Analyst’s under-the-radar Mariners prospect to watch

The Seattle Mariners generated quite a bit of buzz in last year’s draft when they landed LSU left-hander Kade Anderson with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft.

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There was good reason for that, as Anderson was viewed by many as the best prospect in the draft.

Anderson has continued to receive plenty of attention since, especially after turning in stellar outings in his first two starts as pro with Double-A Arkansas this year.

The Mariners’ other first-round pick last year, catcher Luke Stevenson, hasn’t received near the amount of attention. But he’s also put together a nice start of his own in his first action as a pro.

Stevenson is a prospect The Athletic’s Keith Law thinks is flying a bit under the radar. He explained why he’s excited to track what the 21-year-old catcher does this season with Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Monday.

Stevenson spent two years at North Carolina before the M’s took him with a Competitive Balance Round A pick at No. 35 overall in 2025. Law described Stevenson’s college production as somewhat perplexing because he displayed power and didn’t strike out a ton, yet he didn’t hit for a very high average.

In two seasons with the Tar Heels, Stevenson slashed .267/.417/.543 with a .960 OPS, 33 homers, 18 doubles, two triples, 107 walks and 125 strikeouts over 125 games.

“It just didn’t sort of add up. Like, he hits the ball hard, he doesn’t strike out a lot. Why doesn’t he hit for more (average)?” Law said. “He hit like .270, which in college is not very good.”

Stevenson’s numbers in 28 minor league games, however, have included batting at a higher clip.

Between 28 games in Single-A last year and six games with High-A Everett his year, Stevenson is slashing .305/.472/.453 with a .925 OPS, two homers, six doubles, one triple, 29 walks and 27 strikeouts. After being assigned to High-A to start this year, he’s hit .400 (8 for 20) with one homer and two doubles.

“Obviously, it’s a minuscule sample, but this is what you want him to do,” Law said. “He’s an ACC product who went to High-A and he’s off to a great start. He’s putting the ball in play, and he’s getting on base, he’s flashing a little power, which is really what I think he is. I think it’s a 20-plus-homer, everyday catcher who can throw. I understand that the Mariners don’t need a catcher right now, but he’s valuable.”

The Mariners certainly don’t have a need at catcher right now with 2025 American League MVP runner-up Cal Raleigh locked up through at least the 2030 season. Raleigh’s presence was already a factor in the club trading away top catching prospect Harry Ford during the offseason.

But as Law pointed out, a team’s need at any particular position can change in a quite hurry.

“Adley Rutschman was the catcher of the future for the Orioles and an MVP candidate, and the last two years he’s tapered off. Now he’s on the injured list and the Orioles’ top prospect, Samuel Basallo, who is at least a catcher on the roster, now he is their everyday catcher because Rutschman’s hurt,” Law said.

“So there’s no such thing as having too much catching depth, and Stevenson is the one guy who, he wasn’t on my top 100 coming into the year, but he was sort of the one I was keeping an eye on maybe to make that next jump.”

Law believes the next step could come pretty soon for Stevenson if he continues on his strong start in High-A.

“It’s a week, but it’s a good week,” Law said. “I hope they put him in Double-A soon and then we’ll really get the test.”

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player in this story. Listen to Brock and Salk weekdays or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app. 

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