Three Seattle Mariners’ Prospects That Have Disappointed This Year

#2: Mariners A-Ball 3B Tyler Keenan – .163/.315/.349, 1 HR, 14.8 BB %, 38.9 K %, .316 wOBA, 94 wrC+

Keenan’s first two months as a professional baseball player have not gone swimmingly for a multitude of reasons. He’s been on the IL since May 28, and before that, the bat wasn’t there for Keenan. When the Mariners took him in the 4th round of the 2020 MLB Draft, the expectation was they were getting an advanced bat with big raw power. Keenan was one of the hottest hitters in the nation at Ole Miss before COVID canceled the 2020 season.

But so far, the bat hasn’t translated to the professional level. The strikeout numbers are problematic, as is the lone home run in 43 at-bats. And for Tyler Keenan, the bat is the selling point. He doesn’t have plus speed and is only an average defender at best. Long term, he’ll probably end up at 1st base anyway.

The good news for Keenan is that this is a small sample size and it’s his first professional season. It’s only been 12 games, and his line drive percentage is at 31.8 percent which suggests some better luck may be heading his way. And the OBP is respectable despite the lack of hits. There is of course a long way to go in Keenan’s progress, but the first dive into pro ball hasn’t gone well for him.