Seattle Mariners MLB Draft Prospect Profile Logan Davidson

The MLB Draft is just a week away and what the Seattle Mariners will do with their first-round pick remains to be seen. Today, we look at one option, a college shortstop will some offensive upside.

While most of the rumors involving the Mariners are focused on prep shortstop Anthony Volpe, I refuse to believe that he will be the selection at 20. Typically speaking, Jerry Dipoto has preferred college prospects to prep prospects and strongly considers the floor of his first-round picks.

In this draft, it isn’t too hard to find a high-floor college bat. One such player is Logan Davidson, a shortstop for Clemson University. The switch-hitting, 21-year-old shortstop is expected to go in the late first round.

Offensively, Davidson has above-average pop for a shortstop, having cranked 15 home runs in each of his last two seasons and posting a .592 slugging in 2019. But Davidson also has some questions regarding his swing, which gets long at times, leading some to wonder if he can hit plus velocity.

The long swing produces strikeouts, but Davidson does have a good eye and will take his walks as well. If not for his struggles with wood bats in the prestigious Cape Cod Summer League, Davidson would likely be a Top 10 pick this June.

Defensively, Davidson will have no issue sticking at shortstop, though he probably won’t win the Gold Glove any time soon. He has a strong and accurate arm with nice footwork that will allow him to stick at the position despite his tall frame.

Davidson also has above-average speed, which should translate to 10-15 stolen bases at the next level. There is still hope that Davidson can add strength and bat speed. The 6’3″, 180 lbs shortstop certainly has the frame to add good weight.

Whether or not he can add the weight without sacrificing any speed to quickness remains to be seen. If the can’t, he has the arm to handle third base, but that would put more pressure on his hit tool to develop.

Scouting Grades (20-80)- Hit: 45+ Power: 50 Speed: 55 Field: 55 Arm: 60 Overall: 50

The team selecting Davidson will be the one who believes they can turn the hit and power tool up at least half a grade. If that team is the Mariners, they’ll need to show a bit more patience than normal for a college bat, as Davidson does have a lot of work to do.

If everything goes well, Davidson could be a .250/.340/.450 hitter with 15-20 home runs and solid or better defense up the middle. While not exciting, those numbers are excellent for a shortstop. Because of his power and defense, he should still be an everyday shortstop or strong utility player if the bat never gets going.