Seattle Mariners Prospects: 2024 Midseason Top 30 Update
A few years ago, the Mariners had more pitching prospects than any club in baseball, as well as Julio Rodriguez. Now the team has the best collection of Class A hitters in baseball, giving them either hope for the future or some of the best trade chips around.
Baseball America subscribers can see the full updated Mariners Top 30 here. Notable risers, fallers, new additions and injury updates are below.
Notable Risers
Jonny Farmelo, OF
Farmelo has not only thrived as a 19-year-old in full-season ball but has shown a promising level of contact ability in the early going, not to mention a strong eye that has resulted in a walk rate north of 16%. Scouts are optimistic that the power will come later. Unfortunately, his season ended in mid June after he tore the ACL in his right knee.
Brock Rodden, 2B/3B
The 2023 fifth-rounder out of Wichita State continues to do nothing but hit and get on base at every level. After dismantling High-A to the tune of .302/.413/.484, Rodden was recently promoted to Double-A Arkansas. The 24-year-old is set up to make his MLB debut sooner rather than later.
Notable Fallers
Rodriguez has struggled mightily in his second go-round at Double-A Arkansas, slashing just .239/.272/.327 while seeing his walk rate cut in half from prior seasons. He’s still just 23, but there is immense pressure on his bat because he doesn’t do much else well, and the clock is starting to tick.
Notable New Additions
15. Brody Hopkins, RHP
BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
Track Record: Hopkins had a lot of trouble throwing strikes in college and walked almost a batter per inning in his NCAA career. Seattle still took a chance on him in the sixth round last year out of Winthrop and signed him for $225,000. Hopkins has rewarded their faith with a walk rate far more normal in pro ball thus far.
Scouting Report: Hopkins is every bit of 6-foot-4, 200 pounds and combines that size with a closed front side and crossfire delivery that creates difficult angles for hitters. He uses a slingshot arm action with a low three-quarters slot that borders on sidearm to generate late armside run on his mid-90s fastball. He pairs it with a plus slider that he can manipulate as a lateral sweeper to righties or as a two-plane back-foot shape to lefties. Hopkins’ changeup, though used sparingly, shows promise with late armside fade. He will also mix in an occasional short, flat cutter. With Hopkins, command will likely never be a strength. The key question is whether he’s in the zone enough to let his stuff play.
The Future: The Mariners hope that Hopkins develops into a future midrotation starter in the “righthanded Jonathan Sanchez mold.” His fallback role is likely as high-leverage reliever who can be tough on righties.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Cutter: 45 | Control: 40
24. Jean Munoz, RHP
BA Grade/Risk: 45/Extreme
Track Record: Munoz was signed out of the Dominican Republic in September 2019 to a mid-sized bonus. He has been a bit of a slow ascender through the minors thus far and is hoping to crack full-season ball by the end of the season, his fifth in pro ball.
Scouting Report: Munoz is on the leaner side, high-waisted and projectable. He generates most of his velocity from his incredibly quick arm, using a short arm action and minimalist delivery in doing so. Munoz currently sits 91-94 mph on his fastball but will use his average slider as much or more than his fastball. He rounds out his arsenal with a changeup that shows promise.
The Future: Despite being used as a starter for most of his pro career, Munoz has come out of the bullpen in every Arizona Complex League appearance so far in 2024. It’s unclear if this is temporary or not, but he could profile as either a back-end starter or a medium-leverage reliever.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 50
25. Dylan Wilson, RHP
BA Grade/Risk: 45/Extreme
Track Record: The Mariners signed Wilson for $125,000 out of Curacao in the same 2023 international class as Felnin Celesten and Jeter Martinez. He has been pushed just as aggressively. Wilson made the Arizona Complex League roster in 2024 despite being 18 years old with just 16.1 prior innings in the Dominican Summer League.
Scouting Report: Wilson is undersized, but there is some optimism in the Seattle front office about a future as a starter due to his athleticism and quick arm. Wilson works with a 91-95 mph fastball that could touch the upper 90s as he matures. He has a bevy of offspeed pitches, though none project to be better than average. Wilson has had some hiccups throwing strikes in his U.S. debut, but the hope is that he will be close to an average strike-thrower at peak.
The Future: There is some starter versus reliever debate with Wilson. But given his age, athleticism and deep bag, he will be given every opportunity to start. His ceiling is that of a back-end starter.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 45 | Curveball: 45 | Cutter: 45 | Splitter: 40 | Control: 45
27. Marcelo Perez, RHP
BA Grade/Risk: 40/Medium
Track Record: The Mariners went slightly over slot to sign TCU senior Perez as an 11th-round pick in 2022. Despite some labeling him as a reliever when he was drafted, Perez has started in every pro appearance he’s made thus far.
Scouting Report: The 5-foot-10 Perez is quite undersized but comes equipped with a live arm. His fastball typically sits 92-95 mph with some uphill plane and will touch as high as 97. He’s primarily a two-pitch guy, complementing his fastball with a heavy diet of solid-average mid-80s sliders. He throws his slider even early in counts or when behind. Perez also will mix in a below-average changeup. Strikes were a bit of a concern coming out of the draft, but Perez generally has been a solid strike-thrower in pro ball.
The Future: It’s easy to look at Perez’s size and two-pitch mix and label him as a reliever. It is unclear if or when Seattle will make that decision. His most likely outcome is as a medium-leverage reliever who can also flex as a long man or spot starter.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 45
Significant Injuries
Jonny Farmelo, OF
Farmelo will miss at least a year after recently tearing the ACL in his right knee.
Jimmy Joyce, RHP
Joyce was held out of action for the first couple months of 2024 with what was labeled a “right elbow injury.” Joyce recently made his season debut and is already at Double-A Arkansas.
Teddy McGraw, RHP
McGraw has not made his pro debut yet and is still recovering from an internal brace procedure to heal the right elbow injury he suffered at Wake Forest last season.
Cole Phillips, RHP
Phillips had a second Tommy John surgery this spring training and will miss all of 2024.
Taylor Dollard, RHP
Dollard has missed all of 2024 after having labrum surgery.
