Final MLB mock drafts point to drastically different options for Mariners' No. 3 pick

The Seattle Mariners are mere hours away from making their highest pick in the draft in over a decade on Sunday, as they hold the No. 3 selection in the MLB Draft for the first time since 2012.

If you're asking us, the Mariners' best options at No. 3 are LSU lefty Kade Anderson, prep right-hander Seth Hernandez, and prep shortstop Ethan Holliday, exactly in their order. However, this is little more than a wish list. The reality of the Mariners' situation more complicated, as much hinges on both their preferences and those of the two teams — the Washington Nationals at No. 1 and Los Angeles Angels at No. 2 — picking ahead of them.

To this end, much can be learned from the final round of MLB mock drafts that have gone out into the world on Saturday and Sunday. Namely: that the Mariners may be down to two likely choices despite all their hemming and hawing about not knowing who to take.

The Mariners could use the No. 3 pick on the draft's best prep pitcher

Though Seth Hernandez is only No. 2 on our list of dream options for the Mariners' third overall pick, he is seen as the team's most likely selection by MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, and ESPN.

"The tide seems to be turning with the Mariners now good with taking Hernandez here," writes Kiley McDaniel in his mock for ESPN, "despite the spotty outcomes of prep righties in the draft, after canvassing a wide group of players."

McDaniel isn't wrong about the iffy history of prep right-handers, especially those taken with high picks. Since 2010, the only high school righties to produce 10-plus WAR in the majors after going in the top 10 in the draft are Hunter Greene and Jameson Taillon. There have been some huge busts, including Dylan Bundy and Riley Pint.

Still, the Mariners took a big chance on a high school righty just last year, when they drafted Ryan Sloan in the second round and signed him to a well over-slot bonus of $3 million. He is now among MLB Pipeline's top 100 prospects amid a breakout season for Single-A Modesto.

For his part, the 19-year-old Hernandez checks all the boxes as a future top-of-the-rotation starter. He has a projectable 6-foot-4, 190-pound frame and MLB Pipeline grades his fastball, curveball, slider, changeup, and control as above average. The heater already sits in the mid 90s, which makes it possible to imagine that he'll eventually sit in the high 90s.

The Corona High School alum would likely need a few years in the minors, but that would be OK. He'll have both Sloan and Jurrangelo Cijntje ahead of him in the pipeline, and all three could be candidates to take over for Logan Gilbert and George Kirby if they reach free agency after 2027 and 2028, respectively.

Or, the Mariners could go for the draft's best college position player

Alternatively, The Athletic and Bleacher Report have the Mariners gravitating toward Oregon State shortstop Aiva Arquette with the No. 3 pick.

This is hardly the first time the Mariners have been connected to Arquette, a Hawaii native who played college ball for the Washington Huskies for two seasons before transferring to Oregon State for the 2025 campaign. He had a huge season, batting .354/.461/.654 with 19 home runs in 65 games.

At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, Arquette has the kind of size that naturally invites questions about his ability to stick at shortstop. But scouts seem bullish in this respect, and there is otherwise little question that the 21-year-old projects as a power threat.

The Mariners are already rich in position player prospects, as seven of the nine players they have in MLB Pipeline's top 100 make their living with their bats and gloves. But when it comes to prospects, it's impossible to ever have too much of anything.

In any case, we'll all find out what the Mariners will actually do with the No. 3 pick soon enough. The draft gets underway at 3 p.m. PT, and they'll be on the clock shortly thereafter.