2007 Seattle Mariners Prospects
- Adam Jones, OF, B+ (Mike Cameron without the walks. Still young enough to get better than that)
- Brandon Morrow, RHP, B+ (I love his arm but he may need more time than most high-profile college pitchers)
- Jeff Clement, C, B (Was rushed and injured last year, but I still like his bat)
- Yung-Chi Chen, 2B, B (I like him more than other people but where does he fit on the roster?)
- Tony Butler, LHP, B- (sleeper from 2006 draft could advance rapidly)
- Ryan Feierabend, LHP, B- (best of the large group of control lefties in the system)
- Chris Tillman, RHP, B- (Huge upside but rather raw and will need time)
- Eric O'Flaherty, LHP, C+ (should be a very good reliever)
- Yorman Bazardo, RHP, C+ (doing well in relief in winter ball)
- Anthony Varvaro, RHP, C+ (sleeper prospect recovering from Tommy John surgery, another guy I like more than other people)
- Wladimir Balentien, OF, C (have to respect his power and he walked more this year, but .230 in the Texas League=.200 in the majors)
- Mark Lowe, RHP, C (Grade B/B+ prospect if healthy, but elbow woes a serious concern for me)
- Ryan Rowland-Smith, LHP, C (took well to relief role, could be a good LOOGY)
- Robert Rohrbaugh, LHP, C (another finesse lefty)
- Chris Minaker, SS, C (Stanford standout looks like possible steal in 10th round last year)
- Justin Thomas, LHP, C (another finesse lefty)
- Andrew Barb, RHP, C (acquired from Phillies, good bullpen arm)
- Austin Bibins-Dirkx, RHP, C (intriguing reliever)
- Bryan Lahair, 1B, C (Brian Daubach type)
- Michael Wilson, OF, C (good power, works hard, strikes out too much)
The Mariners In One Sentence: Seattle has no sure-fire can't miss prospects, as even their best guys have a questionmark or two, although Jones and Morrow in particular have impressive upsides if they refine their talents.
Lots of variation with the Grade Cs, depending on what you want to emphasize. The Mariners seem to have a fetish for finesse lefties, and aside from Jones and Clement they don't have a lot of high-ceiling impact position players on the way up.
ALL GRADES ARE PRELIMINARY. If you hate a grade, feel free to make a case for me to change it, though remember that cases phrased respectfully using logic and facts are more likely to be viewed positively than those featuring insults and invective.
There is a lot of slack in the B-/C+/C range and players may move up and down depending on how my thinking progresses. Feel free to make comments, point out sleepers I may have missed, etc. Note that there is only a limited amount of space in the book, and the max I can do is 35-36 players per team.
And, as always, there is the helpful reminder to Buy My Book, which will lay out reports for all these guys (and more) in detail.
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