Seattle Mariners: Prospect Watch – Spring Training 2022
The Seattle Mariners farm system is the best in Major League Baseball. Here are some of the top prospects M’s fans should keep an eye on this spring.
Seattle Mariners spring training is on. Of course, the minor leaguers have been in Peoria for over a week, but it does mean baseball is back. The Mariners have the number one farm system (according to Baseball America) because of the incredible depth throughout the organization, from Rookie Ball to Triple-A.
There are several prospects to watch during spring training, both at the big league and at the minor league levels. Despite recently trading away the organization’s top left-handed starting pitcher prospect, Brandon Williamson, plenty of talented arms are still in the pipeline. Not only talented arms but talented bats and gloves as well. Who will become the next household name?
The prospects you should already know
Julio Rodriguez has a chance to skip Triple-A Tacoma and break camp with the Mariners this spring. His numbers at Double-A Arkansas in 2021 were off-the-charts good.
Noelvi Marte, a potential transition to third base is in the works for him when newly acquired Eugenio Suarez doesn’t work out. Marte is unlikely to arrive in Seattle this year, but he’s among the Top-15 in nearly every prospect publication.
Emerson Hancock, the sixth overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, has struggled with injuries. But when he pitches, his numbers are good. Hancock’s sample size is very small, as he registered just 44.2 innings in 2021 in 12 starts.
George Kirby is regarded as the top right-handed arm in the Seattle system and a Top-5 right-handed prospect in all of Major League Baseball. His appearance in the big-league rotation sometime in 2022 is all but locked in.
#Mariners No. 3 prospect George Kirby ended his season strong for @ARTravs:
5.2 IP
2 H
0 R
2 BB
6 K pic.twitter.com/IwtaT65LRo— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 19, 2021