We aren’t talking enough about Mariners prospect Austin Shenton

It’s hard to be a Seattle Mariners prospect right now. There are so many big names at the top that many good prospects are hidden in the shadows. I guess for us it’s a good problem to have but we need to shine the light into the shadows every once in a while.

One of those guys in the shadows is Austin Shenton. He might be a little more well-known than some of the other prospects because he is a local kid, but I don’t think many people realize how good he has been this season.

For being the 17th ranked Seattle Mariners prospect, Austin Shenton has been pretty darn good

The Seattle Mariners took Shenton 156th overall in the 2019 draft and he was impressive in his first professional season. After the break from minor league baseball, the 23-year-old has not missed a beat and is currently one of the best hitters in Everett.

Shenton has a .291/.414/.559 slash line right now. Oh, and by the way, he leads the team with 10 home runs and 51 RBI. Here are some more impressive numbers below:

I know that I am being nitpicky here, but it’s cool to compare what Austin Shenton has done compared to other top prospects around the nation. Nick Gonzales, the 7th overall pick of the 2020 MLB draft and 29th ranked MLB prospect, is hitting .231, with a .308 OBP and .454 slugging percentage at High-A.

Jordyn Adams, the 17th overall pick in the 2018 draft and 93rd ranked MLB prospect, is hitting .184 with a .273 OBP and .276 slugging percentage.

I’m not saying Austin Shenton should suddenly be thrown into the Top 100 prospects but he is certainly moving up behind the scenes. Even from an internal perspective, the infield prospect has definitely performed well enough to deserve some upward movement on the Mariners Top 30 prospects list.

Aaron Fletcher, the 16th ranked prospect hasn’t really lived up to expectations at the big league level, or in Tacoma currently. Alberto Rodriguez who came over in exchange for Taijuan Walker has been alright in his limited sample size. And Adam Macko, the 13th ranked prospect has had some early struggles in Modesto.

The other nice thing about Austin Shenton is his versatility and sneaky athleticism. For a guy that’s known as a hitter, he can run pretty well. He has three triples on the season and one stolen base.

Additionally, he has played third, first and even some second base for the AquaSox. I asked Joe Doyle about Shenton playing second base and he thinks it’s a solid fit for him. The Washington native has some sneaky athleticism and if he works hard on his defensive craft, he could be a solid utility infielder, like Max Muncy, and Ty France.

With some of the recent promotions we have seen within the system, I wouldn’t be surprised if Austin Shenton is next in line to be called up to Double-A Arkansas.