Re-ranking Mariners' top 10 prospects after Colt Emerson graduation, 2026 MLB Draft

The Seattle Mariners farm system doesn't look the same way it did even as recently as a couple days ago. Colt Emerson has too much MLB service time to be a prospect, and the Mariners added as many as 20 new players to the mix in the draft last weekend.

Time for a re-rank? Time for a re-rank. At least of Seattle's top 10 prospects, which has a strong case as the strongest top 10 of any team in the majors. And there's good variety. There are pitchers. There are outfielders. There are infielders. There are sluggers. There are speedsters. There are ace defenders. You name it, really.

As with all prospect rankings, these are ultimately based in gut feeling about how smoothly each player will travel the road to The Show.

Mariners have an embarrassment of riches in their top 10 prospects, led by Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan

1. Kade Anderson, LHP

Age: 22
2026 Stats (AA): 14 GS, 72.2 IP, 40 H (4 HR), 108 K, 10 BB, 1.36 ERA
MLB ETA: 2026

There truly is no wrong answer when it comes to whether Kade Anderson or Ryan Sloan is the better pitching prospect. We're just biased towards Anderson because of that sneaking suspicion all of us have that he should already be in the majors.

The numbers he's posted for Double-A Arkansas are capital-R ridiculous, and it's just plain hard to pinpoint any weaknesses he has. The fastball, curveball, slider and changeup are all above-average or better, and he throws strikes. It's also a terrific sign that he has held righty batters to a .383 OPS. And his Prospect Savant page makes him look unstoppable, with his 98th-percentile in-zone contact rate boding especially well. That metric tends to be the domain of true aces.

2. Ryan Sloan, RHP

Age: 20
2026 Stats (AA): 14 GS, 62.1 IP, 62 H (8 HR), 77 K, 12 BB, 4.04 ERA
MLB ETA: 2026

There are those who stan for Sloan as MLB's top pitching prospect, including the fine folks at Baseball America. He obviously hasn't quite lived up to that billing with his performance this year, and it is a weird look that he's allowed 142 hits in 144.1 minor league innings.

But then again, dude's a 20-year-old with a 100 mph fastball and a sweeper and changeup that might both be plus pitches. He also throws a ton of strikes, so the sense that his minor league results trace back to bad luck on balls in play has teeth to it. To wit, his BABIPs have hovered around .340.

3. Lazaro Montes, RF

Age: 21
2026 Stats (AA/AAA): 85 G, 370 PA, 26 HR, 5 SB, .223 AVG, .357 OBP, .525 SLG
MLB ETA: 2027

The Yordan Alvarez comps are out there for Lazaro Montes, but it's best not to read too much into them. He has way too much swing-and-miss in his offensive profile to be the next coming of Alvarez. If anything, the fact that his K% has stayed above 30 percent in the high minors raises real fears as to whether he'll fan too much to be any kind of productive big leaguer.

But then, he's hit 58 home runs in 216 games since the start of last season. It's legit 70-grade power, and it comes with better defense than you'd expect from a guy listed at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds. As such, Montes' potential as a more athletic Kyle Schwarber is too alluring to ignore.

4. Felnin Celesten, SS

Age: 20
2026 Stats (A+): 77 G, 346 PA, 13 HR, 17 SB, .310 AVG, .405 OBP, .527 SLG
MLB ETA: 2028

Felnin Celesten is the breakout star of the system. He's especially been on a heater since the start of May, slashing .323/.411/.581 with a 152 wRC+. It's especially nice to see the slug, as it indicates another dimension for a prospect who was meant to be a hit-over-power type who would derive a good chunk of his value from baserunning and defense. To the latter, Celesten is the best defensive infielder in the system now that Emerson is a bona fide big leaguer.

It hasn't been that long since Celesten had a hard time during the 2025 MiLB season and in the Dominican Winter League. Right now, though, this is what the Mariners envisioned when they signed him for a record bonus in 2023.

5. Michael Arroyo, LF/2B

Age: 21
2026 Stats (AA/AAA): 71 G, 329 PA, 12 HR, 15 SB, .293 AVG, .368 OBP, .481 SLG
MLB ETA: 2026

This is where things begin to get debatable. Michael Arroyo is a polarizing prospect, in part because it remains unclear where he fits on defense. And if his power never becomes a standout tool, then all he really has is his on-base acumen.

But yeah, what a terrible fate to have a guy with a knack for getting on base. Arroyo has demonstrated his with a .401 OBP for his career in the minors, largely owing to a consistent ability to make good contact to all fields. He also seems determined to show off more pop, as he's slugged .571 with nine homers in 39 games since the middle of May.

6. Jonny Farmelo, CF

Age: 21
2026 Stats (AA): 81 G, 388 PA, 13 HR, 25 SB, .271 AVG, .387 OBP, .486 SLG
MLB ETA: 2028

Farmelo is the guy the Mariners chose seven picks after Emerson in 2023, courtesy of a PPI pick from Julio Rodríguez's Rookie of the Year win in 2022. It's a fun back story that gives way to a dark middle chapter, in which Farmelo missed a bunch of 2024 and 2025 with injuries.

But then came a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League, and he's built on it thus far in 2026. It does bear noting that he's fanned in a quarter of his plate appearances, but a 15.2 BB% helps make up for that. The power is also a nice surprise after he hit just 10 homers in his first two MiLB seasons, and it pairs nicely with his 70-grade speed. Fingers crossed and all, but he might be truly arriving as A Guy.

7. Ace Reese, 3B

Age: 21
2026 Stats (NCAA): 62 G, 292 PA, 24 HR, 1 SB, .336 AVG, .432 OBP, .721 SLG
MLB ETA: 2028

The Mariners seemingly didn't expect to land Ace Reese with the No. 24 pick in this year's draft. They're elated that he did, as the messaging coming from the front office is that the Mississippi State product is one of the top three hitters in the country.

Power-wise, it's easy to roll with that assessment. Reese is a 6-foot-4, 220-pounder who hit some absolute tanks for the Bulldogs. It's his other assets that require convincing. He's probably not a third baseman. And even against SEC pitching, his 21.6 K% from this year is a little high for comfort.

8. Luke Stevenson, C

Age: 21
2026 Stats (A+): 67 G, 305 PA, 10 HR, 5 SB, .237 AVG, .407 OBP, .440 SLG
MLB ETA: 2028

It can't be fun to look up a depth chart and see Cal Raleigh at your position, but that's ultimately out of Stevenson's hands. And there's no way he's moving, as arm strength and defense in general are among Stevenson's main calling cards as a catching prospect.

The real question is if his hit tool will allow him to survive. Even next to a 21.6 BB%, a 27.9 K% at High-A is not ideal for a 21-year-old hitter. And Stevenson's power is more good than great, so something at the plate will need to improve for him to ascend above a backup catcher profile.

9. Jake Brown, OF

Age: 21
2026 Stats (AA): 42 G, 194 PA, 16 HR, 9 SB, .309 AVG, .404 OBP, .642 SLG
MLB ETA: 2028

Jake Brown is probably the best value pick the Mariners made in this year's draft, as he probably shouldn't have still been available at No. 65 in the second round. He's athletic enough to handle center field, and he hit more home runs (16) in 42 games for LSU this year than he did (12) in 120 total games across 2024 and 2025.

As with Reese, though, a hit tool question looms over Brown. He was known for left-on-left issues in college, as well as for a strikeout rate spike against SEC pitching.

10. Nick Becker, SS

Age: 19
2026 Stats (ACL): 54 G, 227 PA, 5 HR, 31 SB, .267 AVG, .433 OBP, .459 SLG
MLB ETA: 2029

This spot might be better off going to left-hander Mason Peters, who's posted a 1.41 ERA in 11 starts for Single-A Inland Empire. Yet he was only a fourth-round pick in 2025, and he hasn't pitched since June 12.

Nick Becker, meanwhile, was a second-rounder in the same draft who the Mariners went significantly over-slot to keep from a commitment to Virginia. It's looking like a good deal for both sides. Even with 79 strikeouts to his name, Becker has also drawn 45 walks and understandably impressed the Mariners with his baserunning. If the Ks come down, he'll profile even more as a top-of-the-lineup pest.

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