Mariners second half outlook and Draft

The Seattle Mariners are currently in third place in the American League West behind the Houston Astros and Oakland A’s at 50-44 on the season. They are also just three games out of the second wildcard spot. With forty games left against AL West opponents, they certainly have an opportunity to move up in the standings.

Outside of Mitch Haniger offensively, they haven’t been that impressive, and as a team, they are hitting just .219/.295/.380. The offensive scores an average of 4.13 runs per game which ranks 22 in the league out of thirty teams.

The biggest reason the team has a winning record is due to the bullpen. The Mariners have the best record in the majors in one-run games, 20-8, and in extra innings, 9-1. According to Fangraphs, they also have the best bullpen wins above replacement (WAR) at 4.5. Kendall Graveman, JT Chargios, Paul Seward, and Drew Steckenrider have contributed 3.3 of that WAR total. So the big question is, will the Mariners general manager be looking to add players for a possible playoff run or sell off the bullpen pieces to fill holes in the infield and starting rotation. The most likely player to be dealt is Kendall Graveman. He is a free agent next season and is having a breakout season this year in his new role as a closer.

Switching to this year’s draft, the Mariners picked high school catcher Harry Ford in the first round with the 12th overall pick. Ford is very athletic, and scouts think he has the speed to play second base or in the outfield. In the second round, the Mariners took another high school player. This time it was switch-hitting shortstop Edwin Arroyo. Scouts noted that the shortstop currently has different approaches at the plate depending on which side he hits from. He is more of a contact hitter from the right side, but from the left side, he has more loft and power in his swing. In the third round, the Mariners selected another high schooler in Michael Morales. Morales is a right-handed starting pitcher with a low 90’s fastball, a plus curveball, and a changeup. Of the first three picks, he is expected to be the most difficult to sign as he is committed to Vanderbilt University. In recent years, Vanderbilt has been producing several first-round picks. For the Mariners to sign Morales, they would need to sign him for well above what most third-round picks would get. This year’s draft went twenty rounds, and the Mariners took a total of ten pitchers and ten position players. Because last year’s draft was limited to only five rounds due to COVID-19 scouts mentioned that this was one of the deeper drafts in several years.