Mariners dominate Baseball America's top prospect rankings, but what's next?

The future of the team is almost here.

Minnesota Twins v Seattle Mariners
Minnesota Twins v Seattle Mariners | Steph Chambers/GettyImages

Fans of the Mariners have gotten accustomed to saying "there's always next year" following yet another disappointing regular season, but this time it might actually mean something. Seattle has had quite the passive offseason, but one of the reasons this might be the case, other than the organization's persisting frugality, could be that they're waiting for their young talent to fully blossom. When they do, it could be a big step forward for the team.

Baseball America recently published its 2025 list of the top prospects in baseball, and seven of them were in the Mariners organization, the most of any MLB club. The players who made the list and their respective rankings are as follows:

  • SS Colt Emerson (#16)
  • SS Cole Young (#56)
  • OF Jonny Farmelo (#70)
  • 2B Michael Arroyo (#77)
  • SS Felnin Celesten (#89)
  • C Harry Ford (#95)

There are a couple of key takeaways from this group. First and foremost, all seven of them are position players. Seattle has become renowned for their pitching development over the past few years given the success of their young nucleus of starters, but none of their prospect arms managed to make the list. Things might change once first-round pick Jurrangelo Cijntje gets his first year of professional ball under his belt, but it goes against the grain of what many believe to be the club's strength.

Secondly, four of these players are middle infielders. The team has struggled to find a consistent presence at second base, and after the last few free agent deals went sour the front office might just be content using homegrown talent instead. Cole Young, in particular, is close to making the majors and is estimated to get at least some playing time in 2025. It's doubtful he'll be there at the start, but he could follow a similar timeline to Tyler Locklear's path in 2024. Colt Emerson and Lazaro Montes are a little further out but are projected to debut in 2026.

And finally, we saw a big slide for Harry Ford, which is consistent with other prospect rankings. It was a relatively rough year for him in Double-A, as he posted a .745 OPS over 523 plate appearances and has raised questions about whether he has a long-term place in the PNW. It's doubtful he'll find a spot on the major-league roster anytime soon given Cal Raleigh's recent performance, so maybe he'll be the centerpiece of a future trade.

So maybe you're frustrated with the lack of moves this offseason. It's a completely understandable sentiment and unfortunately one that will likely persist until Opening Day swings around in March. However, homegrown help is on the way, and it could be just what this team needs to get back on track. Either that, or Dipoto could be cooking up a blockbuster trade if the price is right.

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