Seattle Mariners Depth Chart: rickroll, part 5 (middle IF)
Never gonna hurt you up the middle ...
Starting pitchers: here.
Relief pitchers: here.
Catchers: here.
Corner infielders/DH: here.
Now: middle infielders.
| 2014 age | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Thumbnail commentary | ||
| Dustin Ackley | 26 | LH | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | FA | Is he on this list or the OF list? Or trade bait? We don't know, but we know this: the direction he's going is a plate-skills-only guy with minimal ISO. That's fine if he brings defensive value at 2b or CF, and there's room for him one place or the other. Former seems true. Latter might not be. | ||
| Brad Miller | 24 | LH | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | FA | A hitting prospect who didn't disappoint! Low K%, walks, .154 ISO. Who was it who said "Seager, but at shortstop"? Yeah, it was me. |
| Nick Franklin | 23 | SH | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | FA | We predicted he might have high-K/low SLG vs. LHP (which happened), but not a too-high K% vs. RHP (which also happened). Even for a middle infielder with power, he'll have a hard time sustaining 27.4% K rate. |
| Ty Kelly | 25 | SH | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | FA | Did we mention plate-skills-only guy with minimal ISO? Meet Ty Kelly. If he played SS or CF, I'd annoint him a bench spot. He's played 3b and LF, but that's not as helpful. Still, if Ackley doesn't rediscover his college genius as he gets more expensive, Kelly could slip into an MLB role. |
| Carlos Triunfel | 24 | RH | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | FA | Unlike Kelly, Triu is not going to get on base a lot, but he can play SS. Funny, since originally he was going to be a hitter with an iffy glove. He ought to be around at AAA if needed, but with the versatility of Ackley, Franklin and Seager, he shouldn't be. |
| Chris Taylor | 23 | RH | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | His surprising power didn't translate from High Desert to Jackson. We've seen that before. But just the fact that he was in AA after starting 2012 in Everett shows how fast he's moved up the depth chart. And even with the down-to-earth ISO at Jackson, he held his own, with 40 walks in 67 games. He also played a lot of 2b there, so don't expect him to supplant Miller. He's looking like perhaps a very valuable role player. |
| Jack Marder | 24 | RH | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Arb3 | No one had a worse HD-to-Jackson transition. Plus, they stopped playing him at C, which was a big part of his quirky appeal (2b and C). So he'll have to see if he can regroup. |
| Ketel Marte | 20 | SH | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Arb2 | Only one teenager made it all the way to High-A in 2013: Marte. He did it with his glove, though he also had a flurry of hits fueled by a high BABIP. But, because he's very hard to strike out and fast, he'll have some of those BABIP runs. He and Taylor provide some very interesting depth in the middle. |
| Tim Lopes | 20 | RH | HighA | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | Timmy started the year ahead of Marte and ended the year behind him. He's limited to 2b, and was a bit over his head at Low-A Clinton. Didn't show power, patience or speed. There's upside, but he didn't show it in 2013. |
| Jamodrick McGruder | 22 | LH | HighA | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Arb1 | I'm keeping McGruder on the list because he's got some versatility (2b & OF), some speed, and a massive walk rate. That spells potential role player. |
| Jack Reinheimer | 21 | RH | LowA | HighA | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | PreArb3 | Nothin' fancy. Just a solid college shortstop who won't hurt you at the plate. |
| Gabrial Franca | 20 | RH | SS-A | LowA | HighA | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | See the entry on McGruder, except that Franca can play SS and has an even higher walk rate (18.6%!). I overrated him in 2012, but I think the club underrated him in 2013 by keeping him in Pulaski all year. Do the math. Any kind of BABIP good fortune and his OBP is over .400. |
| Tyler Smith | 22 | RH | SS-A | LowA | HighA | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | PreArb2 | Some of his strong numbers were fueled by sky-high BABIP, and playing in a low level considering he was coming out of the Pac-12. But I like the 16 doubles and the 12 steals, so he's earned another look. |
| Gianfranco Wawoe | 19 | RH | Rk | SS-A | LowA | HighA | AA | AAA | PreArb1 | Switch-hitting Wawoe earned a "radar alert" despite playing only in Venezuela. Impossible to strike out, speed, patience and some pop. That doesn't always translate to U.S. leagues, but we'll see. He played around the diamond, but mostly at 2b. |
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