3 Mariners minor leaguers who need to be called up before May 1

The Seattle Mariners find themselves near the bottom of a surprisingly competitive AL West division thus far. The Los Angeles Angels have been on a tear and with the two teams from the Lone Star state meeting or slightly exceeding expectations, Seattle already has a tough road ahead.

The team is stuck in a particularly challenging spot because it's too early to create a trade and there are few viable free agents left who would have a positive impact on the team. So what if the organization looked inward to tap into its talent reserves in the minor leagues?

Here are three players who the Mariners should call up before the MLB calendar flips to May

1B Tyler Locklear

Seattle's corner infield situation is dismal, to say the least. However, while the team has yet to find someone with the sufficient fielding abilities to play third base, at least they're getting good offensive production from Jorge Polanco and Dylan Moore.

On other hand, first base has two of the worst-performing hitters on the squad. Rowdy Tellez has a 7 OPS+ over 27 plate appearances and Donovan Solano has a -32 OPS+ over 18 plate appearances. Since Victor Robles won't be coming back any time soon, Luke Raley has been spending more time in right field, leaving the team with no viable options for first on the major league roster.

Tyler Locklear is anything but perfect, yet he might still be an upgrade over what's currently available at the big league level. The surface-level numbers at Triple-A Tacoma don't paint the most encouraging picture but there is some cause for optimism.

He has a 101 wRC+ with a 30.2 strikeout percentage over his 43 plate appearances, but his walk rate of 11.6 percent is strong and more importantly, he's hitting the ball harder and with more consistency. His hard-hit rate of 52.0 percent is significantly higher than the 40 percent mark he hovered around last year.

Batted ball data also tells us that the reason for his deflated numbers is a suboptimal average launch angle of -7.4 degrees. With a little more lift, his natural power could show through and finally give the Mariners a real slugger at first base, something they haven't had in years.

RHP Shintaro Fujinami

Fujinami was a highly-touted free-agent signing back in 2023 when he inked a deal with the Athletics. Unfortunately, given his consistent command struggles, he was quickly moved to the bullpen before bouncing around to several organizations. Now that he's with one of the best pitching development programs in baseball, things seem to going better. Across five innings with the Rainiers this year, he has a 1.80 ERA with a 33.3 strikeout percentage and a 0.80 WHIP.

The team has recently made moves to bolster their bullpen and it still may not be enough. With Trent Thornton posting a 5.40 ERA, another reliever spot could open up on the roster soon enough. Fujinami is inherently a risk given his brutal numbers over the past few years of his professional career, but there's reason to believe things are actually improving.

His batting average against of .063 and average exit velocity of 82.1 mph illustrate that hitters are having a hard time barreling up his pitches and his 3.76 FIP is the best that statistic has been at this level of competition.

2B/OF Samad Taylor

There has been quite a bit of discussion about calling up one of the top middle infield prospects to fill the shoes of Ryan Bliss. Despite the pedigree of Cole Young and Ben Williamson, it has been reported that the organization wants to call them up when they're ready. And based on their numbers in Triple-A, that may not be for a while.

Although he has been making flashy defensive plays, Williamson's wRC+ of just 68 means he'd likely be an offensive liability, something the Mariners can't afford at this point. Young has had better plate discipline numbers but his lack of pop at the higher level of competition has limited him to a 59 wRC+ thus far.

So if the organization still needs middle infield help and Leo Rivas ends up not being the answer, they could instead turn to Samad Taylor. Not only does he play second base, he has also spent time in the outfield, making him a possible substitute for Victor Robles as well.

Offensively, Taylor's 84 wRC+ in Triple-A leaves a little to be desired but his 12.2 walk percentage and .212 ISO helps compensate for an otherwise lackluster .212 batting average. Part of the reason his output has been limited is his tendency to have extreme launch angles, either pounding pitches into the ground or popping them up. If he's able to boost his 12 percent line drive rate even a little, he could be a force to be reckoned with at the plate.