Seattle Mariners fantasy draft by the Sodo Mojo staff

Opening Day is right around the corner and we wanted to have a little fun, so we decided to do an in-house fantasy baseball draft. The rules: you can only select Mariners players, three rounds, snake draft, and the winner is based on the best-combined WAR at the end of the season. So, let’s take a look at the Sodo Mojo 2021 Mariners WAR draft picks.

Sodo Mojo Mariners WAR draft – Round 1

Chris O’Day, a Sodo Mojo contributor, the host of the Late Night Shots Podcast, and the Pro Golf Now site expert had the first pick of our first Mariners WAR draft. Chris selected the Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford. You might be a little surprised at first glance but when you think about it, the pick is great. WAR isn’t just about offense, so Crawford is an excellent selection. Last season, he finished with a 1.6 WAR.

Former Sodo Mojo co-expert and freelancer for the Field Gulls, Willie Keeler, received the second pick and selected the 2020 AL ROY Kyle Lewis. The Mariners center fielder is a no-brainer pick after last season, not much more explaining to do. He posted a 1.7 WAR last season.

The third pick went to our newest member of the team, Jamey Vinnick who is also a beat writer for Cougfan.com and a contributor for The Canuck Way. Jamey selected Marco Gonzales with the third overall pick, and I would have done the same. The Mariners ace finished 2020 with a 1.5 WAR.

Jake Mitton got the fourth pick and went with Kyle Seager. Although Kyle didn’t have the best WAR in 2020, Seager’s WAR is fantastic when he is at his best. During his All-Star season, he finished with a 6.3 WAR. The highest WAR he had in a single season was in 2016, where he posted a 6.7 WAR.

The fifth pick went to me, and I selected Dylan Moore. After looking at Moore’s defensive metrics as of late, it made me appreciate him even more. Combine that with his offensive breakout, you got a great WAR. Last season, the 28-year-old finished with a 1.8 WAR.

The final pick of the first round went to Lee Vowell, who is also the site expert at 12th Man Rising. Lee chose the “comeback story,” Mitch Haniger. Like Kyle Seager, when Haniger is at his best, he is electric. In 2018, Mitch finished with a 6.2 WAR. And even if he doesn’t play like an All-Star, he could finish with a 3.1 WAR (2017).

Now, onto the second round.