Seattle Mariners Farm System a Recipe for Success: A Historical Analysis

2012: 1 – Texas Rangers, 2 – Kansas City Royals, 3 – San Diego Padres, 6 – Seattle Mariners

What’s odd about the Texas Rangers being in this position (top-ranked farm system)  is that they were in the midst of a great run already. They were coming off back-to-back World Series losses, which would be considered a success by most teams in baseball.

The new crop was coming up, and consisted of Elvis Andrus, Jurickson Profar, Mike Olt, and Leonys Martin, amongst others. They would make the playoffs again after their third straight 90+ win season, but this time lose in the division series. They would win 90+ again in 2013, but actually miss the playoffs.

2014 was the Rangers’ lone down year, but they would rebound in 2015. They would see trips to the division series in 2015 and 2016, losing each time.

We already covered the Royals, just check back to the last slide if you need a reminder. They had the second-ranked minor league system in 2012, after being the first-ranked system in 2011.

Then we have the San Diego Padres who, unfortunately, just couldn’t get it together with their prospects. Along with a front office that couldn’t figure out if they wanted to go for it or rebuild, things seemed to change year-by-year in San Diego. Rymer Liriano never did anything, Max Fried, Casey Kelly, and Austin Hedges all either stunk or left, and Jedd Gyorko didn’t amount to anything more than a solid rotation player with a few bright spots.

So, you could argue the Padres were doing everything they were supposed to do but the prospects did not pan out, except for Max Fried who pitched for the Braves this past season postseason.

Then we have the Seattle Mariners who had the sixth-ranked farm system in 2012. It was promising to see the team rise up the ranks, but as we know, many of the prospects that were drafted in 2009 and 2010 did not pan out. Notable names include Dustin Ackley, Nick Franklin, and Danny Hultzen.