The Mariners’ next big prospect decision is more complicated

Jun 2, 2025, 12:05 PM | Updated: 5:37 pm

Seattle Sports

The Seattle Mariners made the easy decision this weekend, but their next potential big prospect promotion will be a much tougher choice to make.

The M’s promoted second baseman Cole Young to the big leagues Saturday, and it’s safe to say things went pretty well. Young collected his first MLB hit and walk in his debut Saturday, then drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 11th on a walkoff fielder’s choice.

Walkoff caps ‘unreal 24 hours’ for Seattle Mariners rookie Cole Young

At this point, calling up Young was a fairly obvious choice to make, and a win-win for the Mariners for a number of reasons.

The No. 43 overall and No. 3 Mariners prospect as ranked by MLB Pipeline was absolutely raking in Triple-A with Tacoma. After a slow start in April, the 21 year old went on a blistering run in May, batting .362 with a 1.121 OPS and 18 extra-base hits.

Young showed he was ready for a bigger challenge. The Mariners were in a prime spot to let him prove it. They had a hole at second base for Young to fill. And if things go south early for Young, they can always send him back to the minors for more seasoning and just call Leo Rivas back up.

It also gives Seattle an opportunity to see Young for up to two months before the trade deadline so the club can figure out if it has its answer for second base this year, or if it needs to acquire help for a playoff push.

The Mariners have another top prospect and recent first-round pick knocking on the door for a big league promotion, as well. That would be catcher Harry Ford who, like Young, has been tearing it up in Tacoma.

442 ft on this no-doubter off the bat of Harry Ford for Triple-A @RainiersLand!

MLB's No. 9 catching prospect is one of nine @Mariners Top 100 prospects, the most in baseball: pic.twitter.com/Ftqz1uyc4F

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 14, 2025

Who is Harry Ford?

Ford, a first-round pick out of high school in 2021, is batting .325 with a .437 on-base percentage and .921 OPS in 41 games with the Rainiers. His six home runs this season nearly match the seven he hit in Double-A all of last season, although the Pacific Coast League is a much more hitter-friendly environment than the Texas League.

More: Seattle Mariners prospect Harry Ford continues tear in Triple-A with massive HR

But the decision of when to promote Ford, who is ranked No. 66 overall and No. 5 in the Mariners farm system by MLB Pipeline, is much more complex than it was for Young.

Much of that has to do with the way Seattle’s roster is currently constructed. With Cal Raleigh putting up MVP candidate numbers, there isn’t a clear way to get Ford regular playing time at the MLB level. If you’re calling up Ford, he needs to play regularly.

There is some thought that Ford could get frequent at-bats as the designated hitter. However, the problem there is that leaves Jorge Polanco without a regular spot in the lineup against right-handed pitching, because even if Ford is catching in one of those games, Raleigh will likely be the DH.

Polanco has struggled over the past few weeks, and perhaps an IL stint for an earlier oblique issue could give a veteran player with a history of injuries a refresh to rediscover his groove. But that only buys a finite amount of time. It’s not fair to tell Ford he has just 10 days to prove himself, or Polanco that he has to sit for however long the M’s want to give Ford a chance.

Ford also played some left field during his time with Double-A Arkansas, thought of by some as another path to playing time at the big league level. But Ford committed three errors in those games, a staggering number for any position but especially in the outfield. The club would be asking the 22 year old to figure out a position he hasn’t proved he can play well while simultaneously asking him to adjust to big league pitching. That’s a tough ask and a potential recipe for disaster.

Another option would be to move on from backup catcher Mitch Garver and find ways for Ford to get regular at-bats between DH and catcher instead. While Garver hasn’t lived up to the billing of being the everyday DH as the Mariners hoped he would when they signed him before last season, he’s perfectly serviceable as a backup catcher.

Plus, if the M’s were to part ways with Garver, that leaves no viable insurance policy if Ford struggles and proves he needs more time in the minors. The club has no catchers on its 40-man roster outside of Raleigh and Garver, and the next in-house options would be calling up Jacob Nottingham or Blake Hunt, who would both be steps down from Garver.

And unlike the Young situation, the Mariners don’t necessarily need to see if Ford is ready at this point. Their catching situation is one the best (if not the best) in the majors with Raleigh in the fold.

Of course, there are benefits to calling up Ford. If he reaches the majors and excels, it would help the team. It could be an avenue to giving Raleigh more days off from behind the plate in an effort to save his body for the latter months of the season.

This all isn’t to say the Mariners shouldn’t call up Ford. He could force his way on to the roster if he keeps up his torrid pace in Tacoma. There’s just less room for error surrounding his promotion.

Back-to-back games with a jack for Harry Ford 💪

The @Mariners’ No. 5 prospect extends his on-base streak to 34 games with a 107.1 mph, 443 ft. homer for Triple-A @RainiersLand. pic.twitter.com/zEeUqDbeQn

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 30, 2025