2016 Draft Report Card: Seattle Mariners

Best Pure Hitter: 3B Joe Rizzo (2) has a stocky 5-foot-11, 215-pound frame with present strength and short, strong lefthanded swing. OF Kyle Lewis (1) has a longer, more athletic body but also has shown a potential plus hit tool, including hitting 300 in the Cape Cod League last summer.

Best Power Hitter: Lewis ranked sixth in the country with 20 homers in the spring en route to College Player of the Year honors. He’s earned 70 grades for his raw power and was showing that power in pro ball before a knee injury ended his season July 19.

Fastest Runner: Seattle drafted OF DeAires Moses (19) out of a Nashville high school but only signed him after two junior-college seasons. He’s an 80 runner.

Best Defensive Player: The Mariners know SS/2B Bryson Brigman (3) can handle second base and be above-average there, but they think he can handle short, particularly if his fringy arm strength bounces back after a sports hernia that affected him in the spring. Lewis impressed in center field before his injury and falls back to being an above-average right fielder if his knee costs him some speed.

Best Fastball: The Mariners saw RHP Matt Festa (7) sit 93-95 mph in a college playoff game against RHP Brandon Miller (6) over an eight-inning start. Shortly thereafter, they drafted and signed him for just $5,000. LHP Thomas Burrows (4) sits 93-94 out of the bullpen.

Best Secondary Pitch: Burrows has a short, hard slider that helped him limit lefthanded hitters to a 3-for-27 mark (all singles) in his pro debut.

Best Pro Debut: OF Eric Filia (20) earned short-season Northwest League MVP honors, batting .362/.450/.496 with a 39-19 walk-strikeout ratio. 3B Nick Zammarelli (8) ranked third in the NWL to Filia in batting during a .329/.391/.467 campaign.

Best Athlete: Lewis’ athleticism will be tested as he tries to return from a home-plate collision that resulted in a torn ACL and torn cartilage in his right knee, though his rehabilitation is off to an encouraging start.

Most Intriguing Background: OF Trey Griffey (24) is a wide receiver at Arizona and son of Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. If he plays baseball, it will be for the Mariners. OF Austin Grebeck (21) is the son of ex-big league infielder Craig, while SS/2B Donnie Walton (5) is son of Oklahoma State pitching coach Rob Walton.

Closest To The Majors: Walton, a senior draft, could fit a utility profile quickly as a middle infielder whose hands work well.

Best Late-Round Pick: Filia, a hero of UCLA’s 2013 College World Series champs, has a long hitting track record interrupted by shoulder and off-field woes in college. Already 24, he’s an above-average hitter.

The One Who Got Away: The Mariners drafted many of the top preps in the Pacific Northwest who were tough signs, such as C Adley Rutschman (40), who’s kicking off for Oregon State’s football team. They made a stronger effort to sign C Lyle Lin (16), who instead is attending Arizona State.