Mariners add Oklahoma State switch-hitting 2B Kaden Polcovich at No. 78
Jun 11, 2020, 4:23 PM | Updated: 4:27 pm
After two solid seasons as a junior college ballplayer, switch-hitting second baseman Kaden Polcovich transferred to Oklahoma State for the 2020 season where, in just 18 games, he hit .344 with two home runs and drove in 21 runs while also flashing some speed on the basepaths.
Now, he’s a third-round pick by the Seattle Mariners.
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Middle infield was seen as a bit of an organizational weakness for the Mariners as, after shortstop J.P. Crawford and second baseman Shed Long, the team had just two middle infielders in their top-30 prospects list. One of them, Noelvie Marte, may have to move to third base as he’s a bigger guy who is continuing to grow. The other is Donovan Walton, who also played college ball at Oklahoma State.
Now, Polcovich joins the fray and has a chance to be one of the team’s best infield prospects early on.
Professional baseball is in his blood, as his dad, Kevin, played for the Pittsburgh Pirates for two seasons in the late 1990s.
During his two years at Northwest Florida State, Polcovich hit 15 home runs and drove in 56 runs. While with the Cowboys at Oklahoma State, he didn’t get to show off his skills too much as the season ended early, but his hit tool was there as shown with the aforementioned .344 average he put up. He also showed prowess on the basepaths, stealing eight bags in nine attempts.
Congrats to @K_Polcovich_02 on getting the @MLBDraft call! #GoPokes #okstate #MakeItHappen pic.twitter.com/4dYT7JsCji
— Cowboy Baseball (@OSUBaseball) June 11, 2020
Like fellow 2020 Mariners draft pick Zach DeLoach, Polcovich had more walks than strikeouts during the 2020 season, with 19 walks to 10 strikeouts in the 18 games he played in.
Polcovich split his time at third base and second base for Oklahoma State, with one appearance at shortstop mixed in, but at 5 foot 8 and 180 pounds, the college junior profiles as a second baseman, which is what he was announced as during his draft selection.
Of Seattle’s first four picks, Polcovich is the only one who did not appear on MLB Pipeline’s top-200 draft prospects list.
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