Seattle Mariners 2022 MLB Draft Report Card

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Best Pure Hitter: SS Cole Young (1) ranked as the No. 3 pure hitter in the 2022 high school class and ranked No. 2 in strike-zone judgment. In 17 games between rookie ball and Low-A, Young hit .367/.423/.517 with a 144 wRC+ and as many walks (eight) as strikeouts (eight).

Best Power Hitter: 3B Tyler Locklear (2) ranked as the No. 2 power hitter in the college class and hit 16 home runs with VCU in 2021 and 20 in 2022. He boasts big exit velocities with a strong, 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame and homered seven times in 31 games in his pro debut—with most of those games coming at Low-A Modesto. 2B Hogan Windish (7) has solid raw power and managed some of the best exit velocity data of Seattle’s 2022 class as well.

Fastest Runner: The players Seattle drafted among the top 10 rounds are at best solid runners, but OF Curtis Washington (19) was a late pick with plenty of speed. Washington stole 31 bags in 35 tries (88.6%) during the 2022 season with Purdue and throughout his college career he was 35-for-40 (87.5%)

Best Defensive Player: In addition to his praise as a hitter, Young (1) was a polished and reliable defensive shortstop. He’s not the most explosive or rangiest defender at the position, but he has sound hands, solid footwork, advanced instincts and an internal clock that helps everything play up at the position, with above-average arm strength.

Best Fastball: RHP Troy Taylor (12) threw his fastball in the 93-95 mph range with UC Irvine and has touched 97. The pitch also plays up with impressive carry through the zone.

Best Secondary Pitch: The Mariners are high on RHP Tyler Gough’s (9) secondary stuff. He throws both a curveball and a changeup that he’s shown feel for, while RHP Walter Ford (2s) has shown a plus slider with hard, two-plane bite.

Best Pro Debut: Seattle had a number of players who hit the ground running in pro ball. Young (1) performed well as previously mentioned, but so did Locklear (2) (.285/.366/.504, 7 HR in 31 games), Windish (7) (.333/.433/.496, 13 2B in 33 games) and OF Bill Knight (10) (.344/.511/.469, 178 wRC+).

Best Athlete: SS Josh Hood (6) is a solid athlete who handled the everyday shortstop position for North Carolina State during the 2022 season. Hood can play a number of positions on the diamond and in his pro debut he logged time at shortstop, third base and second base. Ford (2s) is an impressive athlete as well and was a real two-way prospect before he began focusing on pitching.

Most Intriguing Background: RHP Darren Bowen (13) used to be a 5-foot-9 catcher, but he went through a significant growth spurt, switched positions and racked up a ton of strikeouts as a pitcher with UNC Pembroke (175 in 122.2 innings) and now stands 6-foot-3.

Closest To The Majors: This category almost always goes to advanced college players, but Young (1) is a supremely advanced high school player. He was also old for the prep class and would have been a draft-eligible sophomore if he made it to campus at Duke, so perhaps the Mariners feel like he can be pushed more aggressively than a typical high school hitter.

Best Late-Round Pick (Or NDFA): Seattle was excited to get Gough (9) late on the second day of the draft and signed him to an over-slot $270,000 bonus. He’s a projection arm, but generated plenty of buzz in Southern California for his work in the CIF semifinals with JSerra and also by striking out all five batters he faced at the draft combine in San Diego.

The One Who Got Away: RHP Jacob McNairy (16) was the only player the Mariners didn’t sign. McNairy posted a 4.63 ERA with Alabama in 72 innings, split between the rotation and bullpen.