By Jared Stanger
(I started writing this mock with the intent to get it done before the M’s game started, but I only got through about 13 rounds before first pitch. So if it feels rushed…it kind of was.)
I’m not gonna get all flashy with the exposition. I kind of have no clue what Seattle is looking to do this year. I don’t love the prep players available at pick #24, so I tend towards the college players. On top of that; I feel like the better overall draft structure looks better if their first pick is a college pitcher. I think the group looks something like: Logan Reddemann, Tegan Kuhns, and Cade Townsend. These are all righthanded starters from blue-chip programs who are having overall strong years. I think my favorite is Reddemann, but he’s also the one I see lasting to pick #24 the least. Kuhns is my least favorite due to his kind of immature personality. I feel like I land most often on Cade Townsend.
#1.24 – RHP, Ole Miss, Cade Townsend
Listed 6’1″/185lbs, Townsend is a young 21 y/o having just had his birthday May 5th. He’s got a deep pitch repertoire and for the year he’s rocking a 1.119 WHIP, 12.4 SO/9, and 2.6 BB/9. Seattle has had great early returns on the last starting pitcher named Kade they drafted out of the SEC last year; so why not run it back?
#2.65 – SS, Kansas State, Dee Kennedy
Seattle has frequently backed up their first round college pitcher with a prep pitcher. I’ve decided not to do that this time. I’ve actually found in my simulations that I like going college heavy in the top of the draft, and then targeting some overslot prep players with picks in the middle of the draft. Seattle hasn’t used this strategy in a minute, but I’m liking it this year.
Kennedy is currently the starting shortstop for the Wildcats, but he has also played significant innings as their starting 3B last year, as well as playing 50 games at 2B for Texas back in 2024.
Kennedy has a smaller frame at 5’11″/180lbs, but on the year he has a .359/.463/1.205 slash with 20 HR and 21 SB in 54 games. I love the combo of power and speed.
#3.101 – RHP, Ole Miss, Taylor Rabe
Rabe has been one of the biggest draft risers in recent weeks as he has struck out 27 batters in his two most-recent starts where he has pitched a combined 12.0 innings. He has walked only one over that time. For the season he has 81 SO to 8 BB. And he has that kind of control while also touching 99mph with his fastball. And at 6’5″/200lbs, Rabe looks very much like the kind of pitcher Seattle targeted in the years that saw them find Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, and Emerson Hancock.
At one point, I was drafting Rabe in the 5th round. Now, I’m just hoping a late third is early enough to get him.
#4.129 – RHP, Georgia, Dylan Vigue
Sometimes a given draft year starts taking on a vibe similar to a previous draft. The M’s have had a few draft classes that went heavy on pitching in the earlier rounds. They did it most recently in 2024 when they drafted Jurrangelo Cjintje, then Ryan Sloan, and then a bunch of big velo reliever types. They did it in 2019 when they opened with five consecutive pitchers, and eight of the first nine.
I kind of just like the structure of this class going heavy on pitchers in the top ten rounds, and then filling in some bats in the second half.
Vigue is another SEC pitcher with good size at 6’3″/230lbs, and whose stuff looks better than his results. He’s got a 3.57 ERA, 1.264 WHIP, 11.2 SO/9, 4.9 BB/9 on the year. His velo isn’t overwhelming, but I like the way his fastball and slider interact with each other.
Vigue is already 22 y/o, so we may be able to get him slightly underslot.
#5.162 – OF, Pittsburgh, Lorenzo Carrier
Carrier might be my favorite pure hitter in this draft. His season line is: .396/.543/1.361 with 20 HR, 66 RBI in 53 games. He will be turning 23 y/o this Wednesday, so we should be able to get him for underslot money as long as he’s still on the board at this point.
#6.191 – 1B, Miami, Alex Sosa
I originally started liking Sosa because he was a lefty-hitting catcher, but as I kept doing more research I started to realize he’s mostly playing 1B this year for the Hurricanes. At that point I started moving off of him as a pick, but I just wasn’t liking the overall draft class as much without his bat in there. So I just won’t sweat what his defensive position is/will be. If we can get some catching innings out of him…great. If he’s a first baseman…great. If he’s a DH…bummer, but we’ll deal. He’s hitting .335/.448/1.118 with 16 HR, 64 RBI in 53 games.
#7.220 – C, Notre Dame, Mark Quatrani
Quatrani is a catcher I only found recently, and the more I dug into him; the more I started to like him. In 2026 he is hitting .373/.457/1.094 with 14 HR, and 64 RBI. Then I noticed that he hasn’t had a defensive error in two or three years. Then I noticed that he was a transfer player this year, and before Notre Dame he had played two years for Cornell…in the Ivy League. Feels like a future MLB manager.
#8.250 – RHP, VCU, Zach Peters
Peters is already 23 y/o, so we can get him for underslot money, but he’s also got some upside having pitched to a 1.62 ERA, 1.060 WHIP, 15.8 SO/9 in 44.1 innings out of the bullpen.
#9.280 – LHP, South Alabama, Jaxon Shineflew
Lefthanded pitchers always seem to get overdrafted every year, so it’s tough to find value in a LHP later in the draft. Shineflew might have some traits that the Seattle pitching lab can elevate.
#10.310 – RHP, Vermont Academy, Kaiden McCarthy
McCarthy is super young for the class having only recently reclassified from 2027 to 2026. Listed 6’0″/190lbs, but already showcasing a fastball touching 99mph. Seattle has had some luck finding prep players from unorthodox, northern states like Vermont where Kaiden is from. Nick Becker came out of New York, Ryan Sloan came out of Illinois, Colt Emerson came from Ohio, Cole Young came from Pennsylvania.
Obviously, Mccarthy will require a significant overslot bonus in order to sign him away from college, but I’ve accounted for that with, basically, all underslot deals outside of my first two picks. I could give him pretty close to $3mill to get him signed, but industry sources say he might sign for closer to $1.5mill. That would be great because we can still use surplus bonus pool money going into rounds 11-20, even though those picks are not slotted.
#11.340 – SS, Emani Ford
As I was experimenting with when and where to target prep players that would need to get seven-figure overslot deals; I really started liking the look of drafting those guys in the 9th, 10th, 11th round range. It also started to be clear to me that, if I didn’t draft prep players in the 2nd-4th round range like Seattle has typically done in recent years; I would have significant bonus surplus available after the 10th round.
So I started looking for prep players that had kind of 5th-7th round projection, with bonus expectations of around $1mill, and college commitments to underwhelming schools. I found Ford. Listed 6’1″/177lbs, Ford is a switch-hitter that plays primarily shortstop, but may have a future in the outfield. I just love the swing and the barrel rate from this guy.
#12.370 – RHP, Virginia, Tyler Kapa
Kapa is a 6’2″/195lb closer for Virginia who has a 1.27 ERA, 0.918 WHIP, 11.1 SO/9, and 11 saves in 23 appearances this year. His stuff just looks like a Seattle guy, to me.
#13.400 – 2B, Iowa, Gable Mitchell
If there’s one thing that I’m displeased with in my own mock draft; it is that it is sorely lacking in lefties. Both pitching and hitting. So when I found lefties that I like; I made sure to fit them in. Mitchell is a 5’9″/185lb infielder who played 47 games at shortstop for the Hawkeyes last year, 54 games at 2B for them in 2024, before moving back to primarily 2B this year. He also has six games in his career at 3B. This year he is hitting .375/.467/1.027 with 5 HR, 13 SB, and 30 BB to 18 SO. And the glove is very solid.
#14.430 – LHP, NC State, Cooper Consiglio
Consiglio may be a tough-sign as he is young for a Junior (won’t be 21 until November), and he could easily decide to stay in school another year, maybe make some transfer portal money, and then look to be a higher draftpick in 2027. He could also decide to stay in school to try to improve upon his performance this year: 5.73 ERA, 1.441 WHIP, 10.7 SO/9, 4.2 BB/9.
Seattle makes this kind of pick, who doesn’t sign, all the time. They did it last year with a guy named Griffin Stieg in the 18th round (and he’s been awful this year back at Virginia Tech). They did it with Brian Walters in the 19th round in 2024. They did it with Troy Taylor in the 20th round of 2021 draft (then turned around and drafted him in the 12th round in 2022).
#15.460 – 1B, Baylor, Tyce Armstrong
Armstrong was a difficult guy to place. He has had one of the best power seasons of anyone in the class, but he’s a 1B/DH only type who is going to be 23 in July. National baseball draft outlets aren’t giving him much respect even though he has hit .338/.448/1.217 this year with 24 HR, 64 RBI in 54 games. He also, famously, was the guy that hit three grand slams in the same game back in February. Seattle needs more righthanded power in the system, so I would be fine taking a guy like Armstrong as early as the 6th round (for underslot).
#16.490 – SS, Nebraska, Dylan Carey
Any mock draft I do, I kinda want to find at least two catchers and at least two shortstops over the course of the 20-21 picks. Carey is a guy I found that I like, who is not getting much draft love. He’s hitting .347/.418/1.040 this year with 14 HR and 9 SB. He’s got just a really clean, line-drive stroke to him. There could be more here to unearth.
#17.520 – C, Cal Poly, Ryan Tayman
Tayman marks the second of my two catching draftpicks. He’s a little bit young for the class as a Junior that won’t turn 21 until August 26th (cutoff for draft eligible sophomores would be that they have to be 21 by August 1st). This year he’s hitting .351/.443/1.116 with 16 HR, 53 RBI in 54 games.
#18.550 – RHP, Oregon State, Wyatt Queen
Queen is a local product coming out of Lake Stevens High School before playing at Oregon State. Listed 6’2″/214lbs with a season line of 2.41 ERA, 1.122 WHIP, 15.1 SO/9, 4.0 BB/9 across 41 innings in 19 relief appearances. Those innings over that number of appearances mean he averaged over 2 innings of relief per game pitched. Feels very much like a Seattle middle relief guy.
#19.580 – RHP, Lamar, Chris Olivier
Olivier is just a guy that I spotted with some free and easy mechanics and some pitch shapes that look like a good starting point. If we can add some weight (listed only 150lbs) and then some velocity (topping out at 90mph right now); maybe we can build from there.
#20.610 – OF, Mercer, Chris Katz
Katz is a well-over-aged player (he will be 23.5 y/o by the time of the draft), but he’s working on a 20 HR season where he’s walked exactly twice as much as he has struck-out (48 BB to 24 SO), and that, to me, is the kind of profile I like to dig into. His slash line is .374/.496/1.245 with 71 RBI and 38 XBH over 56 games.
I realize this mock is atypical to the format the Mariners have followed in recent years, but the net outcome looks almost exactly like what their draft classes have looked like. I’d kinda like to see them give this a go. Considering how small their bonus pool is; this might be the way to work around that.
Seattle Seamocks 