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

By Christopher O'Day

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JULY 13: Jarred Kelenic #58 (R) looks on alongside Kyle Lewis #1 of the Seattle Mariners prior to an intrasquad game during summer workouts at T-Mobile Park on July 13, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JULY 13: Jarred Kelenic #58 (R) looks on alongside Kyle Lewis #1 of the Seattle Mariners prior to an intrasquad game during summer workouts at T-Mobile Park on July 13, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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Walker Buehler throws.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 23: Walker Buehler of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Tampa Bay Rays during Game Three of the 2020 MLB World Series. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

2016: 1 – Los Angeles Dodgers, 2 – Atlanta Braves, 3 – Colorado Rockies, 28 – Seattle Mariners

We have a new entrant on the list, and this one shouldn’t surprise anybody. The Dodgers have been one of the best teams in baseball, and a big part of this has been their incredible farm system. You might think the Dodgers’ success comes only from the “big market” team that they are, but people forget they did a great job building a foundation of young talent also.

Related Story. How did the Tyler O’Neill and Marco Gonzales trade turn out?. light

The bright spots or at least the ones that have accomplished a good amount in the pros were Cody Bellinger, Walker Buehler, and Gavin Lux. Then we have Alex Verdugo, who was a big part of getting the Dodgers one of the best players on their current team, Mookie Betts.

All four of those players played an integral part in their recent run to prominence. Gavin Lux is only 22, but still saw playing time this season. Cody Bellinger seemed to hit a home run whenever they needed one. Walker Buehler became, arguably, their best starting pitcher. Mookie… well, he is likely the second-best outfielder that plays as a Los Angeles outfielder… and the second-best outfielder in baseball. It happens when Trout is across town.

It wasn’t just 2020 though. The Dodgers were in danger of becoming the baseball version of the ’90s Bills.

2016 – Lost the NLCS

2017 – Lost the World Series

2018 – Lost the World Series

2019 – Lost the NLDS

It was an awful run, and Clayton Kershaw was starting to look like Charles Barkley. Due to the strength of their farm system though, the Dodgers were able to come through in the end.

The Atlanta Braves enter the top three again and look how they did this past postseason.

The Rockies though, are another new entry on the list. Unfortunately, they haven’t seen the success one would hope for, due in large part to the failure of said prospects… at least so far. Brendan Rodgers, Jeff Hoffman, Riley Pint, Raimel Tapia, German Marquez, and Ryan McMahon.

If you’re happy with any of them, then we have a different definition of a top prospect succeeding. They did make it to the playoffs, but that was based more on the old guard, at least prospect wise.

The Mariners had the 28th ranked system which is another step-down in Jerry Dipoto’s first year as general manager. He came into a very complicated situation so we will not see an immediate impact on the Mariners’ farm system.

Keep in mind, Jerry Dipoto drafted 2020 AL ROY Kyle Lewis this year.

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