Why the Mariners Should Draft a Hitter over a Pitcher in the 1st Round

The MLB Draft is coming up soon and is less than a month away. The first round kicks off on July 17, and it is time to start looking at what the Seattle Mariners could and should do in the draft. The Mariners hold the 21st overall pick in the draft, and what they do at that pick is going to be very interesting. In the Jerry Dipoto era, we have seen the M’s take 3 position players and 3 pitchers with their first-round picks, and I believe that this year they should go hitter again.

The reason that I want the M’s to draft a hitter in the first round is that it always seems like the offense is a problem in Seattle. This year, Mariners fans have been constantly upset with the offense. The Mariners have had some players struggle significantly this year, including Abraham Toro, Jesse Winker, Jarred Kelenic, and others. Now they have turned to players like Justin Upton and Kevin Padlo to play key roles in the offense.

The Mariners need a stronger offensive system, and drafting a hitter would be a good route to take

The Mariners need to have better players in the system to come up and fill holes and be contributors. They have not taken a college hitter in the first round since they took Kyle Lewis and Evan White in back-to-back years. Those players showed flashes at the big league level, but they have been sidelined with multiple significant injuries. The M’s should go back to the position player well and get more talent to come up and impact the lineup.

If the Mariners take a hitter in the first round this year, and more specifically a college hitter, that prospect has a chance to impact the Mariners not too far down the road. Lewis and White both made their debuts just three years after being drafted, so that could mean that a college hitter could be in the Mariners lineup in 2025. That could be huge, and it could fill a hole or at the least fill a platoon role of some kind.

Having a young, up-and-coming player could give the Mariners a lineup boost down the line. A young player could provide energy to the team, and a young unproven player could have more potential and upside than some of the older veterans the Mariners have been using this year. I would rather see the Mariners have a prospect to call up instead of using Steven Souza, Justin Upton, Mike Ford, and other 4A types of players.

There are certainly some position players who could go in the range of where the Mariners pick. Lefty center fielder Drew Gilbert from Tennessee has caught my eye as someone with potentially an above-average bat. He performed well this season, slashing .362/.455/.673. He also plays a good center field, and could nearly be a 5 tool player. A few other players I like for Seattle are Gilbert’s teammate Jordan Beck, Chase DeLauter, Peyton Graham, Brock Jones, and Zach Neto.

All of those players are projected in about the 15-25 or so range for the upcoming draft. Beck, DeLauter, and Jones are all college outfielders. Graham and Neto are college infielders, and I would like to see someone like this taken by the Mariners. One of the most interesting things that I have seen with these players is that Drew Gilbert essentially seems to “Dominate/Control the Zone”, which is what Dipoto and co. love.

All in all, I would love to see the Mariners add a hitter to the system. We saw that last year’s picks Harry Ford and Edwin Arroyo have had early success in the minors, and I would love to see them do it again. As the draft gets closer, there will be more content on names to watch, and more about what the Mariners could do in the draft.