Seattle Mariners Top 30 Prospects: 25-21, Finally Some Bats

22. Keegan McGovern, OF

Typically, when any team, including the Mariners, draft a college senior, they are just trying to save some bonus pool money. And while Keegan McGovern didn’t rake in a huge bonus, they did hand him a little bit of cash. A $65,000 bonus is pretty significant for senior signing, and it didn’t take McGovern long to make that look like a sound investment.

During his time at the University of Georgia, McGovern was a “get on base, run into an HR once a month” type of guy. Then, and stop me if you’ve heard this before, he changed his swing an unlocked some legit power.

His senior year he hit 18 bombs and did it without sacrificing any contact or walks. The Mariners selected him in the 9th round and after a brief pit stop in Everett, shipped him off to full-season ball in Clinton.

All McGovern managed to do in his pro debut was slash .268/.351/.523 with15 homers in 65 games. He has a simple set up and quick hands and has shown power to all fields. McGovern shows high marks for his work ethic (he was a captain at Georgia) and intelligence ( SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year).

McGovern has already shown a willingness to make changes in his swing and coupled with the work ethic, he is an easy guy to root for. Defensively, he’s not going to win any awards, but despite his 6’2″, 220 lbs frame, he is a decent runner with enough arm to handle RF as well as LF.

He will likely start the year in High-A Modesto. With his power, watching him in the hitter-friendly California league will be a lot of fun. The Mariners may have stumbled onto a legit prospect in the 9th round, and McGovern is a name fans will want to track going forward.

Scouting Grades- Hit: 50 Power: 55 Run: 50 Arm:50 Field: 45 Probability: 2/5