3 college hitters who could become Mariners on Draft Day

Seaver King

Seaver King is an infielder/outfielder from Wake Forest who dominated the lower levels of college baseball before transferring to a powerhouse this past season. He put up good numbers, slashing .308/.377/.577 with 16 home runs, 11 stolen bases, 25 walks, and 34 strikeouts. He played games at second base, shortstop, and third base on the infield but also played over 20 games in center field this year.

MLB Pipeline had this to say about King on defense, "With well above-average speed and solid arm strength, King is a versatile defender. He opened this season as a center fielder before settling in at third base, also seeing action at shortstop and second base. He'd have the most pro value at shortstop, though he's merely average there and would need to polish up his actions and throwing accuracy. He's solid at the other spots and may fit best in the outfield because his hands are just OK."

It would be better if King was a better defender at shortstop, but there can only be 30 Major League shortstops so if he has to move to the outfield or another infield spot then hopefully he should still be a solid defender. The hope is that he could be a nice player who has a high ceiling at the big league level.

Future Stars Series had this to say about King in a recent mock draft, "King is a dynamic pack of tools that can fit wherever the organization needs, and the bat speed and raw juice are dynamic. His approach is his Achilles heel, but if he can be more patient there’s a chance at a star here."

Since he should have a quicker path to the big leagues than some of the other Mariners infield prospects, that excites me. If the Mariners make a trade later this month where they send away some infield prospects like Cole Young, Tai Peete, or Michael Arroyo, adding King to the farm system would be good.