Mariners keeping their options open for MLB draft

The universe tilted and shook at just the right moment in the early stages of the 2025 MLB draft to deliver an unexpected gift to the Seattle Mariners.

The resulting selection of LSU ace Kade Anderson with the No. 3 pick would turn into one of the easiest decisions the Mariners have ever had, after the Washington Nationals (prep shortstop Eli Willits) and Los Angeles Angels (UC Santa Barbara right-hander Tyler Bremner) both fortuitously passed on Anderson.

Now in his first pro season, Anderson has been historically dominant for the Mariners’ Double-A affiliate in Arkansas, and his big-league promotion is expected at some point later this summer.

(Going into the draft, the Mariners had settled on selecting high-school right-handed pitcher Seth Hernandez. Once Anderson fell to No. 3, the Mariners quickly pivoted; the Pittsburgh Pirates, holding the No. 6 pick, later took Hernandez, and he’s now a consensus top-10 prospect in the sport, along with Anderson and Mariners right-hander Ryan Sloan.)

A year later, the draft process has been much more muddled for the Mariners, who own the No. 24 pick in Saturday’s first round.

“It’s a little more difficult this year compared to where we were last year,” said Scott Hunter, the Mariners’ VP of amateur scouting. “We’ll have to sit around a little bit and wait to see what comes to us.”

The Mariners have a bonus pool of a little more than $8.2 million for the draft, and the No. 24 pick holds a slot value of about $3.8 million.

Rounds 1-4 are scheduled for Saturday, and the Mariners have four Day 1 selections: Nos. 24, 65, 101 and 129. Rounds 5-20 are Sunday.

For most of the past two weeks, Hunter and the rest of the Mariners scouting department have been in Seattle working with the front office to create the team’s draft board.

Most years, Hunter said, the group is able to come to a consensus on three or four players they project to land in their “pocket” of picks. Not so much with this draft.

“This year, we probably have about 14,” he said. “It’s just that wide open.”

Hunter is overseeing his 10th draft with the Mariners, and this will mark Jerry Dipoto’s 11th draft as the head of the club’s baseball operations.

“We’ve set such a high standard,” Hunter said.

In that time, the Mariners have had early-round draft success with virtually every category of amateur player: college position players (Kyle Lewis, Evan White in 2016 and 2017, respectively; both reached the majors before injuries derailed their careers; not to mention Cal Raleigh, second round, 2018); high-school position players (Cole Young and Colt Emerson in 2022 and ’23, most notably); high school pitcher (Sloan, a second-round pick in ’24).

Above all, the Mariners’ bread and butter is selecting college pitchers. Their track record stacks up better than any other club in baseball, with five of their current starters homegrown: Logan Gilbert (first round, 2018); George Kirby (first round, 2019); Emerson Hancock (first round, 2020); Bryce Miller (fourth round, 2021); Bryan Woo (sixth round, 2021).

“When we started in ’17 and ’18, we were just trying to build up our floor as an organization, try to find a core group that could come through,” Hunter said. “And it worked out for us, where those guys graduated to the big leagues, and then we said, ‘OK, we’re in a good position now (to take) high school player (with) upside,’ like we saw in ’21, ’22 and ’23. And it’s been very fortunate for us that Cole and Colt are here, which is obviously really exciting for us.”

Hunter spoke about the pressure that comes with the pipeline he’s helped create – to keep it going year over year. He said he leans on an established process and the people involved in the decisions.

“We do have a very good development system, and if we set our standards high and continue to do the right things by getting the right people, I think we’ll continue to hopefully build those waves,” he said.

Which direction could the Mariners go early Saturday?

Hunter was careful not to tip his hand.

“At this point, we’re open to anything,” he said. “But at the end of the day, I mean, you’re not going to settle for a college guy if you think the high school guy is better, especially with what we’ve been doing with these kids so far.”

Mock drafts from Baseball America and MLB.com both project the Mariners to select a college pitcher, and Tennessee right-hander Tegan Kuhns is a name to watch.