4 highlights to get the Mariners (or a trade partner) hyped for Tyler Locklear

Tyler Locklear has been a top prospect in the Seattle Mariners system ever since he was selected in the second round of the 2022 draft out of Virginia Commonwealth University. Despite poor results while getting a cup of coffee with the big league club last year, there are reasons to believe 2025 could be the year we finally see him at his full potential.

The Mariners had been in search of a full-time first baseman pretty much all year. Rowdy Tellez, Donovan Solano, and Luke Raley bear the responsibility for Seattle getting just a .708 OPS out of the position, 18th in MLB. They recently got reinforcements from the Arizona Diamondbacks which, although good for the Mariners, may make Locklear's future with the organization uncertain.

4 highlights to sell the Mariners (or a trade partner) on Tyler Locklear

That doesn't mean Locklear hasn't been doing his best to boost his stock. To say that he's been on a hot streak is an understatement. After a lukewarm start to the season, he's now at a 137 wRC+ with 18 home runs and 80 RBI after 94 games. He has cut down on the strikeouts by a small margin and his .225 ISO is the highest mark since he was in Double-A.

Here he is continuing his scorching campaign against the Texas Rangers' Triple-A affiliate, the Round Rock Express.

Earlier in the series, Locklear was riding a three-homer streak. He has seemingly tapped back into this roots as a power hitter, as his 43.8% hard-hit rate is the best mark he has had since reaching Triple-A. He's also pulling the ball slightly more frequently than he has in the past.

Perhaps he just had something against the Round Rock Express, because nearly every home run he hit while facing them this past week was absolutely demolished.

One adjustment he has made since turning things around this year has been to lower his hands while in the box. He struggled immensely when it came to making contact, especially against higher velocity while in the majors. This slight modification to his stance seems to have improved his timing enough to barrel pitches with more consistency.

Now that the Mariners have added Josh Naylor, it's doubtful that they'll be looking to call up Locklear despite his marked improvements. However, it could give him a chance to be traded a way to a selling team that is looking to reinforce its own first base role for next year.

He has been touted as a possible trade chip for the past few weeks and could headline another deal that would give Seattle a third baseman or bullpen help. He's now one of the organization's most appealing prospect assets and with just a few days left before the deadline, the time to make a trade with him is now.