Mariners Prospect Spotlight: Hogan Windish

High-A Everett is a hotbed of high-upside talent right now. With a trio of MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospects Cole Young, Gabriel Gonzalez, and Harry Ford at the top of the Frog's lineup.

The pitching staff includes some intriguing arms in Reid VanScoter, Jimmy Joyce, and Brandon Schaeffer, dominating nightly (1.14 avg WHIP). But it's the supporting cast that is drawing my attention this week.

Players like former first-round draft pick Sam Carlson—or shortstop Axel Sanchez finally recovered from a string of injuries. and are contributing.

We're shining this week's spotlight on one of the unsung players on the roster, Swiss Army Knife Hogan Windish.

The Mariners selected Windish in the seventh round of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft. He starred at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, authoring a stellar slash line in 2022, his last collegiate season (.370/.485/1.166). Scouts and prognosticators pegged him as a second baseman with a solid hit tool like a current Mariner who entered the league with positional flexibility. 

Injuries to teammates in Modesto last year and Everett this season forced Windish to move around the diamond. This season he's played four positions (1B, 2B, RF, DH), including filling a massive void with Tyler Locklear on the injured list since early April. Windish has helped provide some veteran leadership and pop (22 xBH) in the middle of the Frog's order, often hitting in the five-hole.

The 24-year-old is slashing .255/.379/.835 for Everett this season and will see plenty of second half RBI opportunities with talented youngsters Victor Labrada, Young, Gonzalez, and Ford ahead of him in the lineup.

He should head to Arkansas when Locklear comes off the injured list. But for now, Windish's approach and hit tool are worth watching live at Funko Field and are just another reason to keep an eye on the supporting casts down on the farm.