Mariners’ farm providing excitement as prospects rise up rankings
Jun 20, 2019, 1:54 PM
Justus Sheffield is one of six Mariners prospects in MLB Pipeline's top 100 rankings. (Getty)
(Getty)
The Mariners are in last place in the American League West, which honestly should be no surprise in what has been dubbed a step-back season. But for things to truly be going according plan, the M’s need to be seeing improvements in their farm system.
In that case, everything is on schedule.
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In the latest prospect rankings by MLB Pipeline, which were released Wednesday, the Mariners have six players in the top 100: outfielder Jarred Kelenic (No. 25), pitcher Justin Dunn (68), pitcher Logan Gilbert (69), pitcher Justus Sheffield (75), first baseman Evan White (82) and outfielder Julio Rodriguez (88).
“Do the math, there’s 30 MLB teams, you should have just over three (in the top) 100; the Mariners have double that, which is great news,” Mike Salk of 710 ESPN Seattle’s Brock and Salk on Thursday. “A lot of good news there for a Mariners system that a couple years ago was entirely bereft of talent.”
As nice as it is for the M’s to have more than double their expected share of top 100 prospects, Salk pointed out that for the Mariners’ rebuild to be successful they will probably need even better showings.
“The other side of this is, well, you only have one (player) in the top 30 and he’s at No. 25, and if you really want to win you got to start moving some of these players up into those top few so that you really get the best of the best,” Salk said. “But in terms of rebuilding a farm system that was gone, (general manager) Jerry Dipoto has definitely started that process.”
Kelenic is just 19, which makes Salk optimistic he’ll be ranked even higher as he continues his rise to the majors.
“I think at 19 to be at that spot means that there’s some time for him to continue to grow,” Salk said. “Won’t surprise me if he ends up as a top 10 prospect before eventually being called up to the major leagues. If he continues to do what he’s doing at High-A, he may very well end up there (in the top 10).”
While Kelenic is currently the jewel of Seattle’s farm system, Salk’s co-host Brock Huard noted how it’s the pitching prospects that will be especially important in the team’s rebuild.
“I think most curious to watch here in the years ahead is going to be those arms. It is going to have to be the pitching and it’s nice to see (in the top 100) a Dunn, a Gilbert, a Sheffield – even though he is falling, he is still a guy with that kind of upside and that kind of talent,” Huard said, adding that Dipoto, a former MLB pitcher, and manager Scott Servais, a former MLB catcher, should have a strong handle on the organization’s young pitchers. “Those guys know something about arms. That is how the arms race has got to be won by these Mariners in the years to come if they’re eventually going to dig out of this hole.”
Brock and Salk discussed the Mariners’ top prospects both in their Need to Know and Good News, Bad News, No News segments, which you can listen to back-to-back in the audio player embedded in this story or download in podcast form here.
