Locked On Mariners - Daily Podcast On the Seattle Mariners - Mariners Mailbag: Strength of Schedule, Prospects and Sam Haggerty

Episode Date: August 11, 2022

With the Mariners enjoying an off-day, Locked On Mariners hosts Ty Dane Gonzalez and Colby Patnode rank prospects 25-21 in Seattle's farm system and answer several listener questions.Be sure to follow... or subscribe to Locked On Mariners wherever you prefer your podcasts! For questions and other inquiries, email: lockedonmariners@gmail.comStay up to date with all things Mariners at Inside the Mariners - a FanNation website covering the Seattle Mariners on the Sports Illustrated network.Follow the show on Twitter: @LO_Mariners | @danegnzlz | @CPat11 | @InsideMarinersFor more of Ty and Colby, check out their Patreon: patreon.com/controlthezone/Blue NileMake your moment sparkle with jewelry from Bluenile.com. And, going on now is the Blue Nile Anniversary Sale … Save up to forty percent on classic fine jewelry pieces and twenty-five percent on engagement ring settings. Shop stress free and find your forever piece. Go to BlueNile.com today. 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.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 The Mariners are off today, so Colby's going to rank prospects 25 through 21 in Seattle's farm system, and we're going to answer some of your questions on today's episode of Locked-on Mariners. Colby, hit it. You are Locked-on Mariners, your daily Seattle Mariners podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. What's up, everyone? Welcome to the Locked-on Mariners podcast. It is Thursday, August 11, 2022, and thank you so much for making us your first listen of the day.
Starting point is 00:00:28 We are free and available on all platforms with new episodes dropping every single Monday through Friday Gazzalus. Join as always by my co-coes Colby Patnode. We cover the Mariners over at Inside the Mariners.com for Fan Nation over on the Sports Illustrated network. Be sure to follow the show on Twitter at LO underscore Mariners. Follow Inside the Mariners. You can follow me at Dame Gonzalez, this D-A-N-Z-L-Z. And Colby at C-P-E-T-1-1. Be sure also check out our Patreon over at patreon.com forward slash control the zone.
Starting point is 00:00:57 We post two additional podcasts on there every single week. Again, that is patreon.com forward slash control the zone. And if this is your first time joining us here on the Lockdown Mariners podcast, welcome to the show. If you like what you hear, give us a follow or subscribe wherever you're listening to this. And if you're watching us on YouTube, hit the subscribe button, turn on the notification bell and give this video a thumbs up. We greatly, greatly, greatly appreciate it. And today we are going to be ranking prospects 25 through 21 by Colby here in the Mariners. Farm System. We're also going to be answering some of your questions. We've got a few questions via
Starting point is 00:01:31 email. We got a few questions on Twitter. We're going to answer as many as we possibly can on that front. But let's hop into the prospects, continuing prospect week, which we've taken a couple of days off from, but we're going to ramp it back up. We did 30 through 26 on Monday show. And now we are doing prospects 25 through 21 in the Mariners Farm System, starting with L fielder, Zach Deloach, who has been a mean. in the Mariners Twitter sphere. Top prospects, Zach DeLoge, 23 years old, down in AA, Arkansas. He continues to fall down your ranks. I believe the last time he did your ranks, he was somewhere in the late teens. Now he's at 25.
Starting point is 00:02:11 Why does Zach DeLoch continue to fall for you? Yeah, just the odds of him ever being an everyday player are falling pretty quick. Looks like a fourth outfield ceiling, not really struggled or really. in the year. He's kind of turned it on as of late, but there's just not a lot of ceiling here. He looks like he's a fourth outfielder, maybe a slightly more athletic Seth Smith type. But is that somebody to really get that excited about? No. So, you know, he's still, he's a good athlete. Can't really stay in center field, though, and that really hurts his value. So he's a left fielder more than likely who, I don't know, might get 240 with 15 home run power out of him,
Starting point is 00:03:01 steal some bags. But that's really all he is. He's a fourth outfielder. There's nothing special about that. You know, there's not a ton of plus skills to work with, not a lot of plus tools. You're just kind of hoping that he hits his way to the big leagues. And, you know, for his age, drafted out of college. And he's still kind of, you know, puttering around down in double A.
Starting point is 00:03:22 it's a bit concerning. So fourth outfielder is valuable. You know, strong side platoon guys are valuable. And an athlete like him is still valuable. But it's just not worthy of being top 20, even in a mariner system that downgraded, I guess, at the trade deadline. It's just, he's just not quite there.
Starting point is 00:03:42 So still might be a big leaguer, but it's, there's not a lot of ceiling there. Coming in on number 24 is a player that you have become very excited about. one of their draftees from this past draft last month. Hogan Windish infielder currently at Loe Modesto. He's 23 years old. He's been playing second base, but might end up at first base slash DH.
Starting point is 00:04:07 That seems kind of where he's going to end up. And there's obviously been some comps to tie France. And he's been hitting the absolute heck out of the ball down in Modesto so far since he was called up. and you know this is this is pretty aggressive spot to place a guy that was just a recent seventh round draft pick so why do you like hogan windish so much so all it's an 80 grade name uh second of all the dude hits uh you know he hit in college uh he's hitting right now um it's funny you watch him the the stance to set up it all reminds me of michael young i'm a big michael young fan So, you know, former ranger shortstop.
Starting point is 00:04:50 So maybe that has something to do with it. But it's a line drive approach. He can go line to line. He's developing power. It's already there. It's about average. But it might be a little bit more to tap into. And I would say, you know, I think most people assume he was going to move to first base,
Starting point is 00:05:08 DH type, not so fast. Because according to Jason Churchill, who's been following him around for the last week or so down in the Cal League, he looks fine at second base. He makes the turn very well. He's got more than enough arm. He's comfortable there. It doesn't seem like it's a foregone conclusion that he cannot handle second base as a pro. So if you're getting an average bat, which I think Windish could be at second base and its average defense there, that's a very good player.
Starting point is 00:05:37 So I think there's a little bit of Austin Chinton here where this guy could really just, you know, have a great rest of this year. And then next year he starts at, you know, high A and he's in double A by May. I think the bat is that advanced. It's a very, very simple swing. And it generates a lot of bat speed. And like I said, the power is definitely there. So sealing, maybe that one year, Jose Lopez was really good. But I really see a Thai-Wigington, Steve Pierce type of comp here.
Starting point is 00:06:08 And that's valuable. And I think you can get there pretty quick. a big believer in the bat. So coming in at number 23, Axel Sanchez, who I know Jason Churchill likes quite a bit, 19 year old shortstop down on Loewa Modesto, having a pretty good year. Why do you like Sanchez? Well, he's a short stop. First and foremost, there's really no debating that. He can definitely stick it short. He's got the tools. He's got the arm. It's pretty fluid over there. I wouldn't say he's a plus shortstop, Arroyo better defensively. And there's some swing and miss here. There is. some things he has to clean up, but we're talking about probably average raw power right now.
Starting point is 00:06:51 We're talking about a guy who, you know, again, legitimate shortstop can stay there. It's a power speed combo that's pretty rare at 19 years old. I don't think he's a star or anything like that. But Axel Sanchez is a guy who is developing at a rate that may have made it easier. for Jerry to Poto to part ways with Edwin Arroyo because I think the Mariners really like what they have here. And Axel Sanchez, I think there's a shot that we're talking about him a year from now in the top six or seven of this mariner system.
Starting point is 00:07:28 We have to see how the bat progresses. There's still a lot of work to be done on the swing and all that stuff. But it's a legitimate shortstop. He's a above average runner with a plus arm with at least average power right now. And so if you can just get the bat to average, that's an all-star. So again, a lot of work to do 19 years old, but I think he can get there. And that's the profile that is really exciting for the Mariners to get their hands on.
Starting point is 00:07:52 A lot of work to do, but the Mariners are willing to do it. Number 22, Travis Coon, right-hand reliever, down in AA, Arkansas. I know a lot of folks that follow the Mariners farm system quite a bit are falling in love with Travis Coon. So why is Travis Coon rising through the ranks for the Mariners and for folks that follow the Mariners farm. Kind of out of nowhere, Travis Coon arrived this year, throwing 95 to 99 miles an hour with a two seamer that has run and sync. And a slider that is, I would say it's closer to like the James Paxton slider where it was like, is it a cutter, is it a slider? It's kind of in the middle.
Starting point is 00:08:38 But they're both legitimate swing and miss pitches. he's a reliever. There's no, like, there's no illusion that maybe he can start. He's a pure reliever. Needs to throw more strikes. Not great command, but really good stuff. He's 25 years old. So you really want to see him challenged. I would like to see him up in AAA here. But I think this is the guy who's got a really good shot to make the Mariners bullpen out of spring training next year. And if he has average control and command, you know, he's a seventh inning. type, possibly a high leverage guy, even if the slider finds a little bit more consistency. But it's too legitimate, you know, 60-grade pitches.
Starting point is 00:09:18 And if you can get to 50-grade command and 55 control, that's a high-leverage arm. All right. Before we get to number 21 on our list and start answering some of your questions, real quick, a reminder of this episode of Lockdown Mariners is brought to you by Blue Nile. Whether you're ready to pop the question or you're celebrating a milestone moment, find jewelry as unique as them with the modern convenience of online shopping at Blue. Nile.com. Blue Nile has simple online tools that let you choose the diamond shape, size, and clarity as well as setting style. Blue Nile's bench jewelers will then handcraft their perfect
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Starting point is 00:10:27 You're listening to the Lockdown Mariners podcast. Thank you again for making us to your first listen of the day. So Colby, let's hop back in to your prospect ranks and finish things up. here with number 21. Stephen Colick, 25-year-old right-handed pitcher, 25 years old. That's pretty old for a prospect, especially one that's down in AA. But why do you like Colick so much to put him at 21 on your list? It's a big fastball. It's 97 miles an hour. And it's a pretty easy 97. There's not a ton of effort in the delivery. The slider, I would say, is probably about 55 grade right now. The fun thing about the slider is he can not only get swings and misses outside of the zone with it,
Starting point is 00:11:09 he can throw it for a strike when he needs it. So it's a legitimate 55 grade pitch. The fastball is probably a 60 grade pitch. Now, again, he is 25. Control is not great. This all kind of screams, you know, reliever profile here. But there has been some improvement in his third pitch and a change up. he's working on it. It's flashed average. There's a chance he can start. There's a chance he's a
Starting point is 00:11:38 late bloomer. Ultimately, he's probably a reliever. Most pitchers are probably relievers. But it is one of those things where I would say that I think he has just enough of a chance to start that that's why I was willing to put him ahead of somebody like Travis Coon. But ultimately, I do think he's probably a reliever. And I am interested to see if they put a little effort into that delivery. Maybe he could regularly touch triple digits with the fastball and still, you know, throw a really nice slider that he can throw in the strike zone and outside of the strike zone and get swings and misses with. It's a really interesting arm. And, you know, maybe the Mariners have found something that other organizations couldn't in the 25 year old. Now, yesterday off air, you told me
Starting point is 00:12:19 this was your favorite crop of prospects that we were going to be talking about on this, on this list. Why? Not the best, but my favorite because Hogan Winddishes in it. And also Axel Sanchez. I really like what I'm hearing about Axel Sanchez. Travis Coon is a fun arm. I think, you know, there's a chance, Coon and Colick are both Mariners bullpen arms next year. And I don't think there's a, I don't think we can absolutely say that there's no chance that Colick is a starter at some point. Sure.
Starting point is 00:12:52 So, yeah, it's just a fun list. Like I said, I just, I really, Windish and Axel Sanchez to me, those are two guys that, I think a year from now could be top 10 prospects in a good Mariners system, which is going to reload again with probably an extra draft pick, if Julio wins rookie of the year, and a really good international class. I just think those guys are going to produce, and they're going to rise quickly.
Starting point is 00:13:16 So it's hard not to follow Mariners minors right now and not see the name Hogan, Winddish, and Axel Sanchez, just pasted everywhere. So those are two really exciting players. I think they're going to move. pretty fast. So that's why I really like this portion of the list. All right. So let's get into our listeners questions. And we're going to start with an email that we got earlier this week from Luke, who sent us a really, really nice email. Actually, he sent it back on August 5th. So sorry for just now
Starting point is 00:13:49 getting to this, Luke, but really appreciate the email. He's actually got four questions for us, but I think they're all like pretty quick that we can answer. Plus, they more so ask, about stuff with us rather than stuff with the team. And I think now that, you know, we've added a lot of subscribers. We've added a lot of listeners as of late, especially over the last month or so. I think it would be good for you at home to maybe learn more about us. So first question, we have some questions for me, some questions for you, Colie. So the first question is more so directed to me.
Starting point is 00:14:22 Ty, how did you become a Mariners fan living in Toronto? Well, so I was born in Washington. over there for 12 years of my life. Naturally, a Mariners fan because of that. Ended up moving around. And I met who would end up becoming my wife online. And she lives in Toronto. And so I ended up moving here. We got married. I'm a permanent resident here in Canada now. And so now the downside to that, unfortunately, is that I have to typically wait until 10 o'clock for Mariners games to even start, at least Mariners' home games or anytime they're on the West Coast. So that part is not fun, especially on, uh,
Starting point is 00:15:00 during the Monday night's crazy, or not Monday night, but the crazy 13 inning affair between the Yankees and the Mariners, because I ended up staying up until like 2.30 in the morning, watching that game. And then I had to record a video after and stay up until three. So yeah, so that can happen. There's a lot of long nights being a Mariners fan living in Toronto. And then he adds, if I'm understanding correctly,
Starting point is 00:15:23 you're involved a lot with Seattle sports in general. How did you get started in that? Well, that actually kind of ties into what your third. question on here is and that's how did you guys meet up how did colby and i meet up were you guys friends for a while before covering sports together or did the friendship develop while covering sports together it's the it's the ladder cold i can see it on colby's face right now he's going friendship yeah i don't know about that i remembered our anniversary so that's true that's true yeah you're still holding that against me you're going to hold it against me until the next
Starting point is 00:15:56 anniversary aren't you pretty sure i'm the one who remembered the see TZ anniversary as well, but okay. No, yes. Ty is definitely married, living in Toronto. Definitely, definitely, definitely, quote unquote. All right, so, yeah, so you're, it's a ladder for your third question.
Starting point is 00:16:19 Basically, how I got my start is how Colby and I ended up meeting each other. So Colby was the site expert over at Soto Mojo, which is the fan-sided site for the, for the Mariners. I applied. He approved me. I wrote under him for a few months. We ended up running the site for a while. And then once that ended up sticking together and starting our independent thing, which is control the zone on Patreon. We also started up a website called True to the Trident, which I didn't really follow through on because I ended up getting busy.
Starting point is 00:16:50 I ended up getting busy with other stuff. Colby was also writing over at what was called at the time, Seahawk Maven, now all Seahawks over on the Fan Nation network on Sports Illustrated. And he ended up getting me in touch with Corbyn Smith, who was the publisher at the time. And I ended up starting writing over there. And then I became Corbyn's co-reporter slash editor and did that for about a year and a half. Had some really cool opportunities from that. Fortunately, that came to an end a couple of months ago. And yeah, now I'm just doing locked on M's.
Starting point is 00:17:21 And I'm covering Inside the Mariners for, or covering the Mariners for Inside the Mariners over at Fan Nation for Sports Illustrated. So yeah. Yeah. I think what Ty was trying to say is that Colby got me a Mariners job, a Seahawks job, and then a legitimate like Seahawks job because you wouldn't have gotten a legitimate Seahawks job. Which led to a legitimate Mariners job. Yes. And all Ty ever got me was fired.
Starting point is 00:17:47 So, you know, it's one of those things where the relationship has had its ups and downs, let's say. But, yes, Ty was at all to me is what he's basically saying. I mean, to be transparent here, to be transparent here. I was the one who was asked to host Locked on. And then I said, I have a buddy that I podcast with. So technically, I got you this job. So debt repaid. Oh, so we're about even.
Starting point is 00:18:11 I got you three jobs. You got me one after you fired me from one of the jobs that I got you. Okay. I mean, I mean, I mean. No, yeah, no, sure. No, but yeah, it's, it's, uh, I had no idea who Ty was. And I only approved them because I was desperate for writers. So, yeah, it's true.
Starting point is 00:18:27 It's true. that's honestly not wrong all right so this this question is for you colby what's your background in player analysis I hear you quoting stats a lot but a lot of your comments make me think you've got your own very developed eye
Starting point is 00:18:44 for talent aside from just box scores or stat sheets have you spent time as a coach or a scout how did you find your way into that aspect of the game or what piqued your interest in it yeah so no scouting I did coach, but very low level, nothing that would give you an edge or anything like that. Yeah, I don't think I have a great eye for talent, to be honest with you.
Starting point is 00:19:08 I like who I like and I don't like who I don't like, and sometimes I can't explain it. But for the most part, I'm just reading the same stats you guys are. I just maybe place value on them differently. You know, for example, the Dylan Moore thing, right? Like, oh, well, he's got a 115 WRC plus. And it's like, well, that's great, but that's largely based on the fact that he said, at six home runs and like 100 at bats and that he's gotten hit by eight pitches like that's driving his on base percentage so like it's just one of those things that to me I always look at
Starting point is 00:19:37 contacts and I I try to blend kind of you know the numbers that I do love and I do I do place more value on with what my eyes are telling me and like it's you know lately the thing has been like Logan Gilbert oh his numbers have been fine except for the last two starts but watch him what do your eyes tell you about Logan Gilbert he's in trouble so So it's one of those things where to me it's just, I just read a lot, right? I'm not afraid to read other people's scouting reports. You know, I look at the numbers just like everybody else. Sometimes, you know, I look at more than one set of numbers.
Starting point is 00:20:10 It's just, to me, it's just about, you know, trying to have the biggest picture you can. So nothing special about what I do. Like I said, I'm not a scout. I'm terrible with like swing analysis. I pretty much farmed that out to other people who can do that. And so I just, it's, it's one of those things where, you know, I'm not, I'm not a scout. I don't have a scouting background. I just, you know, read a lot of baseball.
Starting point is 00:20:36 I watch a lot of baseball and I just kind of form opinions based on that. So there's nothing very scientific about it. I just, you know, I think I have a pretty decent track record at spotting who's going to be good, who's going to be bad. But that's just luck, as far as I can tell. And I think my decent track record is probably about the same as everybody else's 50-5. So just read a lot of fan graphs, a lot of baseball reference, a lot of stat cast, watch a lot of video, watch a lot of games, and just kind of, you know, trust what my eyes tell me and then back it up with the stats. And if the stats tell me I'm wrong, I kind of try to find out why.
Starting point is 00:21:13 And that's pretty much how I come up with my player evaluations or whatever you want to call it. Yeah, compiling stats, compiling the eye test and everything to lead to an ultimate conclusion. Right. That's what I do as well. Right. I would just, I know we got to run here, but I would just say also, don't be afraid to be wrong and don't be afraid to be wrong in a big way. Put yourself out there. If you're right, great.
Starting point is 00:21:34 Nobody cares. If you're wrong, everybody will let you know. That doesn't matter. Stay true to yourself. This is what I believe. This is what I think should happen. And if it does happen and it turns out great for you, awesome. If it doesn't, everybody will let you know.
Starting point is 00:21:48 And you can just ignore them. It's not that hard. So, yeah, don't be afraid to be wrong in a big way. All right. last thing from Luke, how do I get a Julio Rodriguez jersey? Since it's his rookie year playing for the Mariners and my first year cheering for them, that's got to be the jersey I get. Not to mention that he may be one of the goats when it's all said and done.
Starting point is 00:22:06 Thing is, I can't find anything on Amazon or on the Mariners online shop, but I know those jerseys exist. Do either of you know a place to look for them? So I actually looked into this myself recently because I would like to purchase a Julio Rodriguez Navy jersey. The best place that you're going to be able to find Julio jerseys is just the Mariners team store and they will mail you stuff if you call
Starting point is 00:22:30 them on the at the ballpark. I would recommend the team store at the ballpark itself. That's the best one. It has the most selection and has the most variety and it's typically your best bet to find the stuff that you want. The issue though is
Starting point is 00:22:46 with the supply chain issues going on. I mean even the Mariners themselves this year weren't able to wear the North press green jerseys for a month for the first month of the season because of supply chain issues. The jerseys are not as available as typically they would pre-pandemic, basically. You know, for me being a Mariners fan in Toronto or just a Mariners fan outside of Washington in general, it's awful for getting stuff because the websites, the MLB shops and the fanatics
Starting point is 00:23:14 and all that stuff just doesn't update. There's hardly anything on there right now. So I would call the Mariners team store. Now, if you do want a Navy jersey, Navy Julio jersey in particular, those apparently are not going to be in stock until September. They didn't tell me what date specifically, but they did say that September they are expecting to get them. So just a heads up on that if you are interested. But I would recommend the team store. Yeah, Team store is your best bet.
Starting point is 00:23:43 Kind of depends if you want like screen printed or you want stitched and all that stuff. But yeah, for some reason, the Mariners team store does not let you order online. You have to physically call them and place your order, which is to me one of the dumbest things that I've ever heard. But it is what you have to do. Fanatics you can get, I think right now you can get like a screen printed. It's still a nice jersey, but it's not stitch. So there's no like embossed on the lettering or anything like that. But I think you can get one right now for like 80 bucks, one of his All-Star jerseys.
Starting point is 00:24:14 So yeah, it just kind of depends on how much you want to spend and how long you're willing to wait. but you can order them at the Mariners team store. You just have to physically call them. Yeah. Or email them. All right. So we are going to get into your Mariner specific questions from Twitter in just a moment. But real quick, a reminder of this episode of Lockdown Mariners is brought to you by liver health formula.
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Starting point is 00:26:10 We're only going to be able to answer a few of these. But let's start with Daisy and the dingo. How much do you guys care about remaining strength of schedule? According to Tankathon and fan graphs, the Mariners have the easiest remaining strength of schedule in the Biggs. Colby? Some but not a ton. A lot of this is always subjective. Who's healthy?
Starting point is 00:26:32 Who's not healthy? You know, what starting pitchers am I going to run up against? like, oh, I play the Angels, you know, 10 times, but what have I faced Shoahia Otani three times? You know, it's one of those things where, yes, it's helpful and it can, you know, provide some hope when there's some, you know, maybe a downturn or something like that. But ultimately it comes down to who's playing well, who's healthy, who's producing, who's not, who's available, who's not. Like Cleveland, right, that's a big series coming up here, seven against Cleveland.
Starting point is 00:27:03 What if you have to face Shane Bieber twice? you know, what if, or what if, you know, Emmanuel Claisse pitched three of the last four days, and he's just not available for the first two games of the series, you know. So it does have value, but not a ton, especially the further out you get. The Mariners schedule in September,
Starting point is 00:27:20 like late September, really doesn't matter right now because we don't know who's healthy, who's playing well. So, uh, it's, it's helpful, but it's, to me,
Starting point is 00:27:28 it's not something that I, I study, you know, closely like Ty was close with the camera there. Yeah, I was trying to fix my laptop charter, which apparently wasn't plugged in. That could have been really bad for our recording there had I not noticed that. So, but yeah, you know, at the end of the day, it's baseball, right?
Starting point is 00:27:47 It's baseball. Things can happen. Craziness can ensue. You can't, nothing is a guarantee. No game is a guarantee that you're going to win, that you're going to lose, what have you. Right. So you can put some stock into it. Obviously, this is a very easy schedule on paper, right?
Starting point is 00:28:01 This is like the Mariners have to royally. mess this up or something has to go wrong that's out of their control like injuries right like a bunch of injuries for them to not be able to get through this uh at least you know somewhat above 500 right like there's a very good chance that they're going to be able to get through this i mean they only have to go 30 and 19 over their next 49 games to finish with the same record as last year i think there's a pretty good chance of them oh that's it yeah that's it just 11 over in 50 games oh okay no problem No problem.
Starting point is 00:28:35 No, I mean. You'd rather have an easier schedule on paper than a harder schedule on paper, but that's all it is. It's just, it's on paper. You still got to win the games. All right. So next question comes from Doug at Sal's underscore Doug. Jerry solved this problem at the deadline, but let's say you have two prospects who play the same position and are on a similar developmental timeline.
Starting point is 00:28:58 Think Cole Young and Edwin Arroyo, of course, who was traded to the Cincinnati Eddie Reds and the Louise Castillo deal. Do you have them play at the same level, one plays second, or separate levels? Colby? Yeah, so much about development is about the bat. It's the most important tool. And also this isn't a problem. Like, oh, I have too many short stops.
Starting point is 00:29:22 Oh, no. Great. So, yeah, it's just one of those things where if they're both ready for the same level, you find a way to make it work. And, you know, there's really no point in worrying about. like in this example, right, Arroyo and Cole Young. Let's say they were both at double A at the same time. By then you have a pretty good idea of which one's going to be your shortstop
Starting point is 00:29:42 and you just slide the other one to second base. It doesn't mean that like Cole Young would never play shortstop in this scenario. He probably would. And maybe you see what Edwin-Oroyo looks like in center field or third base or whatever. So, yeah, you just find a way to make it work. But ultimately it comes down to the bats. If the bats are developing at roughly the same level, that's a good thing. And you just put them where they're going to be challenged offensively the most.
Starting point is 00:30:04 where you still think they can succeed. So it really comes down to the bats, positions you kind of figure out later. And yeah, in this very specific scenario, you just slide one of the guys to second base because that still is an insanely valuable defensive position. Yeah, you're not going to put someone in an unfavorable situation just because their position isn't available. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:30:25 You know, so Cole Young and Edwin Arroyo, had they both been in the organization at the same time, I mean they were for like a couple weeks, but like actually, you know, had an opportunity to play with one another. Yeah, you would just move one of them to second base, likely young, who has a likelyer path to be in a second baseman
Starting point is 00:30:41 than that when a royal does. So, yeah, I think that's just what the solution would be in that situation. Because again, like, why would I want to put, you know, because we're talking about teenagers here, right? Guys that are in their late teens with both the Royal and young, why would I want to put a 19-year-old in high A when he's clearly not,
Starting point is 00:31:03 ready for it when most 19 year olds are not ready for a high a i mean obviously you got guys like exil sanchez that have made like quick little appearances there but usually they need to be down and you know low a or the complex league etc so uh just because they're their position isn't necessarily available to them doesn't mean that i'm just going to suddenly throw their development time out of the window so next question comes from taylor jolly at go mariners forever assuming Sam Haggurty continues to hit at a above average clip, what role do you see him playing in 2023, super utility role,
Starting point is 00:31:39 or do you see him getting a shot at a starting role? Colby? Yeah. So assuming that, you know, he stays at the big league level for the next 50 games, as he should. And in those 50 games, he gets another, I know, 150 played appearances, let's say, give or take.
Starting point is 00:31:59 And he continues to perform. I think at that point, you could convince me to go into the offseason penciling Haggerty in as the starting second basement next year. He's pretty good there. There's a lot of fun things he can do. He's really good, like number eight, number nine type of hitter. I don't think you should just assume that he's going to be that guy. I think if opportunity comes along to get better, there, you do it. And you just kind of slide Haggerty around.
Starting point is 00:32:25 But really what Haggerty does with a really good final 50 games is he puts himself on the 26-man, roster and forces the Mariners to find a way to kick him off. Right now, we're not even 100% sure that he's going to stick when everybody's healthy, even though he should, but we can't say that for sure. But we can't say that's for sure. But if Haggerty does stick and it continues to play like this for the next 50 games, then the Mariners have the burden to find somebody significantly better because let's not forget, Hagridy is also controllable and very, very cheap, which would allow them to
Starting point is 00:32:58 go spend more resources at, say, third base or in the bullpen or in left. field. So yeah, I think Cagherty is, I think he's going to continue to hit some. I don't think he's going to put up a 150 WRC plus, but I think he'll hit some and I think well, I think we'll probably happen is we'll enter the offseason
Starting point is 00:33:15 saying he's penciled in as the starting second baseman because there's literally nobody else. And then ultimately I think the Mariners plan for him would be as kind of the 10th guy, the 11th guy, right? The guy who plays second, left field, third base, and plays three or four times a
Starting point is 00:33:32 I think that's probably what his ceiling is, but I mean, he does put up a 150 WRC plus over the next 50 games. And they tell me he's our starting second baseman next year. Yep, totally get it. Yeah. Right now, since the All-Star break, Sam Haggerty is first in batting average. And this is on the team, of course. First on batting average.
Starting point is 00:33:52 First and slugging percentage. First in WRC plus, first in F4, second and on-base percentage by like six points. He's been very good. And of course, part of that, part of him being so high on the rankings list is, you know, Julio Rodriguez hasn't played a lot. Thai France hasn't played a lot, McChanager hasn't played a lot. But Haggerty has been really, really good. He's an everyday player right now. Who knows if that continues, but right now he's an everyday player for the Mariners.
Starting point is 00:34:20 They got to keep going with him. He's the hot hand right now. And he's helping them win games. You know, yesterday they had no sense of life against Nestor Cortez Jr. And then he hits that home run and that kind of broke things open for the Mariners. at that point. So yeah, he's, he's, he's been massive for them. I mean, even, you know, you think back to the, the Texas game when they were down, what, for nothing or whatever, and then he hit the inside the park home run, that kicked everything off of the Mariners and that went. So he's,
Starting point is 00:34:45 he's been kind of a, the energizer buddy for the, for the Mariners and plenty of ways. So that's going to do it for our show today. Thank you so much for joining us here on the Lockdown Mariners podcast for Colby Pat note. I'm tidying it's all us. Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter at L-O- underscore Mariners. You can follow Inside the Mariners at Inside Mariners. You can follow me at Dan Gonzalez, this D-A-N-Z-L-Z, and Colby at C-P-E-T-E-1-1.
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