Mariners add big Ole Miss 3B Tyler Keenan with fourth-round selection
Jun 11, 2020, 5:47 PM | Updated: 5:50 pm
The Mariners added some thump to the organization with their fourth-round selection in the 2020 MLB Draft in Ole Miss third baseman Tyler Keenan, who stands 6 foot 4 and weighs 240 pounds.
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Keenan, 21, played three years for Ole Miss before being selected by Seattle with the 107th overall pick. The left-handed hitter made his presence felt at the plate during his college career, hitting 31 career home runs, driving in 137 runs and compiling a career .301 batting average.
Keenan must have turned some scouts’ heads during the very brief 2020 season, his first draft-eligible season since his senior year of high school. That’s because in just 17 games, he hit seven home runs and drove in 33 runs, second most in the country, while hitting .403.
MLB Pipeline’s 127th overall draft prospect, Keenan’s calling cards are his power and throwing arm, which both grade at 55 on the 20-80 scale. He’s a below average runner with a 30 grade and is also seen as a slightly below average fielder at third base with a 45 grade. In terms of his contact/hit tool, that also grades out at 45, according to the website.
MLB Pipeline says that Keenan wants to be a third baseman as a professional, but that he may be better suited for first base as he has doesn’t move too well and doesn’t cover much ground at the hot corner.
An issue with Keenan potentially moving to first base, however, is that the Mariners have Evan White, a top-100 prospect and former first-round pick, set to hold that down for the big league team for years to come. That’s especially seen as the case because White signed a long-term deal this offseason despite never playing a game at the MLB level. He is projected to be the Mariners’ starting first baseman whenever games resume.
Third base, however, is a spot that could be open in the near future for the Mariners as Kyle Seager’s contract expires after the 2021 season. The Mariners have 2018 pick Austin Shenton and maybe current shortstop Noelvi Marte, one of Seattle’s top prospects, as potential future third basemen. Now Keenan enters the mix, but whether he can stick at that position remains to be seen.
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