Mariners 2011 Draft: Review

It’s been a fun couple of weeks, huh? Okay let’s dwell on some good stuff.

Let’s take a look back on the June draft and see how things are coming a long with their newest draftees. Looking at the Mariners 2011 draft they’ve already managed to sign 32 of their 51 draftees (62%), in an effort to put that number into context the last couple of years the Mariners managed to sign 82% (2010) and 64% (2009).

As of right now there are still some big names left on the docket that have not signed. Danny Hultzen, Brad Miller, Carter Capps and Carson Smith are all names that should sign sometime in August if not even a bit sooner than that (with the exception of Hultzen who will most likely sign the day of the signing deadline.).

Of course there are a few more names to look and remember.

Tyler Marlette, C: Hagerty HS, Oviedo, Fla. Fla.

Great catch and throw skills. Defensively he has things together and should stick behind the plate. But, has some issues at the bat. The good news with the stick is that he’s not Steve Baron. The bad news about him behind the plate is that he’s not Steve Baron. Win some, lose some.

Tanner Chleborad, RHP: Stevens HS, Rapid City, S.D.

Raw high school that sits in the high 80s but with a projectable 6’5 frame could be an interesting project. Said to already have a the makings of a decent curveball.

Cavan Cohoes, SS: Patch HS, Stuttgart, Germany

Shows solid defensive skills but the bat is a serious concern. He has yet to see any legit pitching and there are concerns that he may not ever hit.

and than of course lastly you have…

Kevin Cron, 1B: Mountain Pointe HS, Phoenix

Amazing power, solid hitter from top to bottom. He could easily end up being the best player of this draft class for the Mariners. But, the question is more about TCU than it is about the skills.

*quick thought on Cron’s signability*:

I think that Cron is completely signable. But, as G_Money has pointed out over at MarinerCentral, it’s just likely to take more than the 1.5 million (what his brother got as a first rounder) to sign him.

A comparable name that I threw out was another former third round “catcher” Royals, Wil Meyers, who signed for 2 million dollars back in 2009.  Both are guys that weren’t going to stick behind the plate but had game changing bats, just out of high school.

I know he’s been recently quoted as saying that there hasn’t been any talks with the Mariners but that’s not uncommon at this point. The fact that the Mariners have signed so many prep kids already just shows that they are busy working to get guys in the organization.

He may very well not sign, but at this time my gut says they get it done.

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Already it appears the Mariners have done a solid job recruiting and signing young talent.

Richard White, RHP: St. Croix Educational HS, St. Thomas, V.I.

White is a really interesting young guy. He throws in the low-90s and has the making of a couple of breaking pitches. He doesn’t much in the projectability but there are some people that were really surprised he dropped so far as well as that he signed.

Nick Valenza, LHP: Horizon HS, Scottsdale, Ariz.

I love Valenza in the Mauricio Robles/Jordan Shipers mold. He doesn’t have the secondary stuff that compares to either of those guys at the same stage. But, he’s already touched 93 and I believe that with some maturity he should sit in the low-90s.

Jack Marder, C: Oregon

Just like Valenza, Marder is a guy that I absolutely loved in the 16th round. There are a lot of people that feel like he could be one of the better catch and throw guys in the entire draft. Not to mention he has started to show that he is capable of swinging the bat while at Cape Cod  (.298/.345/.404)

James Zamarripa, OF: Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) HS

Zamparripa is one of the few pure center fielders that this front office has actually drafted in the last few years (along with Frankie Christian and Tillman Pugh). But JZ has done well early on and with his speed and defense it should be interesting to see how he progresses.