What If… the Mariners Didn’t Select DJ Peterson in 2013?

Diehard Mariner fans may remember the Jack Z era as abysmal when it came to drafting and developing talent. As seen in my installment of What If Wednesdays, the Seattle Mariners would have been MUCH better off taking anyone other than Danny Hultzen.

This week, I’d like to continue the Mariners draft bust trend by taking a look at a once well-regarded prospect who never amounted to anything as a player: DJ Peterson. Another one of those situations that make you wonder…

What If The Mariners Didn’t Select DJ Peterson in 2013?

Now, before I begin I would like to make sure it is understood that what Peterson has done to advocate for mental health is extremely inspiring. As a player he may have been a bust, but what he has done outside of baseball has been phenomenal.

DJ Peterson, the baseball player, was an absolute stud coming out of the University of New Mexico and was no doubt an excellent pick in the 2013 draft. He landed as high as #50 in the prospect rankings and was a participant in the 2014 Futures Game. Peterson mashed in the minors, finding success all the way up until he arrived in AAA.

Unfortunately, once Peterson made it to AAA he was unable to make the necessary adjustments which led to him being designated for assignment in 2017. He still to this day has not made the major leagues, which made my thought process for the upcoming hypothetical quite interesting.

First, I looked at the 2013 draft and was wanting to figure out who the Mariners could have selected instead of Peterson. This was a little more difficult than the Hultzen re-draft just because he was not a #2 pick.

In the 2013 MLB Draft, The Seattle Mariners Select… J.P.Crawford!

Looking back at the draft, J.P. Crawford was selected 4 picks after Peterson. The close proximity in the draft order and the fact that he is currently the shortstop of the Seattle Mariners made this make the most sense in a re-draft. Interestingly enough, our good friend Marco Gonzales was drafted a mere 7 picks after Peterson (and we all know what team he plays for).

Based on the fact that the Mariners were looking to go Best Player Available that plays infield with their first pick in this draft, J.P. was the clear alternative. And no, I was not going to reach and say “Well, the Mariners would have taken Aaron Judge at 12 because he didn’t get selected until 32nd” because that would be just foolish.

I think drafting Crawford could have ended up being a mistake also, just because we saw what happened with him while he was in the Phillies organization. It took him getting a change of scenery, coaching, and player development to become the fielder and hitter that he has become. However, I do think you could have gotten more production out of him overall than the Mariners did with Peterson.

Thanks for tuning in to the latest What-If Wednesday! Check back next week for the next installment!