10 Seattle Mariners prospects who are thriving in 2021

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.