The Mariners have proven that they are elite and drafting and developing talent. They have done with college pitchers and hitters as well as high school bats. Guys like George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller, and Bryan Woo were all college arms that the Mariners have turned into some of the best pitchers in the game. They have also developed the high upside high schoolers like Harry Ford and Cole Young, while guys like Colt Emerson, Tai Peete, and Johnny Farmelo (and don’t sleep on Aidan Smith who was a part of that incredible class) make up the next solid draft haul.
The top end of the draft seems pretty set. There isn’t a Paul Skenes type of pitcher this year who looks like the clear-cut number-one player in the draft. But the class is filled with sluggers at the top and solid college arms in the middle of the draft. While the Mariners won’t have the same amount of ammunition that they had in the 2023 draft, with three picks in the top 30, but in Bleacher Report’s latest mock draft, that doesn’t affect a thing for Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander, as they mix things up and do something that we haven’t seen them do before.
MLB Mock Draft: Mariners select high school lefty, Kash Mayfield
High school lefties may be the hardest position to develop (maybe a high school catcher?). For whatever reason they just don’t get drafted that high with only a couple of high school lefties being selected number one overall (Brady Aiken and Brien Taylor come to mind and those did not work out as neither threw an inning in the major leagues). Bleacher Report has the Mariners and Dipoto putting their scouting and development team to the test as they try and develop the young lefty out of Oklahoma with the 15th overall pick.
“Mayfield has some serious helium and has gone from an intriguing prep arm to one of the top high school pitchers in this draft class. His fastball has ticked up from the upper 80s to the mid-90s, topping out at 97 mph, and there is room for more as his 6’4″, 200-pound frame matures.”- Joel Reuter via Bleacher Report
The Mariners’ farm system has gone from pitching heavy to now hitter-friendly, so they could look to stockpile arms again in this draft and they get a very good one here in Mayfield. Bleacher Report likes the lefty and thinks that he is rising as one of the best prep arms in the class. His fastball has made some big strides from last year to this year gaining 7-10 mph during that time.
The Mariners have stayed away from high school arms after struggling to get their prep arms to develop. Guys like Sam Carlson, Michael Morales, Walter Ford, and Ashton Izzi have struggled to find their groove early on. Mayfield could be the guy that turns things around for the Mariners and their development system.
He would probably slot in around the six to ten range in the Mariners system (that just goes to show you how good this system is currently). This is a high upside move for the Mariners and if Mayfield was there for Dipoto and Hollander, Mariners fans would be ecstatic to see him added to the system.
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