Hot Stove: Mariners have Baseball America’s No. 1 farm for first time ever

If you missed Tuesday night’s Mariners Hot Stove on 710 ESPN Seattle, never fear, we have a podcast.

Before we get to the latest, a look back a week when Baseball America’s Kyle Glaser teased the upcoming farm system rankings.

“You saw our mid-season organizational talent rankings, they (Mariners) were No. 1,” Glaser told us on the Hot Stove. “I don’t want to reveal exactly where they are now, but it is still very, very high.”

Glaser appeared to be very enthusiastic about the Mariners farm system but did not quite tip his hand. Note to self: never play poker with Kyle Glaser. After those words, the announcement from the publication Wednesday morning was a pleasant surprise. For the first time since Baseball America started ranking farm systems in 1984, the Mariners are at the top of the list of 30, taking the spot from the Tampa Bay Rays, who held it the previous two years.

“Julio Rodríguez has a case for the best prospect in baseball and George Kirby is in the conversation for the best pitching prospect in baseball,” reads Baseball America’s rankings story. “Combined with a standout group of upper-level pitchers and an intriguing group of lower-level position players, the Mariners have a lot of impact talent en route to Seattle.”

As for the rest of the American League West, the Rangers make a dramatic jump up from No. 24 to 9. The rest? The A’s come in at 27, the Astros 28 and Angels 29.

Related: How far ahead is the Mariners’ farm system in AL West?

While the ultimate goal remains sustaining a big league team capable of competing for the playoffs year in and year out, and true success will be measured in postseason appearances, the top ranking is a tremendous accomplishment for the organization that was ranked dead last just four years ago. If a little extra comes with the ranking, the Mariners should be more than happy to take it.

Seven of the nine teams to have a No. 1 farm system from 2011-2020 went on to reach a World Series shortly after.

For a Mariners team that is the only active franchise to never reach a World Series, that's a particularly promising trend.https://t.co/5vycPVNErz

— Kyle Glaser (@KyleAGlaser) February 2, 2022

On to the current podcast.

James “Boy Howdy” Osborn and I settle in for an hour of Mariners conversation, which includes an interview with Cade Marlowe, the 2021 Mariners Ken Griffey Jr. MILB Hitter of the Year. A 20th-round draft pick out of Western Georgia University in 2019, Marlowe hit .275/.368/.566 (.934 OPS) and drove in 107 runs in 106 games split between Single-A Modesto, High-A Everett and one game with Triple-A Tacoma. Marlowe was the first player to reach 100 RBIs in all of minor league baseball last year and one of just seven 20/20 players (homers/stolen bases). His path now is perhaps not quite what he expected it to be as he was working toward a biology degree. He should be an interesting follow in 2022.

In addition to the visit with Marlowe, former Mariners pitcher and current ROOT Sports and M’s radio postgame analyst Ryan Rowland-Smith shares his view of Seattle’s current rotation, who he thinks will take a big step forward this year and what player he would like to see the Mariners add once baseball is unlocked.

Rowland-Smith: Why Mariners’ Logan Gilbert could ‘go off’ this season

In Gary Hill’s weekly segment on the numbers, he gives us a look at exit velocity and why it is mentioned on the broadcast.

Last but not least, in our other weekly feature where we learn a little bit more about a 710 ESPN Seattle personality’s history with baseball, we talk to Jake Heaps of Jake and Stacy. The conversation includes an unbelievable near-miss story and a peek at what it’s like to sit next to former minor league second baseman Russell Wilson at a ballgame.

The Hot Stove can be heard on 710 ESPN Seattle each Tuesday evening from 7-8 p.m.

Mariners’ lineup needs to add thump – here’s where it could come from

Follow @shannondrayer