2025 Prospects Thread

[bpj]

Unfortunately all we have to judge them on is their record and production.

Both bad.

I think we'll see some guys improve and some decline, like usual.

I guess the good thing is the only teams that have really improved are the ones that were already better than us.

Just have to tread water with them and beat the losers and maybe we can escape with a Wild Card.

That's pretty much what the Mariners roundtable discussion must have sounded like.

[DavidGee24]

If Darren sees a squirrel, then we're all seeing squirrels. Are you completely unaware that you make this forum shake its collective head more than anyone here, by far?

Again, I quote Moneyball: "If he's such a good hitter, then why doesn't he hit good?"

Well, a .765 ops isn't awful. Obviously, you desire more from an elite 1st rd pick. He dealt with multiple injuries last season and played at two levels. He did tear the cover off ball in 50 AFL ABs, getting to a .910 ops I believe.

Again, he's 19

To your other point, I don't really care. I have always been a contrarian thinker. As one example outside of my baseball takes which you're all probably well familiar with, I was always a "Seahawks LOB-era teams won on defense, not Russell. Russell holds onto the ball too long, his success comes from scramble, ad-lib plays, the Hawks OL wasn't the issue etc.. etc."

I don't care about what's popular or what may or may not rankle people. Right now the collective thought around the M's is this ownership is cheap, they should sign more FA bats at top of the market, take advantage of this window. I don't see the ownership as cheap, I see it as prudent. Idk what the books look like, maybe the revenue vs expenses is getting tight??? idk. But I do know that spending at the top of the market for FAs wasn't a smart strategy in 2018 and its even worse heading into 2025 w/ the difficulty of being a MLB player on the rise. Players are falling off harder and faster than ever before.

Stanton has stated he doesn't want to invest in free agents, especially those 30 and older. I think that makes sense.

Now, that said, I am for signing more veteran, established relief help. I'd have liked to bring in a Kenley Jansen type, even Paul Sewald. Picking up Ryan Pressly in trade would've been cool, idk if HOU would've dealt him here, though.

And I'm also in favor of bringing back Polanco to play 3b if he's willing. Bliss/Young/Moore feel more well suited for 2b but again, I'm not privy to the internal discussions. Maybe org likes Bliss potentially at 3b, Moore at 3b, idk.

They have money for Jansen and Polanco at this point. Let's see what the team ends up doing.

Also, I believe in this club 100 percent as it sits TODAY to win the AL West. People can whine about the offseason nonaction all they want, can continue to be pessimistic about the offense and forget all about how good the staff is and can even be better. An infield of Raley-Bliss-Crawford-Moore with Solano, Young, Dunn isn't bad. Yes, it's not big-namers, but there's solid players there, above avg defense, above avg base running and some real potential with likes of Raley, Bliss, Young and Dunn. Solano is just a real, real solid player in a platoon capacity.

And the OF has star power/possibility with Robles-Julio-Arozarena. I love Robles' game. That dude just gets after it. He could be a superstar if he becomes a 2b-3b machine. And honestly, as long as he gets on base, he's turning it into a 2b with his SB capacity. And once he's on second, he's scoring on anything.

We need to get more from Arozarena. Hopefully he adjusts his approach and starts finding more contact. He has it in him. Dude was special to start his career. If he falls off even more, you have Raley that can slide in (more ABs for Solano and/or Locklear at 1b) or Haniger/Canzone.

So the offense has big time potential. It's not stacked with LAD names and HOFers like Ohtani and Freeman, but it has players that can be 115 wRC+ dudes and guys that can be 140+ wRC+ guys in Julio, Robles, Raley, Cal. That's an offense that will win games especially with this pitching staff. This is a team that can be more gap to gap, get on base, steal bags, go 1st to home... just really put pressure on opponents like teams of old. Especially if it goes Bliss at 2b and Moore at 3b

That's quite the word salad you tossed just to say you're the least knowledgeable poster here. "Polanco works well with Edgar" LOL. That should be the Mariner slogan for 2025.

[rockycola]

Machado signs with e the M's; unfortunately it's not superstar, 3Bman Manny. He would've satisfied a lot of the power/hitting issues.
Of course, Manny Machado is set to earn over $17,000,000 this year, $25+ mil in 2026 as a 33 year old, then over $39 mil per year for each of the following 7 years. Not quite the bargain we're looking for.

Signed was Diago Machado, a 19 year old (20 in March), LH batting RFer out of Mexico. The 6'1", 180# Mexican yute is simply described as "promising".
Diago will probably take at least 5 years to see if he's made of MLB stuff. More likely, this brief blip in the Prospect's Thread will be the last he's ever heard of. I guess this could have been posted in the International signing's thread, too.
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Diago_Machada.png (268.72 KiB) Viewed 3356 times

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https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/baseba ... r-AA1xGgfE

[GL_Storm]

Machado signs with e the M's; unfortunately it's not superstar, 3Bman Manny. He would've satisfied a lot of the power/hitting issues.
Of course, Manny Machado is set to earn over $17,000,000 this year, $25+ mil in 2026 as a 33 year old, then over $39 mil per year for each of the following 7 years. Not quite the bargain we're looking for.

Signed was Diago Machado, a 19 year old (20 in March), LH batting RFer out of Mexico. The 6'1", 180# Mexican yute is simply described as "promising".
Diago will probably take at least 5 years to see if he's made of MLB stuff. More likely, this brief blip in the Prospect's Thread will be the last he's ever heard of. I guess this could have been posted in the International signing's thread, too.
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Diago_Machada.png
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/baseba ... r-AA1xGgfE

He's 19 so if he shows anything they'll probably be open to moving him a bit more quickly through the system.

[Donn Beach]

Ryan Sloan, I don't recall hearing about him. He just missed being in the pipeline top 100 prospects. Interesting he's a second round pick that hasn't played as a professional yet
From pipeline

Sloan has all the makings of a potential top-of-the-rotation starter. Not only does he have three potential plus pitches, including a fastball that has touched triple digits with run, but the extension created by his 6-foot-5 frame and his flat approach angle also add a layer of deception. The 18-year-old's advanced polish helped make him the top high school righty in the 2024 Draft, and the M's paid him accordingly with a $3 million bonus in the second round. Seattle has historically been cautious with prep pitchers, but Sloan's workhorse frame and history of pounding the zone could enable him to make a big impact in his highly anticipated pro debut.

https://www.si.com/onsi/minor-league-ba ... t-rankings

Why did he go in the second round?

. Sloan was considered a top prospect for the 2024 Major League Baseball draft after being ranked 16th by Perfect Game for the Class of 2024. He was selected 55th overall by the Seattle Mariners. Sloan signed with the Mariners on a $3 million contract on July 15, 2024.

[Donn Beach]

Ben Williamson, Mckay saying the organization is really high on him. Maybe he's at 3rd this season

. “Our coaches love this player to death. Our analysts love this player. Our scouts love this player,” McKay said. “And recently he graded out in one of the industry sources … as arguably the best defensive infielder in Minor League Baseball. And whether he is or isn’t, he’s definitely in that conversation. High baseball IQ, tremendous competitor. He was a part of that championship team in Arkansas last year and is just a true professional.”

[GL_Storm]

Ben Williamson, Mckay saying the organization is really high on him. Maybe he's at 3rd this season

. “Our coaches love this player to death. Our analysts love this player. Our scouts love this player,” McKay said. “And recently he graded out in one of the industry sources … as arguably the best defensive infielder in Minor League Baseball. And whether he is or isn’t, he’s definitely in that conversation. High baseball IQ, tremendous competitor. He was a part of that championship team in Arkansas last year and is just a true professional.”

We'll see if he can hit upper level pitching. I hope they don't rush him. That kind of defensive ability takes a lot of pressure off the bat, but you still need something in the neighborhood of average hit and average power.

[GL_Storm]

Ryan Sloan, I don't recall hearing about him. He just missed being in the pipeline top 100 prospects. Interesting he's a second round pick that hasn't played as a professional yet
From pipeline

Sloan has all the makings of a potential top-of-the-rotation starter. Not only does he have three potential plus pitches, including a fastball that has touched triple digits with run, but the extension created by his 6-foot-5 frame and his flat approach angle also add a layer of deception. The 18-year-old's advanced polish helped make him the top high school righty in the 2024 Draft, and the M's paid him accordingly with a $3 million bonus in the second round. Seattle has historically been cautious with prep pitchers, but Sloan's workhorse frame and history of pounding the zone could enable him to make a big impact in his highly anticipated pro debut.

https://www.si.com/onsi/minor-league-ba ... t-rankings

Why did he go in the second round?

. Sloan was considered a top prospect for the 2024 Major League Baseball draft after being ranked 16th by Perfect Game for the Class of 2024. He was selected 55th overall by the Seattle Mariners. Sloan signed with the Mariners on a $3 million contract on July 15, 2024.

Prep pitchers are the riskiest demographic and most years only a few are taken in the first round, so it's easy for a guy like this to slide. It wouldn't surprise me if the Mariners did something similar in the 2nd and 3rd rounds this year.

[Donn Beach]

Okay, that's true, he's young, thanks

[D-train]

Ben Williamson, Mckay saying the organization is really high on him. Maybe he's at 3rd this season

. “Our coaches love this player to death. Our analysts love this player. Our scouts love this player,” McKay said. “And recently he graded out in one of the industry sources … as arguably the best defensive infielder in Minor League Baseball. And whether he is or isn’t, he’s definitely in that conversation. High baseball IQ, tremendous competitor. He was a part of that championship team in Arkansas last year and is just a true professional.”

We'll see if he can hit upper level pitching. I hope they don't rush him. That kind of defensive ability takes a lot of pressure off the bat, but you still need something in the neighborhood of average hit and average power.

4 HRs in 585 PAs. Almost Jack Perconte dearth of Power.