Seattle Mariners 3-Round MLB Mock Draft 1.0
![SEATTLE, WA - AUGUST 02: GM Jerry Dipoto (L) and manager Scott Servais #9 of the Seattle Mariners talk behind the batting cage prior to the game against the Boston Red Sox at Safeco Field on August 2, 2016 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_752,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Fsodomojo-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2017-2F07-2F588706730-850x560-831e792e68b974a39eff626e560c49af.jpg)
This year’s MLB Draft will be different, but we can still start to prep ourselves for that day in… July? Today, we attempt our first Seattle Mariners mock draft.
While we wait for MLB to decide how many college and prep players they’ll screw out of money and opportunity, we do know there will be a draft this year and it will be at least 5 rounds. The Mariners will have 6 picks in those 5 rounds, and 4 of those picks will be inside the Top 78 and 5 in the Top 108.
Today, we will be working on a 3 round mock draft. This means we will be drafting at picks 6, 43, 65, and 79. There are no trades, so there aren’t very many rules. We will try to make things as realistic as possible, but there are so many unknown factors that we could be made to look a fool in 2 months’ time. With all that in mind, let’s get started.
Pick 6: Asa Lacy, LHP Texas A&M
Emerson Hancock would be the dream and it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that they could land him at 6. College bats like Nick Gonzalez and Spencer Torkelson could also make sense if they are at pick 6. But I’m going to assume they are all off the board right now, along with Austin Martin. So the next highest-ranked player on my board is Texas A&M lefty, Asa Lacy.
Lacy won’t turn 21-years-old until June, but he has an advanced arsenal that has gotten better since joining the Aggies. Lacy’s fastball hit 97 MPH early this season but sat 92-93 last summer and early this spring. His 6’4″ frame and long-arms help create a good downhill plane, helping the pitch play up.
Lacy backs up his heater with two good breaking balls. The slider is hard and tight but needs some work to be a more consistent offering. The curveball is the better of the two offerings and has a chance to be a plus offering. His best off-speed offering is his changeup. It shows great fade and sinks and Lacy throws it with terrific arm-speed. It is well above-average pitch now and could be another plus offering.
Lacy needs to improve his control and command and there is a little effort in his delivery and some inconsistency to his 3/4 arm slot release. His stuff and command are currently good enough to be a #4 starter and he has the upside to be a legitimate #2. Not bad for the Mariners first-round pick.
Pick 43: Chris McMahon, RHP Miami
JT Ginn would be the dream here. He is a first-round talent who recently went under the knife for Tommy John surgery. But it’s unlikely he falls this far. Chris McMahon may not be either. There is a lot to like in McMahon and he could move up boards quickly.
McMahon brings serious heat, sitting 95-96 MPH and touching 98 with some good arm-side run and late-life up in the zone. He spins a decent curveball, but it is inconsistent and can sometimes morph into a loopy slider. McMahon has a great feel for a changeup. He throws it with excellent arm speed and sink, generating both swings-and-misses and groundballs.
When he’s at his best, McMahon could be a #2 starter. He is a good athlete with good stuff but his inconsistent arm action can result in flat stuff, allowing him to get hit harder than his stuff would allow. These concerns will likely push McMahon down to the early second round, but he has an insanely high floor of a high-leverage reliever with a good chance to be a mid-rotation starter. And with the Mariners knack for developing pitching, it is well worth the risk.
Pick 65: Alerick Souliare, OF Tennesee
Finally, the first bat of our draft. Alerick Soulaire is a hitter with a good understanding of the strike zone and has a knack for putting the barrel on the ball. He can hit the ball hard to all fields and has some solid raw power despite a swing that is built for line drives.
The pitch recognition, advanced game plan, and well-above-average hit tool give him a great chance to maximize his power tool. The reason Soulaire may be available in the third round has a lot to do with the rest of his game. Soulaire has fringe-average speed and doesn’t have the quickness to stick in centerfield. The power isn’t ideal for a corner outfield spot, so Soulaire has been labeled as a “tweener”.
Soulaire has pretty good instincts and fits the profile of an offensive second baseman, more so than an outfielder. The bat is good enough to be an everyday player and if he can be fringe-average in multiple spots, he could be a steal with this competitive round b selection.
Pick 79: Hudson Haskin, OF Tulane
Hudson Haskin is kind of the opposite of Soulaire. He’s a natural outfielder with plus speed and the goods to stick in centerfield. But Haskin doesn’t have the hit tool that Soulaire does. When he keeps his swing short, he can barrel the ball up with consistency.
When the swing is right, it generates good loft and he has average raw power. He understands the strike zone but is ultra-aggressive so he doesn’t draw a lot of walks. There is a solid offensive profile in Haskin, but he is far from a safe bet.
Defensively, Haskin should be a well-above-average defensively. He gets great jumps and takes really good routes. He has good instincts, which show up on defense and the base paths. He is an above-average base stealer but needs to be more aggressive on the basepaths.
Haskin went to the same high school as Houston Astros outfielder George Springer and should be the next major leaguer from that school. Haskin was ready to take a jump this season but was unable to do so thanks to the college season cancellation.
We still don’t know how long the draft will actually be, but landing these 4 players would be a great start for this draft. Lacy would likely come up in the Top 3 in the Mariners farm system. McMahon, Soulaire, and Haskin would rank inside the top 20.
Next. Grading Dipoto's trades: His first trade. dark
We will be doing a handful of these mock drafts between now and draft day, but with less information to work with, we can’t do much more than make educated guesses. The Mariners will have a firmer idea of what they want to do on draft day as we get closer to it, whenever that is. But this is a solid draft class thus far, and hopefully will be in July.