Hot or Not in the Minors

[Sexymarinersfan]

Macko and Brash skyrocket into Farm System's Top 10 for the Mariners.

9.Adam Macko, SP

Drafted: 7th Round, 2019 from Vauxhall HS (AYouTube.

Age
20.4
Height
6′ 0″
Weight
170
Bat / Thr
L / L
FV
45

Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball 55/60
Slider 55/55
Curveball 55/60
Command 30/45
Sits/Tops 94-96 / 98

Macko was a 2019 seventh round high schooler who was drafted because of his proclivity for spin and his physical projection. His fastball sat 87-90 during his first pro summer but it’s been parked closer to 94, and topping out at 98, so far this spring. The increased velocity hasn’t really impacted Macko’s fastball control. He’s got a scaled down version of the Clayton Kershaw build, with a thick lower half and short levers, but Macko’s delivery looks more like Ryan Buchter’s. His sweeping breaking ball is already plus. Macko doesn’t turn 21 until the very end of the calendar year. It’d be impressive and important to his FV if he can hold this velocity throughout 2021. His delivery is atypical for a starter but he also has impact relief potential because of the quality of his breaking ball. Like several other pitchers in the system, he’s in starter/reliever limbo but would likely be an impact piece if he falls on the bullpen side of the continuum.

10. Matt Brash, MIRP

Drafted: 4th Round, 2019 from Niagara (SDP)

Age
23.0
Height
6′ 1″
Weight
170
Bat / Thr
R / R
FV
45

Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball 55/60
Slider 55/60
Curveball 50/55
Changeup 40/45
Command 30/45
Sits/Tops 94-98 / 101

Acquired as the Player to Be Named from San Diego for Taylor Williams, Brash is another pitcher who enjoyed a couple velocity spikes over the last few years. He was 90-93 as an amateur then was 94-95 in just a couple of low-minors innings after signing. Now he’s been up to 101 and is sitting 95-97. Brash worked with four pitches as a starter at Niagara and continues to do so, the best being a mid-80s slider that is already plus. This is the pitch Brash has the best feel for, and he’s consistently able to locate it to his glove side, where it moves the most and is the most enticing to hitters. He’ll back that up with an occasional curveball (it was his fourth pitch in college but is probably third in line now) and changeup. The slider and velocity give him an impact relief floor (assuming health) but remember that we’re talking about a small school prospect who missed what would have been his first full pro season of development due to the pandemic. There’s big time variance here and the arrow is pointing up.

1. OF-Jarred Kelenic
2. OF-Julio Rodriguez
3. P-Logan Gilbert
4. P-Emerson Hancock
5. SS-Noelvi Marte
6. P-George Kirby
7. C-Cal Raleigh
8. OF-Taylor Trammell
9. P-Adam Macko
10. P-Matt Brash

UPDATED***
1. OF-Julio Rodriguez
2. P-Emerson Hancock
3. SS-Noelvi Marte
4. P-George Kirby
5. C-Cal Raleigh
6. OF-Taylor Trammell
7. P-Adam Macko
8. P-Matt Brash
9. P-Juan Then
10. P-Brandon Williamson

I'm surprised they jumped Williamson. I think Macko had added more velocity than expected and is much younger, so I guess I see that side of it. So many pitching prospects...

I know! Isn't it great?! I love it. We could easily use some of it to acquire a veteran at the deadline. I also believe the M's could grab another college pitcher off the board at 12 as well, considering college hitting is down across the league. Although we could stand to beef up our middle infield and catching depth in the organization if something falls to us(please Khalil Watson ).

[Juliooooo]

I know! Isn't it great?! I love it. We could easily use some of it to acquire a veteran at the deadline. I also believe the M's could grab another college pitcher off the board at 12 as well, considering college hitting is down across the league. Although we could stand to beef up our middle infield and catching depth in the organization if something falls to us(please Khalil Watson ).

Just draft bpa. Baseball and basketball are so hot and miss with prospects, drafting for position can get you into a lot of trouble. I don't care if it's another college pitcher or an OF, take the guy you think has the best chance at a ML impact. Football you have to consider position a bit more, but still need to try to go bpa, position can be used to break ties

[bpj]

Trading Walker/Marte has netted us Mitch Haniger + JP Crawford + Isaiah Campbell + Juan Then.

I'm probably missing some

[Sexymarinersfan]

I know! Isn't it great?! I love it. We could easily use some of it to acquire a veteran at the deadline. I also believe the M's could grab another college pitcher off the board at 12 as well, considering college hitting is down across the league. Although we could stand to beef up our middle infield and catching depth in the organization if something falls to us(please Khalil Watson ).

Just draft bpa. Baseball and basketball are so hot and miss with prospects, drafting for position can get you into a lot of trouble. I don't care if it's another college pitcher or an OF, take the guy you think has the best chance at a ML impact. Football you have to consider position a bit more, but still need to try to go bpa, position can be used to break ties

I agree completely. When I say I hope a position falls into our laps, I'm taking into consideration that the prospect is the BPA on the board. If its a pitcher, I'm fine with that. However, if Watson who i have ranked ahead in the Top 10 falls to us, that's the type of scenario I'm talking about.

Matt McLain should be a Top 20 pick and is projected to play at shortstop or 2B, but I'm not interested in him currently because he doesn't make my Top 12.

[Sexymarinersfan]

Trading Walker/Marte has netted us Mitch Haniger + JP Crawford + Isaiah Campbell + Juan Then.

I'm probably missing some

Adam Hill maybe?

[Sexymarinersfan]

Farm System Overview

This is a strong system with several potential stars and more probable everyday players than the typical farm has. Drafting first round college arms and manicuring their stuff is one thing, but the later picks with big jumps in stuff are the real evidence that this is becoming one of the better orgs for arms. For instance, Adam Macko’s stuff came much faster than anyone, even draft-day optimists, would have expected. It has helped keep this system flush with potential impact outside the Top 100 guys you already know about.

I don’t understand the long-held fascination with the bad-bodied corner guys, though. It’s present in Seattle’s activity in both amateur markets. I’m of the mind that guys like Ryan McBroom and Garrett Cooper do have on-field and trade value even if you told me they’re nothing more than high-leverage pinch hitters, but I think players like that are often freely available. It’s not a demographic I’d spend finite resources like early draft picks on (Tyler Keenan) since hitters who mash at the upper levels like the names I mentioned earlier a) are closer to the bigs and therefore safer bets to actually hit than any college guy and b) can be easily leveraged off of clogged 40-man rosters. I’d much rather spend international slot money or draft picks on hitters with more variance who have a chance to outperform where they were selected rather than break even, or pitchers.

At what point does the dial in this org turn from “prospect collection” to “consolidation” via trades for a veteran in an effort to win the division and end the longest postseason drought of the major four North American sports? There’s probably already opportunistic room for it if the club is willing to bet that the industry’s assessment of a prospect is greater than their own, à la the D-backs/Marlins Zac Gallen/Jazz Chisholm challenge swap of a few years ago.

[Juliooooo]

Trading Walker/Marte has netted us Mitch Haniger + JP Crawford + Isaiah Campbell + Juan Then.

I'm probably missing some

I was thinking Jay Bruce, but he was from the Mets. So we need to consider Jake Scheiner (off to a hot start in AA this year) as part of that deal that we often forget.

If we want to, we could include Alberto Rodriguez in that trade, since we re-signed Walker then traded him again.

[Sexymarinersfan]

Trading Walker/Marte has netted us Mitch Haniger + JP Crawford + Isaiah Campbell + Juan Then.

I'm probably missing some

I was thinking Jay Bruce, but he was from the Mets. So we need to consider Jake Scheiner (off to a hot start in AA this year) as part of that deal that we often forget.

If we want to, we could include Alberto Rodriguez in that trade, since we re-signed Walker then traded him again.

Apparently the reason Toronto was so willing to trade Rodriguez was because they felt that he was out of shape. The hit profile and production was always there. He's slimmed down this year. He's an intriguing piece in my opinion.

[Sexymarinersfan]

Mariners Top MiLB Overall Standings, Nationals Bring Up The Rear

Two weeks into the season, we're already getting a sense of where teams are around the minor leagues, as well as organizations.

It's good news for the Mariners, who have the best combined record among minor league teams as well as the best run differential in the minors (the difference between a team's runs scored and runs allowed).

The best team in the minors so far has been Seattle's High-A Everett affiliate. The Mariners club lost two of its first four games but has rolled off eight straight wins since then. The AquaSox have the minors’ best winning percentage (.833) and the minors' best run differential (+57). The team is impressively filled with prospects as well, led by outfielder Julio Rodriguez, shortstop Patrick Frick and a pitching staff of Brandon Williamson, Emerson Hancock, George Kirby and Levi Stoudt.

It's also good news for the Indians, who have four teams with winning records in the minors as well as an MLB team with a winning mark. Low-A Lynchburg is the top performing Indians' farm team. The Hillcats' 9-3 record is tied for third best in the minors and the club's +53 run differential is second best in the minors.

The Yankees (led by Scranton and Tampa's 9-3 starts), Orioles (who have three teams with eight or more wins) and Rangers (led by Down East's 9-3 start) all have a winning percentage over .600 for their four minor league teams.

At the other end of the spectrum, it's been a very rough start for the Cardinals (which do not have a farm team with a winning record) and the Mets (which have an 8-4 St. Lucie team but also three teams with four wins or less).

But the roughest start by far has been that of the Nationals farm teams. Washington's .250 combined winning percentage is significantly worse than anyone else and its -148 run differential is exactly double the next worst team (St. Louis). High-A Wilmington is 6-6, but Washington's other three teams are all far below .500. Double-A Harrisburg is 4-8. Triple-A Rochester is 2-10.

And Low-A Fredericksburg is easily the worst team in the minors over the first two weeks of the season. Fredericksburg is the only team that remains winless (0-12), and its 33 runs scored are fourth worst in the minors (Harrisburg's 29 runs scored are worst). Fredericksburg's 121 runs allowed are easily the worst in the minors so far, and its -88 run differential is also the minors' worst.

To put that in perspective, Fredericksburg is losing by 7.3 runs per game. In the course of the season so far, Fredericksburg has finished six innings with a lead and has been tied for another six innings. It trailed in 96 innings.

[D-train]

If you're a #Mariners' fan looking for a morsel of good news, 19-year-old shortstop Noelvi Marte is now hitting .404/.483/.635 after a 3-for-3, 5-RBI night for Modesto on Tuesday.