Seattle Mariners Prospect Trade Target List: AL West

Texas Rangers

Colby’s pick: UTL Eli White

Finally, we have reached a team that is in the most similar situation to the Mariners, the Texas Rangers. Not really committing to a full-scale rebuild, the Rangers have a veteran-heavy team but also has the solid, young pieces to trade depending on which direction they want to go.

For this farm system, the name I have zeroed in on is Eli White, an infielder with an opportunity to be an everyday utility man. White, who was acquired in the Jurickson Profar trade, has an interesting set of tools to work with.

He is an above-average hitter, though he has little home run power. He takes walks, hits a lot of line drives, and uses the whole field. He also has above-average speed, arm, and defensive abilities. He reminds some of former Mariners prospect Chris Taylor, except White has flashed the type of upside in the past.

He reminds me more of Ben Zobrist and should be able to handle any position on the diamond. His best spot is probably second base but won’t kill you at any position. White’s versatility and a solid approach at the plate make him an exciting option for whoever he plays for.

Ty’s pick: C Sam Huff

Sam Huff is a massive dude. At 6’4″, 230 pounds, Huff is one of the bigger catchers in the game of baseball right now, which has brought up questions about if he can actually make it at the position. For now, Huff has kept these concerns at bay, for the most part, showcasing above-average framing and throwing mechanics.

Life in professional baseball was tough on Huff in his first two-and-a-half years in the Rangers’ system. Last year, Huff slashed an abysmal .242/.292/.439 line with a 31.3% strikeout rate at just the Low-A level. Still, his massive build and athleticism have kept his outlook fairly optimistic, and he’s certainly making a name for himself thus far in 2019.

Through 29 games at Low-A Hickory, Huff has already hit 14 (!!!) home runs with 27 RBIs, slashing an outrageous .317/.355/.769—good enough for a 218 wRC+. Defensively, Huff has caught 13 of 22 steal attempts and has looked well improved in all facets of catching, though he’s only seen 14 games of action at the position.

The strikeouts are still an issue, as Huff currently sits at a career-high 33.6% rate. Considering he’s never seen this kind of success at the plate before and is likely bound to regress to some degree, the consistency of his strikeout woes won’t be overlooked, especially when they’ve come at such a low level in the minors. If the defense is still an issue in addition to the strikeouts, Huff’s production likely won’t raise his stock very far.

Huff makes a lot of sense for what the Mariners have looked for and what they need. Seattle is paper thin at the catching position behind Cal Raleigh in their farm system. Huff is similar to Raleigh in the sense that both may wind up at first base rather than catcher, though the former is well ahead of the latter defensively. At the very least, Huff has done enough to be given a look at catcher as he climbs the minor league ranks.

As we continue our series across the rest of the divisions in baseball, remember that these are prospects we like and think could be traded this summer. We would love to trade for Vlad Guerrero Jr., but it isn’t going to happen.

The Mariners will undoubtedly be busy this summer, so just file a few of these names in the back of your mind.