Mariners Draft: Favorite MLB Draft Prospect at every position

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The MLB Draft is just three weeks away and without any real baseball to focus on, we have been hyper-focused on what the Mariners should do with the sixth pick. But today, we spread the love a bit.

When you study the draft and its prospects as much as we have over the past month, you can’t help but fall in love with the idea of certain players wearing the Mariners uniforms in a few years. Not all of them are top tier talents and some have no shot of being selected by the team. But you store these players away for a few years and give Jerry Dipoto a little bit of room and perhaps someday you find out they’ve been traded to Seattle, like Jake Fraley.

But as our mock drafts all start to run together and our Top 25 Big Board just needs a few minor tweaks here and there, you get into a rut of expecting a player, let’s say, Nick Gonzales, to be the choice at six and you kind of leave it at that.

But there are other players you grow attached to and love the idea of them in Seattle, even if it’s not an elite prospect. So you try to find a way to sneak them into your mock drafts just so you can talk about them, but then your draft is off.

So today, we exercise those demons and put these names out there as “my guy” or “flag” players. That is, somebody we believe we like more than the average person and would place our reputation on their success. And fortunately for somebody like me, I don’t have much of a reputation to sacrifice. So let’s do it. Here are my favorite draft prospects at each position, regardless of where they rank.

Max Meyer, RHP Minnesota

Hopefully, you saw this coming. If you’ve been following our draft coverage this month, you should know how much I love Max Meyer and dream that he will be a future Seattle Mariners Ace. Yes, he’s short, but he has arguably the best fastball and slider in the entire class with above-average command and another good pitch to back everything up.

Meyer is probably going to go in the Top 10 but doesn’t seem to be connected to the Mariners at all, which is breaking my heart. At worst, Meyer is Edwin Diaz out of the bullpen. He sits 96-99 with arm-side run on the fastball and an elite slider he can manipulate multiple ways.

At his ceiling, he is an ace, a guy who can go toe to toe with Gerrit Cole or Justin Verlander on a regular basis. The simple truth is, if Meyer was 6’2″, he would be in the conversation for the number one overall pick. But at his size, front offices will assume he can’t handle a full workload

and instantly throw an unwarranted “bullpen” or “injury concern” tag on him.

His delivery is simple and repeatable. He is a good athlete. His stuff is elite and his command is great. Whoever selects Meyer is getting a stud and I just hope it’s the Mariners.

Garrett Crochet, LHP Tennessee

I wanted to add one lefty to the mix here. Garrett Crochet is a tall, long-armed lefty who throws 100 MPH. Do I need to repeat that? He throws 100 MPH. He also has an advanced feel for a changeup and a nice slider, plus the ability to hammer the strike zone. Need I say more?

Crochet isn’t likely to be the pick at number six and wouldn’t love it if he was. There is no chance he falls to 43, meaning he won’t be a Mariner for at least a little while. But he has the potential to be a James Paxton like arm someday and that is going to get me excited every time I write it down.

Dillon Dingler, C Ohio State University

I’m not a huge fan of the catcher class this year, but unlike most publications, I have Dingler as the best catcher in the class. Patrick Bailey is another solid option, but I think Dingler will be the better hitter and defender, so he gets the nod. A fun note on Dingler is that he has above-average speed and a 70-grade arm, giving him two standout tools. He’s going to make a team outside of the Top 10 very happy, but it won’t be Seattle.

A.J. Vukovich, 1B/3B East Troy (WI)

A.J. Vukovich gets the nod as my favorite first baseman in the class. While Spencer Torkelson is hands down the best first baseman in the class, we aren’t looking for the best players, but rather my favorite ones. Currently a third baseman, Vukovich is a big guy, standing at 6’5″, 210 lbs with plus power and a strong arm. He’ll likely grow off of third base but could have a similar career to that of Mike Moustakas. Unlike Dingler, Vukovich could be an option for the Mariners as high as pick 43.

Freddy Zamora Jr., MIF Miami

Freddy Zamora missed the entire 2020 season after suffering a torn ACL, but he has the raw goods to be an everyday shortstop. He has a strong arm that will allow him to move all over the field if needed, with the athleticism to match. The bat may play a little better at second base, but he can help in every area of the game, a skill set that doesn’t always show up in the boxscore.

Anthony Servideo, SS Ole Miss

Anthony Servideo maybe my favorite offensive player in the class. The 5’10” slender shortstop has a plus arm with plus speed, an ability to draw walks and an understanding of the strike zone, and starter to tap into some of the average raw-power he has shown in 2020. I watch Servideo and am reminded of current Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford. I really like Crawford, so I guess it makes sense that I like Servideo as much as I do.

Casey Martin, IF Arkansas

Omaha, NE – JUNE 27: Infielder Casey Martin #15 of the Arkansas Razorbacks makes a throw to first base in the fifth inning against the Oregon State Beavers during game two of the College World Series Championship Series on June 27, 2018 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /

There are some really interesting shortstops in this draft class. I happen to think Casey Martin of Arkansas can play anywhere in the infield and has the power to fit the profile at third. He should be an above-average defender at the hot corner and already possess the in-game power that a corner infielder needs.

He also has plus speed, a major advantage in his favor. If Seattle thinks he can make enough contact to post average OBP numbers, they could get a 25/25 player at third base. Now, whether or not he falls to 43 is going to be the question. And honestly, I don’t think he will.

Pete Crow-Armstrong, Harvard-Westlake (CA)

There are very few players that Seattle could take as an under slot player at six, or as an over-slot pay at 43, that I would be happy with. Pete Crow-Armstrong is one of them. His profile reminds me an awful lot of one Jarred Kelenic coming out of high school and if there is a 25% chance that is what he becomes, I’m in.

Crow-Armstrong is a well-rounded player with above-average or better tools across the board, with the exception of in-game power. But PCA has a good swing and a quick bat, so power could emerge with better prep as we have watched with Kelenic. He plays hard, should be able to handle centerfield, and carries the same Grady Sizemore comparison as Kelenic. Yeah, I’m in.

Robert Hassell, OF Independence (TN)

Set to join Crow-Armstrong at Vanderbilt this fall, Hassell, like PCA, has above-average or better tools across the board. Hassell trades some of the speed and defensive value of PCA for a bit more power and projection, but looks like safe bet to be at least a solid, everyday corner outfielder. Evaluators are split on his power tool as the current swing is designed more towards line drives than fly balls, but there is enough projection to see 25 home run seasons in Hassell.

Hassell’s hit tool alone will likely get him drafted in the Top 15 and, like PCA, has a strong commitment to Vanderbilt, so you’d need to give him Top 15 money in round two to move him out of Nashville and into your organization.

Tyler Gentry, OF Alabama

It’s easy to go with Zac Veen or Garrett Mitchell, both of whom I have ranked in my Top 10, but I’m giving my last spot to Tyler Gentry, an RHH outfielder for the Alabama Crimson Tide. The 6’2″, 210 lbs outfielder is solidly built with average or better tools across the board and was one of the best bats in the shortened 2020 college season.

Gentry controls the zone, has power from foul line to foul line, can handle centerfield, and should be above-average in right field with a strong arm. If that sounds familiar to you, I just described Mitch Haniger. Obviously, Gentry has a long way to go to earn that comparison, but from tools and size perspective, it’s a comparison I’m comfortable with.

Next. Mariners Mock Draft 3.0. dark

There you have it. My favorite prospect at each position. While there are a few top talents on this list, most of them are going to be drafted later than 20, which may be a product of my hyper-focus on players who won’t go in the Top 6. The draft is three weeks away and if any of these players get their name chosen by the Mariners, I’ll be one happy person.

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