Sodo Mojo Presents, Seattle Mariners Top 30 Prospects: 20-16

19. Art Warren, RHP

It was only a matter of time before we got back to the reliever corp. Coming in at number 19 is the hard-throwing Art Warren. When you talk about fastball velocity in the Mariners system, nobody can quite replicate Warren.

After sitting 91-94 as a starter, Warren moved to the bullpen where he routinely sat in the upper-90’s, occasionally hitting 100 MPH on the radar gun. Warren was on track to make his MLB debut in 2018 until a shoulder injury cost him most of the season.

Warren is a bit of an enigma in the system. He will turn 26 in March and despite good stuff, has just 15.2 innings in AA ball to show for it. The fastball is electric and the slider flashes well above-average at times. He even throws a curveball and a changeup on occasion, the former acting like an average offering, Yet Warren can get hit hard.

Last season, he walked 14 batters in 15.2 innings. Part of that is his shoulder injury, but it is also his consistently below-average command.

The command issues stem from his high effort delivery which he has trouble repeating. When Warren can locate his stuff, he looks like a potential closer. Unfortunately, those days are few and far between.

For now, Warren needs to focus on getting healthy above all else, then continue to work his mechanics to find some way to help him repeat his delivery. He will likely start the year in AA Arkansas but could see the big leagues by mid-season if he can stay healthy and show growth on the mound.

Scouting Grades- Fastball: 70 Slider: 55 Curveball: 50 Changeup: 40 Command: 45 Probability: 2.5/5