Podcast: Zduriencik discusses Mariners’ top two picks
Jun 6, 2013, 11:47 PM | Updated: Jun 7, 2013, 9:14 am
By Shannon Drayer
With their second pick (49th overall) in the 2013 draft, the Mariners selected 21-year-old outfielder Austin Wilson out of Stanford University.
Wilson, a 6-foot-5, 245-pound right-hander, hit .288 (34 for 118) in a junior season that was shortened by a month by a stress reaction in the tip of his right elbow. In three seasons with the Cardinal, he hit .295 with 107 runs scored, 26 doubles, 20 home runs and 110 RBIs in 145 games.
According to scouting director Tom McNamara, Wilson is a player he and his staff have been scouting since high school. He called Wilson a five-tool guy that he believes has his better days ahead of him. I found this to be an interesting comment for a guy that they drafted so high.
McNamara was asked what he was looking for from him in regard to improvement and what he ultimately could be as a player.
“I think he is just scratching the surface,” McNamara answered. “He needs to go out and play professional baseball. We’ve seen him in the Cape. Each year he’s shown steady improvement. He’s 6-5, he runs, he throws, he’s got raw power, and he’s got aptitude, obviously. To be a student at Stanford, you’ve got to be pretty intelligent.
“We’ve seen him since high school. The improvements are steady. We’re really looking forward to getting him in uniform.”
They already got a look at him in Safeco Field as he was one of the players who came in for a workout recently. The word is he put on a show in batting practice and went upper deck left field multiple times. That, of course, is just batting practice but still impressive.
After round two of the draft ended, general manager Jack Zduriencik joined us for an extended interview that was run on the postgame show. That interview can be heard here.
