3 recent Mariners top prospects who are dangerously close to becoming busts

For all of the criticism Jerry Dipoto receives, there's no denying the Mariners have continually had one the best farm systems in MLB during his tenure in Seattle. They were ranked fifth by MLB Pipeline ahead of 2025, while recently they had the most prospects in the top 100 according to Baseball America.

However, as good as Dipoto and company have been in Seattle, this doesn't mean there aren't some disappointments currently doing the rounds within their farm system. Here are three prospects who can conceivably be considered close to becoming busts.

Walter Ford, RHP

Despite receiving a scholarship offer from the University of Alabama to play for the Crimson Tide, Walter Ford decided to reclassify ahead of the 2022 MLB draft. At 6-foot-3 and with a fastball reaching as high as 97 mph, there was enough intriguing potential to convince the Mariners to select him with the 74th overall pick.

Ford did not pitch professionally in 2022, but MLB Pipeline still thought enough of the 20-year-old to make him the No. 8 prospect in the Mariners' farm system at the beginning of 2023. Since then, however, seemingly nothing has gone right for him, highlighted by an alarming drop in his average velocity.

During his first season in the Arizona Complex League in 2023, the Mariners actually gave Ford extra rest in between his starts in an effort to help him develop better. However, while a 3.57 ERA in nine appearances (including eight starts) doesn't sound too bad, he also produced a 1.544 WHIP and allowed a .789 OPS.

The following year, the righty showed some improvement in Arizona and was promoted to the Class-A Modesto Nuts, but went on to record a 7.22 ERA and 1.681 WHIP in 38.2 combined innings over eight outings. He hasn't been much better in Class-A so far in 2025 and has fallen out of the Mariners' top 30 prospects list altogether. There's now genuine concerns about if he can recover his confidence and unlock the potential which saw him signed for $1.25 million.

Blake Hunt, C

In the case of Blake Hunt, he was previously well-regarded by the San Diego Padres and then the Tampa Bay Rays. The Padres selected him in the second round of the 2017 draft, while MLB pipeline had him ranked 19th in the Rays' farm system back in 2021.

Neither stop ultimately worked out for Hunt, who was subsequently traded to the Mariners in November of 2023 and was rated 25th among all their prospects ahead of the 2024 season. He went on to have an excellent start to the Triple-A campaign as he produced four homers and 20 RBI in 24 games in Tacoma, as part of a .293/.372/.533 slash line and .905 OPS.

Still, the Mariners traded the 26-year-old to the Baltimore Orioles, where he went on to disappoint in Triple-A Norfolk as highlighted by batting .179 and producing a .497 OPS in 42 games. In general all the talk about his size, power and strong arm have yet to translate into consistent success anywhere.

You have to believe the Mariners still have faith in the potential of Hunt, otherwise they wouldn't have brought him back for a second tenure in Seattle as they did courtesy of a trade with the Orioles at the beginning of this year. However, with just two home runs and five RBI as part of a .231 batting average and .677 OPS through 25 games in Tacoma, you wonder if time is running out for the Costa Mesa, California native to prove he can make it to the majors.

Josh Hood, INF

When it comes to Josh Hood, it's a case of perception being reality when looking to determine if he's a potential bust or not. At the crux of this is that he had a solid college career, but has struggled to put it together consistenly in the pros.

Hood was first selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 20th round of the 2021 draft, but decided to stay in school. He transferred from Pennsylvania to NC State and went on to bat .268 and produce a .848 OPS during 2022, while also being named to the ACC All-Academic Team.

The Mariners became enticed to take the Vineland, New Jersey native in the sixth round of the 2022 draft, but he really has struggled to put it together at the plate. This plays into the scouting reports which commented on his inconsistent hitting, although hope has remained helped by his athleticism, which has seen him play at a variety of infield positions for the organisation as well as in left field.

It seemed as if Hood had turned the corner last year in High-A Everett, as he led the AquaSox with 15 home runs, while also producing 59 RBI and finishing third on the team with a .741 OPS. However, he wasn't included in this year's top 30 Mariners prospects list by MLB Pipeline and since his promotion to Double-A Arkansas he's batting just .204 through 38 games and has just a . 547 OPS.

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