Seattle Mariners have great first day of 2017 MLB Draft

While the Seattle Mariners took care of the Twins on the field, Jerry Dipoto and Scott Hunter took care of the franchise off the field.

The Seattle Mariners had 2 picks on Day 1, Pick 17 and 55. They spent the former on Kentucky 1B Evan White, and the latter on prep arm Sam Carlson.

The Seattle Mariners had been connected to college bats since early March, and they did not surprise anybody with the selection of Evan White.

White, a Golden Spikes semifinalist, led a potent Kentucky offense to the Super Regionals with his powerful right-handed swing and excellent defense at first.

I profiled White in an earlier article, saying this:

"…He is athletic enough, with a strong enough arm, to cover all 3 outfield spots at the next level. The drafting team could leave him at first, where he is already a plus defender with Gold Glove potential.White’s weakest tool is his power, which is a big reason why the team might want to convert him to the outfield. With a career .357/.412/.526 career hitter, White has stepped his game up, slashing .380/.454/.654 in 2017."

It sounds as though the Mariners are content to keep him at first. White has true 20-25 stolen base threat in pro ball and should hit with enough power to possibly be a 20/20, Gold Glove first baseman.

In the Second Round, the Mariners took high upside prep arm, Sam Carlson. The Mariners have indicated they are willing to go over slot to sign Carlson and expect him to sign shortly.

On the field, Carlson has a good upside in this draft. Hero Sports prospect guru Christopher Crawford had this to say about the Mariners selection of Carlson:

Carlson poses a hard, sinking fastball that sits at 92 mph, and has touched 97 at times. He also poses an above average slider and a solid, average changeup. He backs it all up with above average command, filling the strike zone with all 3 pitches.

There still room for him to grow, and could project to be a top of the rotation starter. At 6’4″, 185 lbs, Carlson might need to add some weight to his frame, which could allow his stuff to play up even more so.

Next: Mariners prepping for a big stretch run?

Both Evan White and Sam Carlson will find themselves in the Top 5 of Sodomojo.com updated prospect ranks. The Mariners will next pick will be at 91 as the MLB Draft continues tomorrow.