Scalding hot former top prospect looks like a lottery ticket for Mariners

Samad Taylor is making noise in the early part of the 2025 season, and the Seattle Mariners are paying attention.

Once a top prospect in the Kansas City Royals organization after arriving in the Whit Merrifield trade of 2022, Taylor’s blend of power and elite speed is again front and center at Triple-A Tacoma. Through the season’s first month, he’s slashing .333/.398/.590 with five home runs and five stolen bases, putting his dynamic skillset back in the spotlight.

Samad Taylor is teasing a breakout performance for the Mariners

Taylor’s profile has always been tantalizing: a twitchy athlete with sneaky pop and the kind of speed that can change a game. He swiped 50 bags in Tacoma last year, and he’s on pace to approach that in 2025.

As the Mariners embrace a more aggressive, high-contact, speed-driven offense, Taylor looks like a perfect fit. Seattle is among the league leaders in stolen bases early on, and the front office has made it clear they’re prioritizing athleticism and versatility over aging bench bats.

Speaking of aging bench bats, this brings us to Donovan Solano. The veteran infielder has seen limited playing time and hasn’t produced much in his platoon role. With Taylor showing he can handle corner outfield duties and second base, the writing may be on the wall.

A call-up could see Taylor in a super-utility role — some time in right field, a few starts at second, and plenty of chances to wreak havoc on the basepaths as a pinch-runner or late-game spark along with Randy Arozarena, Dylan Moore, Julio Rodriguez and even Leo Rivas.

Taylor’s energy and game-changing speed are exactly what this 2025 Mariners team has been built around. If he keeps hitting, the pressure to move on from Solano and inject some youth, and more speed, into the roster may become impossible to ignore.

Taylor’s comeback arc — once a highly regarded prospect, DFA’d over the winter, and now pushing for an MLB role — could be one of the most compelling stories of the Mariners’ early season.