. The question is, how legit is the power? 5, 6, you know, bucks 70, I think is what he's listed at.

And a lot of power numbers in the miners are a little it could be juiced a little bit just from the ballpark and the competition, all that stuff. But I do think that there's, you know, there's legitimate punch here. I think it's going to be a lot of doubles and triples more so than home runs. But he can definitely, you know, hurt you a pole side in that way. So I think that I think that I think his floor, I think is Jose Cabiero. I think he's the guy's going to get on base. He's going to steal some bags, play a good defense.

Um, you know, occasionally. I think he's got more power than cabby, but you know, it's try to fight Marte Meldonado. Sure. I mean, try to. Upper cut that dude. But, uh, yeah, I think that's his floor is honestly. It's, it's, uh, it's cabby.

I feel like his ceiling might be Brandon Phillips a little bit. If you guys remember him, uh, red second baseman, 20, 20, a couple years, just good defense. Not a, not a, not a great on base guy, but about league average. I feel like Bliss can do that if he really wants to max out his power. So I'm a big fan. Like I said, I think he can get to the big leagues as a utility guy. I think he can be an everyday second baseman.

I think he could be a platoon guy at shortstop. I think he has multiple paths to get to the big leagues. And I'm a fan of that. Coming in at number seven for us is Tai Pete, another one of those top 30 picks for the Mariners. You have him at number eight. I have him at number seven. For me, if there's someone from the Mariners' giraffe class who's going to develop into a superstar guy who ends up getting, you know, $300 million when he hits the market, it's not for Mello and it's not Emerson.

It's, it's type he just turned 18 and he already exudes that like star presence and how he conducts himself. I mean, he just, he loves it. And he has all the talent in the world to back it up. Bat speed, it generates some ridiculous power. He's going to stick up the middle, whether it be, you know, at short stops, center field, whatever. He's got speed. It's just, it's the full package, man. It's just, it's going to come down to both, you know, the Mariners and Pete, obviously putting it all together over the next few years.

But, dude, the sky's the limit here. Yeah, it's just about the hit tool, right? Is he going to hit 230 or is he going to hit 270, you know? And I think that he has a shot to do either one of those things. It's, it's legitimate power. It's the bat speed is really impressive here. It's, I would say 25 home run power up the middle. And he has the potential to get more.

He is a plus runner, double plus arm. And, you know, again, the raw power is is really something. So I think, you know, he's still also, he's still 17 years old. Did he just turn 18? He just turned 18. So yeah. Yeah. And he's already, you know, in Modesto right now.

getting a cup of coffee there. I've heard that he has a good chance to stay at shortstop, but he's still growing. He's still getting bigger and stronger. So I wouldn't rule out and move to third base. If the bat really pops, but also center field, he is more than athletic enough to handle it.

Again, it's good to have multiple paths to the big leagues. The kid's so raw. But just the tools, right? Not the baseball, all that, just the tools. Pete's probably the best or most well-rounded prospect. in the mariner system because the power the speed the arm the field they're all going to be plus

it's just a matter of canny hit enough to be an everyday player and the mariners have five six years to figure that out and early returns by the way say yeah the mariners can teach guys how to hit a little bit yeah my favorite pick from the draft it wasn't it wasn't far mellow it wasn't emerson it was tie pete he's he's got it you know whatever it is he's got that so yeah we'll see if it all you know comes together uh our right number six here is felon celestine mariner's top international signing uh from the previous international signing period uh you have him at number five i have him at number six we've been talking about celestine for a while and i mean this is this is the case with pretty

much all of these guys right but celestine is is someone where i'll just take other people's word for it right i haven't seen him play i've seen clips of them hitting on the backfields here in there. Nobody really has seen him play. Yeah, I mean, he got hurt this year too. But yeah, like, I've seen him hitting on the backfields and that's about it. But, you know, the profile sounds great. It's an elite set of tools for his age, speed and power, plus he's more than likely going to stick up the middle. A lot of people think that he could be one of the best prospects in baseball in a couple years, which is really exciting. But yeah, what do you think? I think anytime people like who know some things

they start throwing around like Francisco Lindor comps you have to take that seriously and you know it's pretty easy to see why he's a short stop he's definitely going to be able to play shortstop there's really no concern about that as a switch hitter he's got some you know good raw power

numbers good speed like he is he's pretty close just in terms of raw tools to Pete I think I think he's actually like a little bit more of a polished version of Pete, but it's hard to say because we haven't seen the kid play. So we're kind of taking people's word for it here a little bit.

He very was very close to being seven for me. Like the difference between seven, five, six and seven in this list is pretty small. So I think, you know, I'm taking a lot of people's word for words for it here that Seleson is going to be a everyday shortstop who's probably going to hit for some average with above average power or at least average power that's that's a you know an all star uh if that all hit so um yeah i did hear somebody say like he at worst he's like carlos kean which maybe is just because you know mariner shortstop and all that stuff but kean was a pretty darn good player so if that's who he is and i'm i'm perfectly happy with that but uh yeah again we're just kind of banking on

smarter people telling us this is what he is and believing them Right. Coming in at number five is Michael O'Royo, who's made his way to low A this year. You have him ranked sixth. I have him ranked fourth. He was 10th in the preseason on our list. Michael Oroyo can hit. Like, he can really hit. And the fact he's already made his way state side at 18 is super impressive. He's playing shortstop for the most part right now, but he's probably going to move off that spot sooner rather than later. Um, my thing is when will more power come to fruition here with the bat and, and will the bat wind up profiling better at second or third when it does? What do you think, Colby? He's Michael Young. So I praise. I'm a big Michael Young fan.

So yeah, yeah, same. I think he's a guy who could play short. He could play second. He could play third. Um, I think he can hit, you know, 18 homers, 20 homers. I think he can hit 300. he's going to go line to line you know he's just going to be a guy

who nobody ever thinks about and he's going to make an all-star team or two and he's going to retire and you're going to look up and you're going to be like holy cow that guy was like a 35 war player a 40 war player like I think he's Mike Leone I really do yeah yeah I agree man and he's just like right now he's kind of hit a little bit of a

bump in the road and first time his entire career but yeah but also you know he's 18 years old playing in modesto right now like i'm not going to not worried about it yeah i'm not worried about that at all but uh he's uh yeah he's he's he's fun he's really fun all right coming in at number four is gabriel gonzalez who uh now in everett at just 19 years old uh colby you have him fourth i have him fifth and last year he was fifth or last uh last time we did these rankings he was fifth on our list um what gonzalez did last year and then you know at the start of this

year in Modesto at 18 and 19 is nothing short of remarkable really um you know he's struggled to adapt uh to high a so far but not concerned about it just like i'm not concerned about uh you know royo either um great hit tool some pop good understanding of the strike zone uh he's a corner outfielder he'll he'll be fine out there um i just i don't think he necessarily has the upside some of these other guys possess uh but he could be a really good big leger in a few years time so uh Yeah, what do you think? I'm just wondering if he's going to have the power to play in a corner and you feel good about it. He's not a center fielder.

The Mariners have agreed since he is going to be a left fielder. Probably arm is fringe average at best. So if you're going to be a left fielder, you got to hit with some pop. And I don't know if Gabby has, I don't know if he has that quite yet. But again, he's young. He might grow into it. He's pretty physically max. He's already 5.11, I think about 200 pounds.

So he's already pretty physically max. So you can add some bat speed. You can adjust your launch angle a little bit here, but you don't want to lose the power or the hit tool that is there. Because, again, it's the guy who's probably going to put up 350, 360 on base. I wonder if maybe he's Dom-Kan zone, but you trade a little bit of power for some more athleticism, I think is probably what you're looking at here.

I think right-handed Dom-Kan zone, probably going to be a better defender, probably going to steal some more bags, probably going to lean more on the odd base than slug. But I do think that they're kind of similar roles that you could see them both fill. And because Gonzalez is so young, you know, and he's still got a lot of time to develop, I think I'm interested to see how it happens and, you know, open to the idea that he could, we could wake up a year from now and he could have 20 home runs and, you know,

100 games and be in double A. and we're just like, oh, I mean, this guy might have 30 home run pop. So we'll see. He's definitely a guy I'm keeping my eye on over the course of the next year. And we'll see if you can maybe add some more pop to his game. All right. Coming in at number three, this is now the point in the list where you and I are both in full agreement. Cole Emerson at number three.

We both have him number three in our list. He's off to a ridiculous start in his pro career. He just made his low A debut last night. and Modesto he's got all-star written all over him um i think he winds up at third you know when this is all sudden done and the bat should profile very well there um and i think he could rise fairly quickly quickly through the farm as well uh what are your thoughts on old emerson i wonder if maybe he's kyle seger um which is you know mostly pole power but 25 30 home runs uh 260 average. I think he's got more of a hit tool than Kyle did. I think he's got more on base skills. He's a better athlete. So I do wonder though, Kyle Seeger is a correct comp here. And as much as we've had problems with Seeger in the clubhouse and off the field, he's a he's a dang good player and was for a decade. So if that's who Emerson is, then the Mariners have hit another home run. But it is, we could be underselling the power. It is legit plus bat speed.

he creates backspin pretty easily. Like it could be 30 home run power. It legitimately could get there. It's a good left-handed swing. Again, good athlete, probably third baseman. Wouldn't rule out second base, though. He's good enough to play that spot, especially early in his career. But I do wonder if he can play second base.

Imagine Kyle Seeger, but he plays second base. Like, think about how valuable that player is. So I do think that Emerson is, you know, a high ceiling. And I couldn't rule out that maybe he's Corey Seeger. Like it like we just don't know. We don't have enough information yet to tell this guy is going to be, you know, this or this. But sky's the limit. I mean, he is, he's basically what Cole Young was a year ago.

He's just a year behind Cole Young. But I think he has more raw power. I just have a few more questions about the hit tool. Because Young is just on another planet right now. It's coming in at number two. It's Harry Ford, who was our number one preseason. He's been overtaken by Cole. young. I've heard that Ford's

catching hasn't really taken the step forward that you'd like to see. And while the bat has been really good, it hasn't been good enough to pull the plug on his catching just yet. So that said, though, if I had a guess, I think he's probably going to end up playing second or third or

in the outfield in the majors, but he's only 20. So there's plenty of time for him to make it work behind the plate. For the most part, though, everything I felt about him when we lasted our rankings is what I feel now. So I haven't really changed my opinion on Harry Ford. Cole Young has just been that good this year, you know?

Anything you want to talk about with Ford here, Colby? No, I'm not worried about the defense. I think he's going to be at least average behind the plate. He's such a good athlete. And yeah, it just, you know, it comes down to the power, right? Is he going to be a 20 homer 30 double guy? Or is he going to be, you know, 35 doubles, 15? Like, is he going to be, you know, 25 home run guys?

probably not, but he's going to have high on base. He's going to run the bases very well. He's going to hit for a good average and he's definitely going to hit a ton of doubles. So it's still very high on Harry Ford. It's just he didn't so much lose the number one spot. It just got taken from him. Yeah. So number one, Cole Young, last year's first round pick.

He was fourth on our list before the season, but he has jumped all the way to number one. And I mean, what can you say? He's having an insane year. Like the hit tool is damn near elite. He's shown a bit more over the wallpower. He walks. He doesn't strike out much.

He's going to be a very, very good hitter at the major of the global. And possibly sooner rather than later, honestly, like the Mariners might strap a rocket to his back. Start beginning the process of that pretty soon here as well. Non-zero chance he finishes the year with a cup of coffee in Arkansas. And honestly, I think they should do that because, look, it's only for a couple weeks. And he's probably starting 20-24 there anyway. And I think by its spring. training 2025. We're talking about Cole Young

being the starting second basement for the Seattle Marriers. I mean, we'll see how 20 24 goes. But yeah, you know, he just turned 20 years old and he it's not just that he's performing on the field. The Mariners love the kid. They love the person.

He's, you know, a 20 year old who's playing like, who's acts like a 20 year bet at the big league level. He's, he's very meticulous. He puts in the work. He's, you know, just laser focused on getting to the big leagues as fast as he possibly can. And he's improved over the last year.

He can, and keep in mind, he can play shortstop. His move to second base is just out of convenience, really. He's going to, he would be at least an average shortstop. He's going to be a potential gold glove caliber, you know, second baseman. I think the floor here probably, honestly, is if you took Milwaukee, Colton Wong, bat and Cardinals Colton Wong glove. and you combine them into one player. I think that's probably the floor.

Like we talked before about how young like, oh, he's, he's Adam Frazier. Like I think that's a really good comp. No, because Adam Frazier doesn't have 20 homer power and Cole Young might. Well, Frazier this year might have 20 home power,

but he's not in for the average where Cole Young could. I think Young is going to face a choice. Either you can hit 300 and hit, you know, 12 home runs or he can hit 270 and hit 20 home runs. And we'll see what direction he wants to go. But it is, it is plus it is above average 55 grade pole power uh you know to center field

center field to the left field foul line it's going to be gap power he's going to hit line drives he's going to get doubles and triples he's a really good player at the end of the day and again he took the number one spot it wasn't handed to him people didn't graduate off like harry for it didn't fall into a funk no he he took it like he stole it yeah and it's his and i don't see any way any serious rankings can have anybody but Cole Young as the best prospect in the Mariners system. Agreed. It's clear as day to me for sure. All right. That's going to do it for our show. Thank you so much for joining us here

on the Lockdown Mariner's podcast for Colby Pat Note. I'm Tadden G-N-G-N-G-N-Zal. You can follow me at Daniazales. It's C-A-N-Z-L-Z and Colby at C-P-A-E-T-1. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok as well over at Lockdown 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 and the Royals starting the night on the Marrious hometown broadcast of Sirius XM via the SXM app.

Have yourself a beautiful baseball day, and we'll see you next time. Peace.