Seattle Mariners 2020 MLB Draft Prospect Profile: Reid Detmers

The League schedule is well underway, but the Mariners are out scouting some early college baseball games. Today, we look at one potential selection Seattle could make at #6.

The 2020 MLB draft is loaded with quality, college pitching. Amongst one of the names who could interest the Seattle Mariners front office is Louisville LHP Reid Detmers. The 6’2″, 210 lbs lefty doesn’t turn 21-years-old until after draft day 2020 but is one of the most polished arms in the draft.

Detmers earns comparisons to former Louisville Cardinals legend and current Tampa Bay Rays starter Brendan McKay. Both are good athletes and are roughly the same size, but Detmers doesn’t have the raw stuff that McKay did.

But Detmers makes up for it with plus command and 3 quality pitches. Detmers’ fastball ranges from 90-94 MPH that plays up thanks to deception in the 60-grade command he has. Detmers backs up the fastball with a slow curveball that shows plus a little bit more than not. He can get both lefties and righties out with the pitch, making it his best offering.

Detmers finishes up his arsenal with a good, sinking changeup that is thrown with conviction and good arm speed. All 3 offerings play up thanks to his command and Detmers’ bulldog mentality gives him a chance to maximize his tools.

Detmers may not have the same upside of a Garrett Crochet or Emerson Hancock, but will more than likely have a long career as a mid-rotation starter. Because of his polish, Detmer has the possibility to rise quickly up the ranks, similar to the way Logan Gilbert has done.

Detmers’ “ceiling vs floor” evaluation may make him a candidate to try and sign to a below-slot bonus deal. Doing so could allow the Mariners to add another first-round talent later in the draft, using the savings from Detmers’ slot to lure their target to sign.

Even if Detmers is a slot-value signing, he is still a good pick at #6, who should make his MLB debut late in 2022 if no speed bumps arise.