Reviewing the 2013 Seattle Mariners Draft Picks by Jack Zduriencik

Another bad first-round selection by former Seattle Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik

The Seattle Mariners had a solid farm system at this point in time, or so it seemed. The Mariners just selected Mike Zunino with the third overall pick in 2012 and he was set to be the franchise catcher.

The Mariners also had three-star pitching prospects: Danny Hultzen, Taijuan Walker, and James Paxton. It really seemed like the Seattle Mariners were on track to being competitors in the coming years.

But like many other years, you will see a similar story in the 2013 draft. The Seattle Mariners had a good first-round pick again, but Jack Zduriencik struck out looking again.

With the 12th overall pick, the Seattle Mariners selected DJ Peterson

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It seemed like Jack Zduriencik made a good decision by choosing Peterson. The same could be said for when he picked Dustin Ackley, Danny Hultzen, and Mike Zunino.

Peterson was a pure hitter and one of the better hitters in the draft. The University of New Mexico third baseman was even compared to Edgar Martinez…

Several years later, we would learn that DJ Peterson is not remotely close to Edgar. Peterson didn’t even play a single game in the MLB.

DJ was actually pretty good at the Single-A and Double-A levels in the Mariners farm system, but he was unable to make adjustments once he reached Triple-A.

The Seattle Mariners gave him a chance and kept him around until July of 2017. The Mariners designated him for assignment in 2017 to open up a spot for Leonys Martin.

He played for the Cincinnati Reds and White Sox Triple-A teams but never got called up. Peterson has been bouncing around and playing for different independent baseball leagues the past couple of seasons. He even played in Mexico before his season got canceled this past year.

DJ just turned 29-years-old and will be remembered as another Seattle Mariners bust.

“Notable” Seattle Mariners draftees

To say the least, 2013 was another rough draft class. There are only a couple of names you’d recognize, which is a bad sign.

In the third round, Jack Zduriencik selected Tyler O’Neill which was a pretty good pick. O’Neill played very well and was one of the brighter Mariners prospects as he got older. The 85th overall selection never played for the Mariners because he was traded in 2017 to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Tyler O’Neill also just won a Gold Glove last season, which certainly shocked me. He looks to be an important part of the Cardinals’ future, which is cool to see. In the end, the third-round draft pick of 2013 basically turned into Marco Gonzales, which seems like a big win for the Mariners.

The other notable Mariners draftee in 2013 was Emilio Pagan. He was the 10th round selection out of Belmont Abbey College. Pagan was a pretty good late-round steal and has become a solid reliever in the big leagues.

Pagan’s only contribution to the Mariners was his rookie season in 2017, where he posted a 3.22 ERA in 50.1 innings. Unfortunately, his time in Seattle quickly came to an end because Seattle traded him to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for Ryon Healy.

Emilio has bounced around to different teams, but he will be pitching for the stacked San Diego Padres for the second season in a row.

Tyler Olson was also drafted in the 7th round out of Gonzaga University. Olson pitched only one season for the Mariners in 2015. He also pitched for the Yankees and Indians.

Outside of these four draftees, I can’t recognize anybody else which says a lot about the lack of success.

Missed opportunities in 2013

In the first round, J.P. Crawford was selected 16th overall, four picks after DJ Peterson. Tim Anderson was also the 17th overall pick which is a major miss by Jack Zduriencik. Marco Gonzales was also the 19th pick in 2013.

A little later in the draft, Aaron Judge was selected 32nd overall. Oof… Imagine the Mariners selecting Anderson or Judge with the 12th overall pick.

The Mariners wasted their second-round pick for Austin Wilson… I have no idea who he is. The Seattle Mariners could have gone with the 2020 NL Rookie of the Year winner Devin Williams instead.

The Seattle Mariners also missed out on Cody Bellinger who was selected in the 4th round, 124th overall, and Jeff McNeil who was selected in the 12th round out of Long Beach State.

Overall, the 2013 MLB Draft did not produce too many stars compared to past years, but the Seattle Mariners swung and missed again.

Stay tuned for the 2014 Seattle Mariners draft class later this month.