Mariners 10 Round MLB Mock Draft

Remember earlier in the article, when I talked about the dark horse player who might be the pick at 14? Well, the Mariners are giving the teams the impression that they love this player. So much so that they might try to cut a deal to save money for later picks and shock everybody with selecting this player at 14.

However, we are being told that we can still expect the Mariners to go with a college player at 14, and they’ll pray that this player falls to them at 54. There is a decent chance it happens, so who is this “mystery player”? Let’s find out.

With the 54th pick of the 2018 MLB Draft, the Seattle Mariners:

The Mariners have a habit of going college player in the first, and high upside prep player in the second. In Dipoto’s first two draft classes, these players were Joe Rizzo and Sam Carlson. This year, it very well could be Jackson.

In addition to the pattern of prep players in Round 2, the Mariners also love a balanced approach to their draft. Adding a pitcher in Round 1, and a bat in the second keeps Seattle where they want to be.

Jackson himself is a nice prospect, who has average to slightly above-average tools across the board. Jackson is a good athlete but doesn’t have the quick burst to stick long term. He will likely find his long-term home at second, where he should be a plus defender.

Jackson is still growing at 6’1, 170 lbs but has a quick bat and surprising strength, that could generate 12-15 home runs when he develops. The comp I have landed on is Howie Kendrick.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 55 Power: 45 Run: 50 Field: 50 Arm: 55 Overall: 50

Prep players are always risky, but the Mariners love Jackson enough to consider him in the first. They’ll just have to hope he falls to them at 54.

With the 90th Pick of the 2018 MLB Draft, the Seattle Mariners Select:

Like Kowar, we have written about McKenna in our draft prep series. Hailing from the same program as Mitch Haniger, McKenna gives the Mariners farm system another solid OF prospect with a decent upside.

The hit tool will have to carry him to the big leagues, but it has every chance to do just that. McKenna has a good swing, and some believe that more power could be on the way. He was able to raise his slugging percentage in all 3 seasons at Cal Poly. He shows good gap-to-gap power and could hit 15 homers as he continues to develop.

Defensively, he is probably destined for LF, despite playing a nice CF for most of his college career. He lacks the speed to stick in CF, and his routes and jumps aren’t crisp enough to compensate. He should be a good defender in left, where is below-average arm can be hidden a bit.

The most likely scenario for McKenna is as a platoon outfielder or solid 4th guy. While not exciting, for a 3rd round pick, this is a good return on investment.

The Mariners will love his advanced approach, and his bat speed is a good indicator of power to come. While not an elite prospect, with the 90th pick, McKenna gives you a nice blend of floor and ceiling.

Scouting Grades(20-80)- Hit: 55 Power: 45 Run: 50 Field: 50 Arm: 40 Overall: 50

With the 118th Pick of the 2018 MLB Draft, the Seattle Mariners Select:

I wrote about Nick Sandlin a while ago, and I absolutely love him. I love his arsenal and I love his numbers. Oh, and I also love his versatility. After dominating out of the pen as a freshman and sophomore, he moved to the rotation this year and the results were more or less the same.

In 95 innings in 2018, Sandlin has struck out 134 batters. Yeah, you read that right, 134. Throw in a 0.69 WHIP, and only 15 walks this season, and you have a Jerry Dipoto target.

Sandlin has 4 pitches all average or better, with good control to boot. His pitching motion leaves some to believe he is destined to work out of the pen. The drafting team would be fools to not give him a shot in the rotation though.

With the 148th Pick of the 2018 MLB Draft, the Seattle Mariners select:

Keirsey is a guy with a lot of helium and could be long gone by the 148th pick. If not, you better jump on him quick, because it could be an absolute steal. His best tool is his speed, which he is still regaining after surgery to repair a significant hip injury.

He is currently a plus runner and should return to his double-plus runner. He has a surprising amount of pop, as you can see in the video below where he blasts 2 dingers.

As he continues to regain his speed, his defense has improved as well. He should be able to handle center in pro ball but might be a gold glover in the corner. His arm plays better in left than right but is still good enough to handle all 3 spots.

Keirsey’s incredible .386/.440/.609 slash is impressive, his hand-eye coordination allows him to avoid strikeouts at a good rate.

Scouting Grades- Hit: 50 Power: 45 Run: 70 (when healthy, 60 now) Field: 55 Arm: 50 Overall: 50

So far, we have a draft that includes 3 bats and 2 arms, giving us the balance the Mariners seem to covet. But in order to achieve perfect balance, we dip back into the pitching pool.

With the 178th Pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, the Seattle Mariners select:

If Rasmussen’s name sounds familiar, it may be because he was the 31st overall pick in last seasons draft. But after a post-draft physical discovered an elbow in need of Tommy John, the Rays opted not to sign the Oregon State stud.

The drawbacks are obvious, and center largely around the 2 Tommy John surgery’s Rasmussen has required in just 3 years. When healthy, Rasmussen has a true starter’s mix, including his 95 MPH heater. The slider and changeup showed growth, but are currently average at best.

The team taking Rasmussen will need to be patient, but if you’re willing to wait, you might be rewarded with a steal in the 6th round. His stuff will play up in the bullpen and could be an effective late-inning option if he cannot sustain as a starter.

We have reached the home stretch. The Mariners have had a balanced draft thus far, but now it’s time to play with the long ball.

With the 208th pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, the Seattle Mariners select:

This is a guy I found only recently, but it’s hard to look at Lancaster’s numbers and not be impressed. After a solid 3 seasons at CCU, Lancaster has exploded in 2018, bashing 19 home runs while adding 23 stolen bases.

Lancaster has cut down his strikeouts this year and has drawn a high volume of walks. Defensively, he is unlikely to stick at SS but is a good enough athlete to make the conversion to 3B. Adding this kind of power/speed combo at pick 208 is rare. However, if the Mariners believe this season is legit, Lancaster would be a steal in the 7th.

With the 238th pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, the Seattle Mariners select:

Joe Wainhouse crushes baseballs. He has legitimate light tower power. Wainhouse’s career numbers show him as a classic home run hitter who will swing and miss, but takes a good number of walks. He reminds me of former Mariner Russell Branyan, so I irrationally love him already.

With the 268th pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, the Seattle Mariners select:

To be honest, when you get down this far, these are really just educated guesses. So when you see a guy named Devlin Granberg with a 1.182 OPS to go along with 11 homers and 23 steals, you just go along with it. He doesn’t strike out a lot and has a relatively simple swing. He has succeeded at a good baseball program and in a wood bat league, so let’s make it happen okay?

With the 298th pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, the Seattle Mariners select:

I have no idea. But Adam Scott is an awesome actor, so why wouldn’t he be an awesome pitcher. In all seriousness, when searching the stats for gaudy numbers, Scott’s 137 strikeouts in 103 innings jump out. So too does his minuscule 1.57 BB/9.

Scott has been durable in his career, making 59 starts in 4 seasons. At this stage, these are just guesses, but his K/BB ratio the past 2 seasons seems to indicate he has more in the tank than his ERA would suggest.

So that’s a wrap. Sit back, enjoy the draft. When it’s all over, look back on this draft and laugh at how we didn’t get a single player right. But it’s draft day! So let’s all dream for the best, and enjoy the ride!