M's farm system, Emerson on the rise

Three years ago, the Mariners had one of the best farm systems in the league. Cal Raleigh, George Kirby, Julio Rodriguez, Jarred Kelenic, and Logan Gilbert were prospects toiling in Seattle's minor league affiliates. Now that they've graduated, and in one curious case (were traded), most of the high-upside talent is at High-A and below. That tremendously deep wave of prospects includes Major League Baseball Pipeline Top 100 players Cole Young, Harry Ford, Gabriel Gonzales, and 2023 first-rounder Colt Emerson.

MLB Pipeline recently polled executives on several topics centered around the minor league scene, and they listed Emerson as the most underrated prospect. The 18-year-old infielder was the only member of the 2023 draft class to accumulate more than 100 plate appearances, reach a wRC+ above 170, and play above the Arizona Complex League. Additionally, he slashed .374/.496/1.045 and was a crucial cog in Modesto's run to the California League Championship.

The Mariner's farm system tied the Boston Red Sox and Detriot Tigers for the most underrated overall, with each coming in at 11% in the poll. Jerry Dipoto, the President of Baseball Ops, has always said that 2026 is when he sees this team cresting in talent and payroll. While I wouldn't touch the latter with a ten-foot pole, the talent is creating helium for the farm. If you look at the MLB Pipeline Mariner's Top 30 prospects, 22 of those players have projected debuts in the next three seasons.

Now, not all of them will make The Show, but when you have that many bites at the apple it makes trades and supplying the Major League roster a little bit easier. The future is bright for this team, even if the present is a little murky.