Seattle Mariners Mock Draft 2.0

Pick 55: Bring on the Arms

In addition to the news that Seattle is aggressively scouting college players, the Mariners are also rumored to be looking for a prep arm in the second round. Dipoto has a history of following a college pick with a prep arm, and it surely makes sense to do it again in 2018. The prep arms of the 2018 class are deep with quality options.

Fangraphs believes the Mariners to be interested in Lenny Torres, a 17-year-old RHP from New York. Torres has a plus fastball and slider, but has some mechanical issues to clear up, and needs to develop the changeup to stick as a starter.

So where do we go from here?

This would be the first time in the Dipoto era that the Mariners spend both of their top picks on pitching. After having success with the Sam Carlson selection in 2017, Seattle dips back into the highly touted prep arm market by selecting Owen White.

White’s fastball sits at 90 MPH, but he’s hit 94 in the past. The velocity should pick up, as White has plenty of room to add strength. At 6’3″, 175 lbs, White will need to add strength to stand up to the rigors of professional baseball. The heater shows good arm side run and should be a plus pitch in pro ball.

A tremendous athlete, White was a highly recruited QB before he focused on baseball entering his senior year. It appears to have been the right decision. White already has a good slider, and both his curveball and changeup are average offerings with room to grow.

Because of all these factors, White could wind up off the board before pick 55. He has a strong commitment to South Carolina, so similar to Carlson, Seattle might have to go over the slot value to put White into the Mariners organization.

However, with White’s 4 pitch mix, athleticism, and upside, it is well worth the gamble.