Will Mariners former top prospect out of options make the Opening Day roster?

A former top 100 prospect, a former first-rounder, and out of options. Will the former top prospect make the opening day roster for the Mariners?

Houston Astros v Seattle Mariners
Houston Astros v Seattle Mariners | Stephen Brashear/GettyImages

Taylor Trammell, now 26 years old, is in a make-or-break Spring Training for the Mariners. Either he makes the Opening Day roster, is traded to another team, or is designated for assignment. Trammell is out of options so he can not be optioned to Tacoma. The problem with Trammell is he has never really gotten a shot at regular playing time with the Mariners. He has been blocked by players like Julio Rodriguez, Jarred Kelenic, and Mitch Haniger on his path to playing time. In 2024 he will have to beat out Luke Raley and Dominic Canzone to make the team.

Even with the limited playing time, he still has had some highlights, including something that every little kid dreams of when he hit a grand slam in his 2023 season debut against the Blue Jays. What's even more impressive is that it happened in his first AB that day. What a way to start the season!

Trammell's stats in the big leagues are just not that good, over three seasons he has 304 at-bats with a slash line of .168/.270/.368 with an 80 OPS+ and 15 HR. His time in the big leagues has been underwhelming, to say the least. Part of that comes from not getting a regular chance at playing, as mentioned above. How much moving around he did early in his career from trades likely didn't help, either.

His stats in Tacoma are much better, in 2023 he had a slash line of .268/.390/.530 with 21 HR and 63 RBI. Maybe if Trammell got a chance in the big leagues with regular playing time, he could be something, but minor league numbers don't always translate over to being good in the Majors.

Trammell needs to have a huge spring if he is going to make the Opening Day roster. So far this spring in 9 at-bats he has 4 hits and 2 stolen bases with no home runs. He has had a good start to the spring and we will see if he can keep it going and make a tough decision for the Mariners when the final cuts happen. But in my opinion, Canzone will beat him out and Trammell will be playing for another team when Opening Day comes.

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