Seattle Mariners Depth Chart: rickroll, part 6 (outfield)
Never gonna tell a lie: Blash and Wilson get this list rolling
Starting pitchers: here.
Relief pitchers: here.
Catchers: here.
Corner infielders/DH: here.
Middle infielders: here.
And the final act is in the outfield, and the possibility that sluggers are emerging?
| 2014 age | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Thumbnail commentary | ||
| Michael Saunders | 27 | LH | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | FA | Yes, for now, Saunders is the dean of the Mariners OF. He has more service time than any Mariner on the current roster except Felix. [!] There will be other names here eventually. Will they start with "Jacoby" or "Shin-soo" or something else? We'll see. | |||
| Dustin Ackley | 26 | LH | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | FA | He's on on the middle-infield list, too. If his back-to-basics approach results in consistency (second half of 2013 = .304/.374/.435), then he'll be needed both places. Not only are there no outfielders to speak of, I expect plenty of streakiness from Nick Franklin. | ||
| Abraham Almonte | 25 | SH | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | FA | Had an excellent AAA season and an intriguing 25-game tryout in the bigs. He's got value, but if he's an everyday player, that's a sign 2014 has been written off. |
| Xavier Avery | 24 | LH | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | FA | I'll put him here because he's on the 40-man roster, but I'm not impressed. |
| Stefen Romero | 25 | RH | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | FA | To answer the comments, I think if they thought Romero could play 2b in the majors, they'd still be giving him work there. I've always been skeptical of his chances for long-term success as a corner-position hitter in the majors, but maybe I'm wrong. |
| Travis Witherspoon | 25 | RH | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | No, not impressed with him either. |
| Jabari Blash | 24 | RH | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | OK ... when's the last time the Mariners had an actual slugger in the OF (unless you count Raul)? It was Jay Buhner and the calendar still started with "19." Bone struck out a lot, but delivered plentiful bombs and a ton of walks. That's the same template that Jabari the Elder demonstrated in 2013. The most encouraging thing being the 9 HR and 20 BB after he moved up to Jackson (29 games). He's not a slam dunk by any means, but it's time to sit up and take notice of this guy. |
| Julio Morban | 22 | LH | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | I always say I practically invented the Morbanwagon, because I DID invent the Morbanwagon. That being said, he is injury-prone and didn't make the kind of progress I hoped to see at AA. He's still got time and talent, though. But Blash rocketed past him in my book in 2013. |
| Dan Paolini | 24 | RH | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | We already discussed Paolini in the corner-IF grid, but he ought to have a better shot in the OF given the lay of the land. Of course, he did a face-plant at AA (right after I'd touted him as a top-flight prospect). If he can recapture what showed in the second half of 2012 and first half of 2013, I wouldn't hesitate to move him ahead of Romero and Morban. |
| James Jones | 25 | LH | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | Just when Jones looked like he would fade away like Mike McGee, he rallied with a solid year and got a late nod at Tacoma. Since they don't seem to view him as an everyday CF, I don't really see an MLB role. |
| Leon Landry | 24 | LH | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | I already awarded the worst High Desert-to-Jackson transition to Jack Marder, but it may have been Landry. It looks like he was a California League mirage unless he can turn it around. |
| Jabari Henry | 23 | RH | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Jabari the Younger got off to a torrid start, and eventually earned the High-A promotion he needed. He has a lot of all-around value, but it's questionable if he brings enough to be an everyday guy at a corner position. Don't sneeze at his plate skills, though. |
| Austin Wilson | 22 | RH | HighA | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Could it be that the Ms went from zero legit power-hitting outfield prospects to two in the month of August? Yes, it could. Right when Blash was going bombs-away in AA, Wilson found his stroke and slugged over .600 down the stretch for Everett. Wilson's late surge was one of the best things that happened in 2013, and he could move on a faster timetable if he keeps it going. |
| Dario Pizzano | 23 | LH | HighA | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Can't argue with the 40 doubles or the 61 walks or the low K%. The guy fits into the pure-hitter mode, but without defensive value, he'll have to develop some additional pop to get to the finish line. Doesn't mean he won't. |
| Gabriel Guerrero | 20 | RH | HighA | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Started the year with a ton of potential and an aggressive placement at low-A. Didn't do much with it, striking out a bunch and ISO under .100. We'll give him a mulligan, but after the PimentelCastilloMoralesPeguero collective flop-o-rama, he's on a short leash. |
| Chantz Mack | 23 | LH | LowA | HighA | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | The ex-Miami Hurricane showed enough OBP promise to get a cameo at Jackson. |
| Tyler O'Neill | 19 | RH | SS-A | LowA | HighA | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | The Tank didn't disappoint, though he only went deep once in 28 games before departing to play for Team Canada. |
| Aaron Barbosa | 22 | LH | SS-A | LowA | HighA | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | One of our "radar alert" guys, with interesting speed and strong plate skills. Worth watching. |
| Isaiah Yates | 19 | RH | SS-A | LowA | HighA | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | There's some building blocks here, though he didn't show much at Pulaski. |
| Yordi Calderon | 20 | RH | Rk | SS-A | LowA | HighA | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | Who knows what his Venezuelan stats mean, but really only Ji-Man Choi had a comparable slash line: .314/.425/.538. |
Add comment