10 Seattle Mariners prospects who are thriving in 2021

We are almost at the end of May so it’s a good time to check in on the Seattle Mariners minor league affiliates and see who has been playing well. We will quickly go through 10 Mariners prospects who are off to a fantastic start in the minor league season.

I tried to do a mix of familiar and unfamiliar names to keep you on your toes and they are also not in any particular order. Let’s jump right into it.

Seattle Mariners prospect no. 1 – Taylor Trammell

In my mind, Taylor Trammell did an average job of filling the hole in the Mariners outfield. He made some nice defensive plays, hit some long home runs, and also showed his quickness. At the same time, he showed a lot of inconsistency.

That inconsistency ultimately led to his demotion to Triple-A but it’s not necessarily something that is bad for both parties. I think even Taylor Trammell knew that he was a bit out of place and needed more reps in the minor leagues. And since joining the Tacoma Rainiers, he has been an absolute stud.

The Seattle Mariners outfield prospect has played in 10 games and in all of those games, he has recorded at least one hit. Trammell currently owns a .512 batting average with a 1.487 OPS. Out of his 22 hits, five have been doubles, and another five have been home runs.

It’s safe to say that Taylor Trammell is one of the hottest hitters in the entire Mariners organization.

Seattle Mariners prospect no. 2 – Matt Brash

You might have noticed the cover photo with four players wearing San Diego Padres uniforms… One of those players is Matt Brash, a former fourth-round pick by the Padres in 2019. The 23-year-old pitcher was the player to be named later in the trade that sent right-handed reliever Taylor Williams to the Padres last season.

The right-handed starting pitcher was born in Canada and attended Niagara University in Lewiston, New York. Brash is currently a member of the Everett Aqua Sox, who has an absolutely stacked pitching group.

Matt Brash is the 30th ranked prospect in the Mariners organization and is definitely overshadowed by the big names like Emerson Hancock, George Kirby, and Levi Stoudt, but I didn’t overlook his numbers.

Through three games (two starts), the Seattle Mariners prospect owns a 2.53 ERA and has struck out 21 batters in just 10.2 innings. He has kept the opponent’s batting average to .200 and has also recorded a save.

It’s still pretty clear that he has a long way to go to become a solid MLB pitcher due to his control issues, but the high strikeouts are a good sign. Brash has walked seven batters which have inflated his WHIP to 1.41.

Seattle Mariners prospect no. 5 – Brandon Williamson

The Seattle Mariners drafted the tall left-handed pitcher out of TCU in the second round of the 2019 MLB draft, and he has quietly been a really good pick. A lot of the focus has been on pitchers like Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, and Emerson Hancock (for good reason), but many have overlooked Brandon Williamson.

The 23-year-old had a great season with the Aqua Sox in 2019 after being drafted and has picked up where he left off this year. In his first season in the minors, he posted a 2.35 ERA in 10 appearances and struck out 25 batters in 15.1 innings. Not only did he strike out a lot of hitters, but he also walked just five batters and allowed only nine hits.

In 2021, he practically started where he left off and has thrown 12.2 innings in three starts. In those three games, he has allowed four earned runs on seven hits, but the strikeouts are crazy! He has K’d 26 batters in just three short starts…

I think a big reason why Williamson fell under the radar was because of the cancellation of the minor league season. But now that we have a full minor league season to assess Brandon and other minor league players, it gives me a lot of hope about the Seattle Mariners future.

The Mariners have Logan Gilbert, Emerson Hancock, George Kirby, Juan Then, Brandon Williamson, Connor Phillips, Isaiah Campbell, Levi Stoudt, and Adam Macko all in the pitching prospect pool… That’s a lot.

Seattle Mariners prospect no. 6 – Jake Scheiner

Jake Scheiner isn’t a name you are probably too familiar with, but he has been playing some great baseball in Arkansas. Scheiner is a 25-year-old corner infielder (mostly third) who was drafted in the fourth round by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2017.

Scheiner is a product of the University of Houston and joined the Mariners organization in 2019 as part of the return for Jay Bruce. The right-handed hitter has put together a solid minor league career but it hasn’t been anything too special.

But all of a sudden, Scheiner is the best hitter on the Arkansas Travelers with a .358 batting average and 16 RBI. He has also hit four home runs, seven doubles, and walked seven times. I don’t know what the future holds for Jake Scheiner as a non-member of the Top 30 Mariners prospect list.

Maybe he can become an impact player for the Mariners down the line… Maybe he’s next in line to take over the hot corner in T-Mobile Park…

Seattle Mariners prospect no. 7 – Noelvi Marte

Noelvi Marte has quickly climbed the prospect leaderboards and has become another Seattle Mariners prospect who has received some national attention this year. Marte entered the Top 100 prospect rankings as the 90th best prospect in the MLB, and he is just 19-years-old.

He is so young that there aren’t even a lot of videos of him online. Marte is currently with the Modesto Nuts and this is his first full season playing in the United States. So far, he has done everything as advertised.

The young infielder is hitting .347 with a .996 OPS. He has hit four home runs, four doubles, driven in 18 runs, walked 10 times, and stolen four bases. What a statline am I right?

Marte still has a long way to go, but the future is looking bright.

Seattle Mariners prospects no. 8 – Cade Marlowe

One of Noelvi’s teammates also caught my eye on the stat sheet, and his name is Cade Marlowe. He is a 23-year-old outfielder out of the University of West Georgia. The Seattle Mariners drafted him in the 20th round of the 2019 MLB draft and had a good season with the Aqua Sox after being drafted.

The right-handed thrower and left-handed hitter posted a .301 batting average with a .810 OPS in 2019. He also hit three home runs, drove in 30 runs, and stole 10 bases. Pretty good for a 20th round pick I’d have to say.

Marlowe is arguably the second-best hitter on the team right now behind Noelvi Marte. Cade has a .317 batting average, a 1.068 OPS, hit four home runs, 14 RBI, five doubles, one triple, 14 walks, and five stolen bases.

It’s pretty obvious that Marlowe has speed based on his 10 stolen bases from 2019 and five from 2021, but he also has some pop in his bat which may improve even more in the next few years. Although Marlowe is an under-the-radar prospect for the Seattle Mariners, he may prove to be a decent MLB player in the future.

I can’t confidently say he will become an All-Star caliber player, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes the Mariners Top 30 at some point in his young career.

Seattle Mariners prospect no. 9 – Ian McKinney

Ian McKinney is a pretty fascinating guy in my opinion. I barely consider him a prospect, but I think his long journey is worth covering. The left-handed starting pitcher was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2013 MLB draft. Yes, that is not a typo. He actually began his pro career in 2013.

Drafted out of William R. Boone High School, McKinney now enters his eighth minor league season. McKinney was with the Cardinals organization for a long time and he actually had a short stint in independent baseball.

After spending a short period in indy baseball, the Seattle Mariners picked him up and he pitched for Modesto, and Arkansas in 2019. Now, he finds himself back in Arkansas to start the 2021 minor league season.

So far, McKinney has been fantastic and owns a 1.59 ERA in 17 innings. He has struck out an incredible 29 batters while allowing just 10 hits, and six bases on balls. Opponents are hitting just .164 off of him.

Seattle Mariners prospect no. 10 – Taylor Dollard

Last but not least, Taylor Dollard has been dealing for Modesto. The Seattle Mariners selected the 6’3″ right-hander out of Cal Poly in the fifth round of last year’s draft and he has been pretty special in his first experience of the minor leagues.

In three starts, Dollard has thrown 13.2 innings and struck out 29 batters. That means he averages at least two strikeouts an inning… On top of that, Dollard has only walked three batters.

The Mariners pitching prospect is just 22-years-old and just shows you how stacked Seattle’s minor league system is. The Cal Poly product isn’t even in the Top 30 prospects right now and is arguably one of the best pitchers on the Modesto Nuts.

I expect to hear Dollard’s name quite often over the next couple of years as he climbs the system.

I hope you enjoyed my short snapshot of the 10 Seattle Mariners prospects who are thriving in 2021. Look for more minor league news and lists as we get further into the season.