Prospect Watch: Mariners Top 10 Prospects- #6 Luiz Gohara

The Mariners are believed to have very few potential “impact” players in their farm system. Luiz Gohara fits that mold and arguably has the biggest upside of any of the Mariners prospect.

6. Luiz Gohara

After receiving a record bonus for a Brazilian-born player at age 16, Gohara finally had a breakthrough in his age 19 season. He had to start the year in Everett again but quickly climbed the ladder to Clinton after just 3 starts.

Gohara’s fastball sits between 93-95MPH with some sink thanks to his 3/4 arm slot. The slider has flashed signs of excellence. It looks like it will be at least an average Major League offering. The changeup lags behind the other pitches, but showed a slight improvement in 2016.

He dominated in the low minors, posting a 1.81 ERA while striking out 81 hitters in 69.2 innings. His control improved in 2016, walking only 23 after allowing 5.3 BB/9 in 2015. While a 3.3 BB/9 in 2016 isn’t ideal, the progress is encouraging.

Gohara is a below average athlete, which leads to difficulty repeating his mechanics at times.

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Listed at 6’3″ 210, he worked hard in the past offseason, dropping 30 lbs in an effort to gain fluidity.

After seeing positive results on the field from his hard work off it, Gohara has revamped his workout routine. He gets high marks for his commitment to improve and continues to get better with his mechanics.

Gohara was widely speculated to be headed to the Reds in a Zack Cozart trade at the deadline, but the deal fell through. Jerry Dipoto is still looking for a middle of the rotation arm, and he might be his best chip to make it happen.

There is no guarantee that he will stay in the organization before his MLB debut, as he doesn’t fit the Dipoto mold. His high upside could entice a few teams to take a chance on the talented 20-year-old.

Next: Sucre To Have A Rough 2017?

Gohara is still a few years away as a starter, but his 95 mph fastball and tough slider could make the lefty a bullpen option sooner than later.

Our #5 prospect is similar to Gohara but from the offensive side of the ball.

Grades (20-80): Fastball: 60 Slider: 50 Changeup: 40 Control: 50 Overall: 50 (65 potential)

ETA: Starter-2020 Reliever: 2018 Role: High leverage reliever or #3 starter