5 Mariners prospects to keep an eye on this season

Seattle Mariners prospects to follow no. 5 – Alberto Rodriguez

It might be a little too early to say Jerry Dipoto fleeced another team via trade, but Alberto Rodriguez is an interesting prospect we acquired in exchange for Taijuan Walker last season. Rodriguez grew up with Noelvi Marte and are now playing together on the Modesto Nuts.

According to MLB.com, Marte said his friend could be like Barry Bonds. The 20-year-old outfielder spent 2018 and 2019 in rookie ball and hit .254 and .301 respectively. He only hit seven home runs across the two years so he still needs to gain some muscle if wants to live up to Marte’s player comparison.

I am particularly keen on watching Alberto Rodriguez this year because there is still a lot to learn about him. MLB.com doesn’t have a huge scouting report on him besides Noelvi Marte’s anecdotal scouting report. So, the 2021 minor league season should give us a better sense of where the lefty is in terms of development and skill.

Although it helps to know how he performed in 2018 and 2019 with the Blue Jays’ rookie ball teams, it is not the best sample to determine what he can do because he was so young at the time.

His best tool according to the scout report card is his power, which is ranked at 55. Hitting is his second-best at 50. Rodriguez is currently 5’11” and weighs 180 lbs but I bet those numbers will increase over the next year or two.

These were just five prospects I am particularly interested in following this season, but that doesn’t mean I am not excited about everyone else in the organization. There are a lot of good prospects in the system and many are hungry to make an impact in 2021 after not playing in 2020. A lot of good things to look forward to.