New MLB mock draft shifts gears with Mariners using No. 3 pick on local star

After previous mock drafts have linked the Seattle Mariners to left-handed pitchers Kade Anderson and Jamie Arnold, the latest MLB Pipeline mock draft offers a new target to the Mariners:
Oregon State shortstop Aiva Arquette, who is ranked as the No. 6 prospect in the draft class.

"Arquette has separated himself among the college bats as the one who really fits in the top five picks or so," write Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo in their mock draft.

Aiva Arquette would add to Mariners' wealth of middle infield prospects

It's true. Arquette has separated himself from the field of collegiate shortstops. In his first season at Oregon State, the 21-year-old from Honolulu, Hawaii, hit .354 with a .461 OBP. He slugged .654, belting 19 home runs and 17 doubles. With a 1.115 OPS, 73 runs scored and 67 runs batted in, Arquette has proved himself as one of the most talented young infielders in the country.

Arquette spent 2023 and 2024 with the Washington Huskies, making him a familiar face to local baseball fans. At Washington, he played in 63 games across two seasons, slashing .311/.368/.575. He hit 17 home runs at UW, establishing himself as a power threat early in his collegiate career.

He turned down an offer from the Arizona Diamondbacks, who drafted him in the 18th round of the 2022 draft out of high school. His bet on himself appears to have paid off, as he is now a consensus top-10 draft prospect.

It is worth considering the positional balance in the Mariners' farm system. Seattle's farm is loaded with high-level infield prospects, with Cole Young, Colt Emerson, Michael Arroyo, and Felnin Celestin all ranked among Pipeline's Top 100 prospects.

Of course, chances are low that all four of them turn into everyday big leaguers, but it is valid to wonder if the Mariners would be better suited for a left-handed pitcher. Seattle has not had a left-handed starter since Robbie Ray in 2022, and has no highly rated southpaws in the farm. Unless Anderson and Arnold go first and second overall (which is unlikely, considering Ethan Holliday's existence as the No. 1 overall prospect), it might make more sense for Seattle to take one of the two college lefties that have been linked to them for so long.

And yet, talent talks. The Mariners have a chance to draft a truly generational player with the third overall pick. Seattle is lucky to be drafting here at all after finishing with a winning record in 2024. Their projected pick was No. 17, and they had a 0.5 percent chance at landing in the top three.

When drafting as high as the Mariners are, taking the most talented player on the board is the way to go. No matter how many other infield prospects the M's have, if the scouting department believes in Arquette, then he should be the pick.