Mariners magic lands Seattle highest MLB Draft pick ever under Jerry Dipoto

2024 MLB Draft Presented by Nike
2024 MLB Draft Presented by Nike | Richard Rodriguez/GettyImages

In an offseason that is likely to disappoint many Seattle Mariners fans, Tuesday is a day for fans to celebrate. With just the 15th-best odds at landing the No. 1 overall pick, and many expecting to draft in the 12-18 range, some Mariner magic was on display as the team shot into the top three of the 2025 MLB Draft.

Is there anyone in baseball that has put together a more interesting pair of drafts than Jerry Dipoto in 2023 and 2024?

The 2023 MLB Draft was one for the record books for Dipoto. Equipped with the first ever PPI (Prospect Promotion Incentive) pick when Julio Rodriguez won the Rookie of the Year and winning the first pick of the competitive balance round A, the Mariners were loaded and set to dominate the draft class. Dipoto landed three elite-level high school prospects and moved signing bonuses around to make it all happen.

They followed that up, although with fewer selections in 2024, one of the most interesting picks of the class (and another high school prospect with elite upside) in Jurrangelo Cijntje, a switch-pitcher, was acquired. Yet to throw a professional inning, we are still waiting to see how Dipoto deploys him. Ryan Sloan, projected to go in the top 15-20, fell to them in the second round and Dipoto went way over slot to nab the 6-foot-5 220-pound 18-year-old.

MLB Draft Lottery: Seattle Mariners land No. 3 overall pick in 2025

In the 2025 draft lottery, the M's jumped some of the worst teams in baseball like the White Sox, Athletics, Rockies and Marlins. Fans may be frustrated that Dipoto hasn't made any moves at the Winter Meetings, but this is a huge win for the organization.

With the No. 3 overall pick, along with earning the third overall pick in the competitive balance round A (a pick that is tradable), Dipoto is going to have three picks in the top 50 and will have the chance to get really creative. Even though this isn't a big trade or free agent signing, this sets the Mariners up nicely for the next year.

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