3 surprises in MLB Pipeline's top 30 Mariners prospects for 2025

With MLB Pipeline's new prospect rankings released, a few names were placed in surprising places.
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Surprise No. 1: Tyler Locklear

For the 2024 season, MLB Pipeline ranked Locklear as the Mariners' No. 6 prospect and praised his power at the plate. He split time between Double-A Arkansas and Triple-A Tacoma in the minors last year, struggling to adapt his approach with the increase in competition. He had a 160 wRC+ over 188 plate appearances in Double-A but just a 103 wRC+ over 318 plate appearances in Triple-A.

Locklear also made his major league debut to disappointing results, slashing just .156/.224/.311 over the 16 games he played. His subpar numbers at the higher levels of baseball coupled with the relative success of other players in the farm system have caused him to slip down to the No. 11 spot on the Mariners' prospect list for 2025.

The 24-year-old still has the potential to be an impactful presence in the lineup. His raw power is still there and his 2024 struggles should not obscure that he took a major step up after spending the majority of 2023 with High-A. Given a full year at Triple-A and the lingering uncertainty at his primary position, there's a chance for him to be a real contributor in 2025.