2026 Prospects Thread

[D-train]

Adam Jude wrote that Arroyo is now seen as a left fielder by the Mariners. Yeah I've been staying for a while now that I think the farm systems overrated and looking at last year with Cole Young and Williamson that hasn't changed my mind.

DT who do you like best. Really intrigued actually by Stevenson. Rooting for Laz but definitely needs to cut down on strikeouts.

Laz has been my fav for years but he struggled in AA. Praying he figures it out this season.

[D-train]

A few nonsensical predictions in here.

[Pharmabro]

I think, broadly, the system isn't as strong right now in depth terms as it has been in years past. And even with the top tier of prospects, there are a lot of questions. Will Colt Emerson hit for power in the majors? What position will Michael Arroyo play? Will Montes make enough contact for his power to play at the major league level? Will Jonny Farmelo stay healthy and on the field enough that he is able to develop and move up through the system?

I disagree: The deadline deals only
Lost top 15-30 types in Ashton Izzi and Brandon Garcia (Naylor)
(Saurez) Locklear only top 10 and former top 100 ranked. CrantoN and Burgos were upside BP prospects
(Fergy) Jeter Martinez top 20 rank. I liked him but ?

The farm is down an additional top 100 guy in Ford that I had ranked about 5th in our system. And even though you have graduated guys like Young, Ben, Bliss, and Rivas are all still in the fold and all have options I believe. I believe Dom does as well but I don’t feel like doing a double check right now.

But top prospects we have added include a top 5 pick in Cade who is out present #2 prospect & some have him as our #1 prospect. So that comes over the top of even Harry Ford. But we have also filled in at least as much as we lost in #9 C Luke Stevenson, #10 OF Bautista #12 SS Neck Becker, #16 OF Korbin Dickerson, #22 Hutus.

You are of course welcome to disagree with me. But the system exploded when they got those extra 1st Rd. Prospects for Julio and competitive balance rd. A they have not looked back. I used to look at the top 5 or 6 prospects and say hey those 3 top 100’s are good but 4-5-6 look like they could be ranked based on performance. I now look at the top 10-12 guys and I am like they all could be.

Just my .02$

[D-train]

The Farm is worthless until they either perform at the Big league level or are traded for proven Big leaguers. None of the top 10 drafted this decade have done that yet.

[GL_Storm]

The Farm is worthless until they either perform at the Big league level or are traded for proven Big leaguers. None of the top 10 drafted this decade have done that yet.

That's a tautology.

[Sexymarinersfan]

The Farm is worthless until they either perform at the Big league level or are traded for proven Big leaguers. None of the top 10 drafted this decade have done that yet.

I wouldnt go as far as worthless. There's a lot of bargaining power to be had with prospects. As we saw last season, we added Geno and Naylor for prospects that may never do jack in the show. So they do have some value.

And I'd say the Harry Ford trade netted us a possible lock down lefty setup or closer. Ford was drafted in 2020. So we did get something out of this decade.

And weren't a couple of the guys we traded for Geno and Naylor recently drafted just last year?

[desbcoach]

The Farm is worthless until they either perform at the Big league level or are traded for proven Big leaguers. None of the top 10 drafted this decade have done that yet.

Kirby Gilbert, Miller , Cal Wooor you mean just first round picks ? Not following this comment

[Pharmabro]

The Farm is worthless until they either perform at the Big league level or are traded for proven Big leaguers. None of the top 10 drafted this decade have done that yet.

I disagree. You have to have a farm they protect you in a couple of ways. We had a mass of injuries this year at pretty important parts:

SP Kirby, Gilbert, and Miller all missed a significant portion of time and Hancock, and Evan’s got experience. Evan’s especially looked like he should develop.

BP Brash missed sometime, Santos was gone virtually all year. Kowar, Burjos, Garcia got a taste of MLB in their a sense and two of those guys would go in deadline deals.

Position players: right off the bat guys like Raley, Robles, and Polo were injured but Dom came up and helped with a 142 OPS+, and Rivas came up with a 113 OPS+.
Ben was a 1.6 WAR guy that coved 3B for about 1/2 the year awaiting the trade for Geno. 2B Young gave you an above average 2 months of 50 games of .768 OPS.


Heading into the Sala’s on would you have predicted that Raley and Robles get hurt and Dom is the name in Baseball ref next to a 140 OPS+?


Do I think we would have won more games if everyone was healthy? Sure, but your farm may have to cover innings while you wait for seller to be ready to sell, and or your guys recover from injuries.

[GL_Storm]

Here's the Baseball America writeup on Luke Stevenson. I didn't like this pick on draft day, but I'm coming around to it. The notes on Stevenson's defense are the types of comments you almost never see on catcher prospect reports. It's almost like there's an unwritten rule among prospect writers that you have to be critical of catcher defense with prospects. And so when I read these kinds of notes it's kind of eye opening.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Luke Stevenson
C

Ht: 6'1" | Wt: 200 | B-T: L-R

Age: 21

BA Grade/Risk: 50/Average

Adjusted Grade: 40

Track Record: Stevenson was born in New Jersey, but he etched his name into North Carolina baseball lore as one of the state’s most accomplished catchers. He was a four-year starter at Wake Forest High and led the state in home runs as a prep senior, then carried that power to college. Stevenson was a two-year mainstay for North Carolina, where he hit 33 homers and walked 19.1% of the time, albeit with just a .267 average. The Mariners drafted Stevenson 35th overall in 2025, and he handled Low-A pitching with ease in his pro debut.

Scouting Report: Stevenson is a strong defensive catcher whose advanced instincts set him apart. Regarded as one of the premier defensive backstops in his draft class, he brings a natural leadership presence and mature game-calling ability behind the plate. Stevenson’s subtle pitch framing consistently earns extra strikes. He persuades umpires to widen the zone with his soft, precise receiving. His quick, quiet hands allow him to pull low pitches into the zone cleanly, giving pitchers confidence to work the edges. At the plate, Stevenson has above-average lefthanded power. There are more questions about his ability to make contact, particularly against premium velocity, which contributed to his draft-day slide out of the first round. Stevenson made an encouraging amount of contact with Low-A Modesto in his pro debut while showing his trademark patience. However, he’ll need to show more feel to hit against upper-minors pitchers to eradicate his hittability concerns.

The Future: Stevenson’s elite glove, high baseball IQ and power potential provide a strong foundation. He has everyday catcher upside if his contact ability takes a step forward in pro ball. It shouldn’t be long before he reaches High-A Everett.

Scouting Grades Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 40 | Field: 60 | Arm: 55

[D-train]

The Farm is worthless until they either perform at the Big league level or are traded for proven Big leaguers. None of the top 10 drafted this decade have done that yet.

I wouldnt go as far as worthless. There's a lot of bargaining power to be had with prospects. As we saw last season, we added Geno and Naylor for prospects that may never do jack in the show. So they do have some value.

And I'd say the Harry Ford trade netted us a possible lock down lefty setup or closer. Ford was drafted in 2020. So we did get something out of this decade.

And weren't a couple of the guys we traded for Geno and Naylor recently drafted just last year?

Read what I wrote in red. I am saying having a high rated farm system is worthless until it starts producing via trades or filling out your big league roster.

Would you be ok if we drafted a college project reliever with an ERA in the 4s in the first round this season? That is what we got out of Ford.