BA SEA TOP 10

by rdf8585 on Dec 6, 2025 6:18 PM EST

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/organization-top-10-prospects/2011/2611021.html

1. Dustin Ackley, 2b

2. Michael Pineda, rhp

3. Nick Franklin, ss/2b

4. Taijuan Walker, rhp

5. Guillermo Pimentel, of

6. Mauricio Robles, lhp

7. Johermyn Chavez, of

8. Marcus Littlewood, ss

9. Kyle Seager, inf

10. Dan Cortes, rhp

BEST TOOLS

Best Hitter for Average Dustin Ackley

Best Power Hitter Johermyn Chavez

Best Strike-Zone Discipline Dustin Ackley

Fastest Baserunner Dustin Ackley

Best Athlete Greg Halman

Best Fastball Michael Pineda

Best Curveball Josh Fields

Best Slider Michael Pineda

Best Changeup Mauricio Robles

Best Control Erasmo Ramirez

Best Defensive Catcher Steve Baron

Best Defensive Infielder Gabriel Noriega

Best Infield Arm Carlos Triunfel

Best Defensive Outfielder Matt Cerione

Best Outfield Arm Johermyn Chavez

Anyone care to sum up what they say on Walker?

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Read More: Michael Pineda (P - SEA), Dustin Ackley (2B - SEA), Mauricio Robles (P - SEA), Nick Franklin (SS - SEA)

Comments

The Mariners also signed Dominican Shortstop Esteilon Peguero

at $2.9 million

…they should send down Huntington & Nutting, because they aren’t ready, either. - royshowell

by Marinerfanjake on Dec 6, 2025 6:28 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

woohoo!

I’m not one to get too excited about international guys until they’ve played, but it sure feels nice to get the top one. System just got a whole lot more upside.

by slamcactus on Dec 7, 2025 1:03 AM EST up reply actions

Very Interested in Peguero

From what I’ve read it seems like he could on reports alone be a top 5 in the organization. Is that too aggresive?

by gpellet41 on Dec 7, 2025 8:53 AM EST up reply actions

The easy answer is that no one really has any idea.

It’s a great signing, considering he was a huge name. There will be plenty of years to judge him before he reaches the majors though.

by PissedMick on Dec 7, 2025 9:16 AM EST up reply actions

That's extremely aggressive

http://bullpenbanter.com/

by Jeff Reese on Dec 7, 2025 9:22 AM EST up reply actions

It might not be out of the realm of possibility to say something like that next season, if only because we are going to graduate Ackley and Pineda.

by Humbled Fan on Dec 7, 2025 1:10 PM EST up reply actions

Yeah, next season is a different story

In most cases, I want to see that first season in US ball before pushing a guy up a list.

http://bullpenbanter.com/

by Jeff Reese on Dec 7, 2025 1:15 PM EST up reply actions

I can't think of any international player being the near the tops of any lists unless he's much, much closer to the majors.

Chapman, Ichiro, Dice-K are obviously different stories. But a 16-year-old? Yeah, obviously he’s going to need to prove something first.

by Humbled Fan on Dec 7, 2025 2:26 PM EST up reply actions

Profar

ranked pretty highly on Rangers lists last year, and I’m not sure it wasn’t right to put him there.

The real answer is that none of us have any solid basis to have an opinion. We have to wait for scouts to see him in extended spring training before we get a real sense of what kind of prospect he is.

by slamcactus on Dec 7, 2025 5:44 PM EST up reply actions

Sano and Sanchez just signed a yr or two ago, and they are all over

top prospect lists. Peguero based on the bonus he got seems to be in the class with those guys.

by Rudy4three on Dec 7, 2025 7:04 PM EST up reply actions

$$$ Tell the Story?

I usually feel that is a great indicator. I’m not a scout, but know that everyone who is has their job on the line if that kind of $ is spent on a player and he’s not close to being what they thought. I also know that Juan Duran, Raf Rod and other recent examples who weren’t charged with murder have done nothing to warrant that coin.

by gpellet41 on Dec 7, 2025 8:21 PM EST up reply actions

Taijuan Walker according to BA

Background: Walker was known more as a shortstop and basketball forward prior to 2010. He averaged 21 points and 15 rebounds per game as a high school senior, with his dunking ability earning him the nickname “Sky Walker.” He focused more on pitching last spring and worked his way into the supplemental first round, signing quickly for $800,000.

Scouting Report: Walker is both a work in progress and a tremendously gifted athlete. His fastball ranged from 91-95 mph in high school, and after he was shut down in his pro debut with shoulder stiffness, he returned in instructional league to sit at 95 and top out at 98 with heavy sink. His 12-to-6 curveball shows flashes of being a plus pitch, though he focused more on honing his changeup during instructional league. Walker’s athleticism helps him repeat his delivery, but he still needs to smooth out his mechanics and improve his command. He’s still learning the intricacies of pitching, such as pitch selection, fielding the position, holding runners and between-starts preparation.

The Future: Because Walker is relatively new to pitching, the Mariners won’t rush him. He could start 2011 in extended spring training, though his electric arm and competitive drive could prompt an assignment to low Class A.

by hrv2010 on Dec 6, 2025 6:41 PM EST reply actions

thanks!

by rdf8585 on Dec 6, 2025 7:00 PM EST up reply actions

very high placement of Walker

He does have impressive upside. The video I’ve seen on him made me think that the breaking ball was going to need some work to be an effective weapon at higher levels, so it’s encouraging that he’s working on that changeup to give himself a solid secondary.

by mrkupe on Dec 6, 2025 9:19 PM EST up reply actions

very surprised how highly ranked Walker is

I saw most of his starts this past season prior to him being drafted. I did a writeup on him here:
http://socalprospectscene.blogspot.com/2010/05/taijuan-walker-rhp-yucaipa-high-school.html
and a mention of his outing in the CIF championship game here:
http://socalprospectscene.blogspot.com/2010/06/cif-southern-section-recap.html

Obviously he has a huge upside, he has a very loose arm, so he projects to add some velo, this is why he was drafted where he was. His secondary stuff and his command will determine his future (like most kids). He didn’t use the change up much in HS, so the development of that pitch will be crucial.

He has the makings of a plus curve, I believe he was using a “spike” grip for the curve, but I think he changed grips at times, because some times the offering would be more like a slider with some increased velo.

In two of his biggest starts of his season, his command completely disappeared. Perhaps this can just be chalked up to lack of experience. Since he didn’t have a lot of experience, he never really had to make in game adjustments to overcome these obstacles. In these games, he didn’t trust his stuff, and aimed the ball. . .

by SoCalSoxFan on Dec 7, 2025 11:56 AM EST up reply actions

Corey Hahn

Nice wrietup on Hahn.
Do you see him contributing more as a pitcher or an OFer as a freshman for ASU? We have pretty much our entire OF back so he’d have to push aside a starter. Does he have that type of potential??

by ScottAZ on Dec 7, 2025 12:17 PM EST up reply actions

Long term

I see him in the OF, but he could probably help out as a lefty out of the pen right away. Haven’t looked much into ASU for next year yet, but he seems like the type of kid that will create a role for himself right away.

by SoCalSoxFan on Dec 7, 2025 3:33 PM EST up reply actions

Our lineup

Looks like this on paper
Ca- Barnes (returning starter)
1b- Torres (returning starter, 1st team all pac10)
2b- McPhee (returning starter, 2nd team all american)
Ss- Marrero (returning starter, pac10 Freshman of the year)
3b- Wilson
Lf- Ruttiger (returning starter)
Cf- Applin (returning starter)
Rf- Newman (missed most of last year, starter in 08 and 09)
Dh- ???

Over all we look really good on paper aside from the fact we don’t have a big thumper in the middle of the lineup. I know that won’t be Hahn, so although the DH spot is open, I hope they give it to someone that will hit 15-20 homers.

Our pitching isn’t in as good of shape, so I could see Hahn be a key 7th or 8th inning guy for us

by ScottAZ on Dec 7, 2025 5:20 PM EST up reply actions

Is Zach Wilson really going to play 3B?

Isn’t he terrible there defensively?

http://bullpenbanter.com/

by Jeff Reese on Dec 7, 2025 5:58 PM EST up reply actions

looks pretty loaded (again)

Hahn isn’t exactly a thumper, but can help in several ways. May have more impact initially if he works out of the pen though. . .

by SoCalSoxFan on Dec 7, 2025 6:39 PM EST up reply actions

are you familiar with Trevor Williams?

he seems to be our pitching recruit that is getting the most hype, and I know he’s a Cali guy too.

People have thrown Seth Blair comps on him because he’s already throwing 92-93 with a power slider

by ScottAZ on Dec 8, 2025 9:25 AM EST up reply actions

Wilson

He hasn’t impressed me much defensively in his time at ASU but Baseball American listed him there for the Cape Cod All Stars and said he could be an adequate college 3b for us. We have played guys like Brett Wallace and Travis Buck at 3b in the recent past, so Wilson shouldn’t be far off from that.

I have also seen lineups with Torres moving to 3b and Wilson playing 1b. That would probably make much more sense as Torres doesn’t project to be a MLB 1b and will probably play 2b in pro ball, but from what I’ve sees thus far from Esmay is he doesn’t like to mess around with things too much.

by ScottAZ on Dec 8, 2025 9:20 AM EST up reply actions

Wilson got a lot of time in LF during the Cape if I remember correctly

1B, LF, or DH seem a lot more likely than 3B for him.

http://bullpenbanter.com/

by Jeff Reese on Dec 8, 2025 11:47 AM EST up reply actions

Speed

Wilson has the speed of a nursing yak. I could not see him playing LF with much success. 1b would be his most likely destination. He really doesn’t have the range to play 3b, but catches what he gets to and has a slightly above average arm.
I asked this exact question to Callis during BA’s Cape Cod chat:

*ScottAZ (Phx, Az): With Torres graduated leaving 3b for the Devils, does Wilson get first crack at the job despite his defensive shortcomings, or is he strictly DH for us?

Jim Callis: If Brett Wallace could play third base for the Sun Devils, Zach Wilson could probably play there too. But he’ll be a LF/1B/DH in pro ball.*

by ScottAZ on Dec 8, 2025 12:01 PM EST up reply actions

That basically matches what I said at least on Wilson's position

I just wouldn’t strive to have a Brett Wallace defender at 3B if I could help it.

http://bullpenbanter.com/

by Jeff Reese on Dec 8, 2025 12:49 PM EST up reply actions

List is pretty solid. Can't complain. The Walker ranking is aggressive but after

the top three, there isn’t another guy who seems locked in a future regular, so might as well go with the toolsy guys at #4 and #5.

I’m a bigger believer in Chavez than most, so I’d have him at #4 and I like Littlewood at #5.

by Rudy4three on Dec 6, 2025 7:08 PM EST reply actions

Love Chavez and Seager and I think Seager should be ranked a spot or 2 higher

I’m not too much a fan of Littlewood and wouldn’t mind him falling on the list a little bit.

I feel Pimentel gets a little overrated but that may be because he is so young and hasn’t shown much for me to get an accurate grasp on him.

…they should send down Huntington & Nutting, because they aren’t ready, either. - royshowell

by Marinerfanjake on Dec 6, 2025 7:20 PM EST up reply actions

I think Halman belongs in there somewhere, despite his struggles. I know I like him better than Cortes. Other than that, I can’t complain. Sucks to see Triunfel failing - used to be a huge fan of his.

http://mvn.com/mlb-tossingtherosin/

by koolkerns101 on Dec 6, 2025 8:33 PM EST reply actions

one question

If Ryne Stanek had signed, does he make this top 10? I was a big fan of this power arm.

by mrkupe on Dec 6, 2025 9:20 PM EST reply actions

I'd think so

I liked him a lot more than Littlewood, for example.

http://bullpenbanter.com/

by Jeff Reese on Dec 6, 2025 9:22 PM EST up reply actions

I actually really liked Littlewood, too

I think there is a good chance he will surprise. He had some of the better defensive actions of any middle infielder in this draft, and while I’m not sure he’s a shortstop, he would project well to either second or third. Legitimate contact hitter with the frame to project for average power. Good makeup. There’s nothing really standout about him, but the overall package has the makings of a nice player.

I’d take Stanek over Littlewood as well, though. A little surprising that deal didn’t get done.

by mrkupe on Dec 7, 2025 1:14 AM EST up reply actions

Probably a safe bet.

Conner Glassey (via Lookout Landing) commenting on James Paxton threw in this nugget about Stanek:

At BA, when we do our state-by-state writeups, we break them up into sections. Jim Callis has Kentucky, Missouri and Kansas and said he would have rather had Ryne Stanek than Shipers & Paxton. Cost would have been about the same, too.

Fans are typically idiots.

by The Typical Idiot Fan on Dec 7, 2025 12:45 AM EST up reply actions

BA is really high on Robles. That’s probably the most optimistic scouting report I’ve seen on him yet (and I’m one of his biggest supporters). They even suggested that he’s got more projection (and he’s 5’10" and already throws 95 regularly). Very interesting.

by limozeen on Dec 7, 2025 2:05 AM EST reply actions

How good is Chavez?

How much is his actual skill and and how much is High Desert influencing his numbers? I don’t know anything about him other than his stat line and the trade that landed him in Seattle…any thoughts on his long term projection would be helpful.

Brian Sabean would return more calls if he wasn't so busy being the greatest baseball mind in the history of the game.

by The_Beard on Dec 7, 2025 10:32 AM EST reply actions