Breaking down the updated 2021 Mariners prospect rankings

The MLB just announced the top 10 farm systems as well as the top 30 prospects in the Mariners organization. Seattle has the third-best farm system in the MLB behind the Tigers and Rays, which is fantastic news. Now, let’s take a quick look at the prospects that made us the third best system in the league and the movement within the organization.

The top 10 Mariners prospects

Not a whole lot has changed in the top 10 since 2020, which is a very good thing. It means the cream of our crop isn’t declining. Jarred Kelenic, Julio Rodriguez, Emerson Hancock, and Logan Gilbert are once again the #1 through #4 prospects respectively. Last season Taylor Trammell was the #5 prospect in the organization, but George Kirby has surpassed the speedy outfielder.

Noelvi Marte and Cal Raleigh are #7 and #8 just like last year but we have a new face at #9.  Juan Then replaces Jake Fraley who was the ninth-ranked prospect last season. Then was the #14 prospect last season and has made a huge leap into the top 10. Juan even passed Brandon Williamson who is the #10 prospect once again.

New faces

We have some new faces on the updated Mariners prospect rankings. We welcome the 2019 third-round pick, Levi Stoudt. Not only did he enter the conversation, but he was also thrown immediately into the heart of things at #14. A big reason for his jump was his performance in the development league. Daniel Kramer said Stoudt wowed Mariners staff with his mid-90s fastball and developing changeup.

Adam Macko is also a new name and is the new #15 ranked prospect in the organization. Macko was the seventh-round pick by Seattle in the 2019 draft and had a solid 2019 minor league season. The 20-year-old is still pretty far out but scouts like what they have seen so far.

Behind Macko, Milkar Perez is the 16th ranked prospect. Perez had an incredible 2019 season in the Dominican Summer League and looks to continue his progress this season. The 19-year-old switch hitter still needs to develop and the 2021 minor league season will provide a better sense of where he is.

Remember who we got in return for Taijuan Walker? Well, his name is Alberto Rodriguez and he is in the top 30. The 20-year-old outfielder is the 17th ranked Mariners prospect and is a name to pay attention to. Some scouts compared him to Barry Bonds, but that was from a loose scouting report.

Jonatan Clase is now the 20th ranked prospect. The Mariners signed him in 2018 and will turn 19 in May. Clase is another name to keep an eye on and will probably climb up the rankings quickly. The speedy outfielder still needs to grow into his body but that will happen over time.

Last but not least, Joey Gerber is in the top 30 as the 30th ranked prospect. Gerber debuted last season and will be an important part of the pen again this year. His funky delivery makes it difficult for batters and I am excited to see more of him and his tweets this season.

Big drop-offs

As I already noted, Jake Fraley is not in the top 10 which I fully agree with. His current Spring form should be enough of a reason to lower him in the rankings. Fraley is now the #21 prospect in the Mariners organization.

Sam Carlson has also taken a major drop and is the 25th ranked prospect. Last season, the former second-round pick was the 15th ranked prospect. Carlson hasn’t had much playing time due to injuries but was able to throw last fall in the instructional league. The Mariners are hoping that he can get his fastball back to where it was when they drafted him, but time will only tell.

More from Mariners News

• Mariners starting pitching is being overlooked by MLB
• Baking the Cake: An Adjusted Mariners Offseason Plan
• Taylor Trammell Could Provide Impact to 2023 Mariners
• What Jerry Dipoto’s trades, comments mean for remainder of Mariners offseason
• Mariners Select Chris Clarke in Rule 5 Draft

Prospects left off

There were a handful of prospects left off this year’s top 30. One of them was Joe Rizzo. The former second-round pick taken after Kyle Lewis was the 21st ranked prospect last year, but he is no longer on the 2021 list.

Braden Bishop is also left off the list. The UW product was the 18th ranked Mariners prospect last year but he is now unranked for good reason.

Donovan Walton is in a similar situation as Bishop and is now unranked. The infielder was the 22nd ranked player in the farm system last season, but he is now replaced by younger talent.

Last year’s fourth-round pick, Tyler Keenan finds himself on the outside looking in as well. After being selected, he was thrust in as the 27th ranked prospect. As players start to graduate, I am sure we will see Keenan back in the top 30.

Taylor Dollard, another 2020 draft pick has also been removed from the top 30. The 2020 fifth-round pick was the 30th Mariners prospect in 2020. Similar to Keenan, Dollard should make his way into the 20-30 range after the 2021 season. It’s hard to accurately rank Keenan and Dollard because they haven’t played a professional season yet.

Lastly, Brayan Perez is outside of the top 30. He is another player that has taken a huge drop off in the rankings. The left-handed pitcher was the 16th ranked Mariners prospect last season and has decent numbers in the minor leagues. Perez is still just 20-years-old and will probably make his way back as more of the MLB-ready players leave the list.

Overall, there was a lot of movement in the rankings this year which can be good, and bad. Some of the older prospects like Bishop and Walton have fallen under the “bust” category which makes room for younger talent to be given the spotlight. Either way, the top 10 is relatively the same which is the most important.