The ALamo - Can The Mariners Hold The AL West Lead? Meet at the Mitt Podcast

This episode discusses the Seattle Mariners' position in the AL West division, their performance, and the potential for strategic trades to strengthen their roster during the MLB trade deadline.

1. The Mariners are in a crucial phase, with the potential to either solidify their lead in the AL West or lose ground due to strategic decisions.
2. Management's cautious approach to the trade deadline is debated, with differing opinions on whether it is beneficial or too conservative.
3. The episode highlights the importance of strategic acquisitions and the potential impact of new players integrating into the team.
4. Insights are shared on underperforming players and the need for them to step up in the latter half of the season.
5. The broader context of MLB dynamics is discussed, including how other teams' trade strategies could influence the Mariners' decisions.

1: Season Overview and Team Performance

The chapter reviews the Mariners' season so far, focusing on player performance and strategic decisions by the management. Key comments from management about trade strategies are discussed, offering insights into the team's direction.

• Evan James: "We're at a nexus point in the season, needing to assess our strategic moves carefully."
• Max Ellingson: "The team has potential, but strategic acquisitions are necessary to solidify our position."

2: Trade Deadline Strategies

This section delves into the Mariners' approach to the upcoming trade deadline, discussing potential moves and the philosophy behind them. The chapter provides a critical analysis of management's public comments and their implications.

• Anders Doorstad: "It's about finding a balance between making a splash and preserving our future prospects."
• Zach Mason: "The cost of acquiring top talent is high, but the payoff could be substantial."

3: Player Analysis and Team Needs

Discussion focuses on specific players whose performances are crucial for the team’s success. The need for strategic acquisitions to address weak spots in the lineup is emphasized.

• Max Ellingson: "Certain players need to step up, or we need to consider acquiring replacements to stay competitive."
• Zach Mason: "Analyzing player performance helps us identify where we need to strengthen our roster."

1. Evaluate Player Performance: Regularly assess player stats to determine areas needing improvement.
2. Strategic Acquisitions: Consider both high-impact players and strategic role players when looking at trades.
3. Fan Engagement: Keep the fan base engaged by transparently sharing the team's strategy and vision.
4. Monitor Competitors: Stay informed about moves by other teams in the division, which could affect strategic decisions.
5. Develop Prospects: Focus on developing internal talent to provide depth and potential trade assets.

Hello Seattle Mariners fans!

We have reached the All Star break and the team is taking a much needed break but much to talk about remains so Evan James, Anders Jorstad, Zach Mason and Max Ellingsen are here after the 2024 draft to take stock of the new Mariners youngsters. Jerry spoke on the radio today for the first time in ages, how are we reading between the lines on his comments about the offense? Do we think trades are imminent? Does Jurrangelo Cijntje have the greatest first name in the history of the Mariners? Is the switch pitching real or will he drop it as a pro? Does Hunter Cranton have a chance to impact the big league roster this season? Who on the back end of the draft is most intriguing?

People

Evan James, Max Ellingson, Anders Doorstad, Zach Mason

Companies

Seattle Mariners

Books

None

Guest Name(s):

Max Ellingson, Anders Doorstad, Zach Mason

Content Warnings:

None

Evan James
Hello, and welcome to the Meet at the Mitt podcast. I am Evan James, and I'm a little under the weather, so since this is a busy week, I decided to bring in some reinforcements, you know, really help myself out because we have a lot to cover. It's the all star break, so the team is off, mercifully, for a couple of days. But the team obviously had the 2024 draft. And as such, we are joined by Max Ellingson, who's been, you know, a frequent of the pod the last couple weeks, talking about all the. All the prospect stuff. And obviously, I'm joined, as always, by Anders Doorstad and Zach Mason here from lookout landing. And I want to start with the major league team before we get into the draft because I think that we're at kind of a nexus point in the season. They've played a little more than half the games. Obviously, the All Star break is just over halfway point through the season, and they've got some underperforming players still. Very much so. And Jerry came out and had some comments today, and I don't want to repeat those one to one, but I did want to ask. I want to pitch it over to you first, because I know that. I don't know if any of you guys actually listened to the interview, but I'm sure you guys caught some of the comments as they were reflected on social media and throughout the Twitter, Twitter sphere in the general Mariner zeitgeist this morning, because he had some. He had some stuff to say, and this is almost the exact anniversary of last year's disappointed in the team conversation that they had that was kind of maligned and was one of the catalysts for them not talking to the press very much this year in particular.

So I think this is a good place to start. Ders, what did you think of what Jerry had to say this morning?

Anders Doorstad
Yeah, and just to clarify to people, you know, one of the, I think, comments that made people the most upset was he was talking about, you know, why he. He doesn't think the mariners are currently in position to make, like, a big splash move. And basically, you know, I'm paraphrasing here, but he said something along the lines of, you know, he just doesn't think that's where other teams are at right now because everyone is either in playoff position or, like, convincing themselves they could be in the playoffs, with the exception of, like, the White Sox and the Rockies. I guess that there just aren't very many teams that are willing to trade their good players away like, you know, we, I know we on this podcast have talked a lot about, like, the Mets and the Blue Jays, the Diamondbacks, the Rays. Like, all those teams have reasons to believe that they could make a playoff run.

And as such, like, it doesn't seem like those teams would be willing to trade for minor leaguers, specifically lower level minor leaguers, which the Mariners are plentiful in. So it's really basically the White Sox holding a Luis Robert hostage and saying, you know, give me a king's ransom for him. And I can kind of understand if the Mariners decide that's not the route they want to go in and maybe make more secondary, you know, two or three more secondary additions. It would be disappointing to me, but I can understand not wanting to, like, be so desperate that you trade three of your top five prospects for Luis Robert, who obviously we've talked about here ad nauseam. I really like, and I know that Zack is probably going to have a contrary opinion to mine on that matter, but I can understand, I guess, why they may exercise caution in some of these negotiations.

Zach Mason
How did you know?

Anders Doorstad
I just know you too well, Zach.

Max Ellingson
Yeah.

Zach Mason
Look, I feel like I've made my position on Louis du quite clear.

And to reiterate, for folks who are not familiar, go get them. This is the perfect time to upgrade the roster.

The cost will be high and it will be worth paying.

And if they win the division, you're not going to feel bad about the prospects that got traded away.

What I want to say really is about the reaction to Jerry Depot's comments and to just remind everybody that he has multiple audiences.

That is a press interview that is designed for consumption, but he is also actively negotiating with people.

I don't know which particular deals he is negotiating with, which particular other front offices, but he is definitely in the course of figuring out whether to and if he will, what will be traded. And so it's very hard for him to go on the radio and say, like, we are all in. We are going to do whatever it takes to get a star level bat into this organization at the trade deadline and then go to Chicago and be like, well, I might walk.

No, I'm not including that guy in the deal.

That's just like, that's, thats the nature of that job. And I mostly believe him. I think he is actually pretty famously candid to a fault, but take it all with a grain of salt. Beyond the fact that he is the talking head that is the face of an organization thats trying to sell you a product, hes doing a lot of things at the same time when he goes on the radio.

And I also feel like people really slice and dice his exact wording. And we also know hes really not as careful with that as you would expect someone like him to be.

Otherwise he would not say half the crap he said that's gotten him in a lot of hot water for like that he said for no reason. You know, I'm not going to name the specific comment that we are all thinking about what I referenced there, but like, I don't know, I just think that the, the discourse always jumps on these quotes. And honestly, like, the less public facing he is, the more you jump on what is there. And I understand why the discourse needs something, especially in all star weekend. Have somebody in the Home Run derby, we didn't have somebody playing the all Star game.

Now we have an off day. Like, I get it.

The blogs must be fed, the tweets must be twot.

But I wouldn't overreact to his radio appearance and take it as gospel.

Max Ellingson
I think there's two sides of the coin here. I think that on the one hand, there is legitimacy to saying the kinds of impact bats that are out there are lesser in this year than years past. I think that is 100% fair. There are definite flaws with the kind of bigger names like Chisholm, and I know everybody is talking about Chisholm and then obviously Robert and like Pete Alonso keeps getting thrown out there. You know, just like there's, there's stuff that is wrong with these, these kinds of players. That doesn't mean they shouldn't trade for them, but there is legitimacy in saying that giving up significant assets. Like, you don't. I know that they're in this window of opportunity, but you also don't want to be frivolous with these assets that you spent and so much time accruing and done so much work into developing. Like, these players can help you in a relevant window and you don't want to just, you know, whether they're playing for your team or they accrue more value in this offseason and you can get another guy, right.

This team is, the core of this team is going to be here for more than just this year. That said, they have to do something this year because they have such a golden opportunity to do something.

And like, kind of Zam, like you were saying, like, there is absolutely 100% no benefit to Jerry depot coming out and saying we're getting our guy. Like, I'm not leaving Chicago without Luis Robert, you know, New York. I'm going to burn down New York if I don't get Pete a lot. Like, provides zero benefit to him. Like, so why? You know, the more he puts out there and says, look, man, like, I don't know if this is out there. We'll kind of see what comes out to us.

Two weeks out from the trade deadline, I wouldn't expect anything else, honestly. Like, to me, like, that interview was a bit of a nothing burger. Like, I think obviously people want to be mad and they're frustrated at this offense, understandably, but to some degree, it's like, what do you kind of expect him to say? I mean, he's a GM. He's trying to have as much leverage as possible. So to expect him to give up anything seems a bit short sighted to me. I think this is a bit of a non sequitur. I don't think this is anything really. So I don't know.

Anders Doorstad
Yeah, and, I mean, if there's one thing people love doing, and, you know, I'm certainly not exempt from this, it's overreacting or drawing conclusions to things before they've happened to. So I would just, I guess, urge, you know, don't call for his head or say that he failed at the trade deadline before the trade deadline is actually passed, because we don't know, you know, and I do think a lot of it is, like, I just think it's a matter of teams truly don't know which way they're going to go yet. And, like, in a week and a half, you know, five days before the trade deadline, four days for the trade deadline, a lot of these teams are going to make decisions. You know, like, the Mariners last year were, frankly, in a similar situation where even up to the day of the trade deadline, it was not clear whether they were going to buy or sell.

And so I think a lot of teams are in similar situations, and, like, players may become available in the last day or two that, like, simply are not part of the conversation right now for Jerry, and that's, I think, kind of what he's saying, which to step.

Zach Mason
Back from, like, the Mariners, I know that's what we, like, really focus on and like to talk about, but from, like, a baseball fan perspective, that rules that there are so many teams that are, like, plausibly in it right now. Like, that's so good for the sport.

It's good for each individual fan base that, like, you can be watching a season and feel invested in what's going on, even when it maybe wouldn't have seemed like it was going to be a good season, but also, it's just like, it's fun to see all the competition.

I don't know. Sorry to sound like an old man for a second, but I know you're right.

Max Ellingson
It's great.

Anders Doorstad
I have a lot of friends that are fans of NL teams, and they're just having, like, a ball right now. Cause the NL is just.

Max Ellingson
The second NL wild card is complete chaos. I think it's so awesome.

Zach Mason
I was talking to somebody in my office today who was like, yeah, you know, I haven't been that into baseball in the past, but, like, I'm into it now, and I feel stupid because I'm, like, a bandwagon fan of the pirates, and I'm like, dude, that is not bandwagon.

Anders Doorstad
Great team to bandwagon.

Max Ellingson
Yeah, absolutely.

Zach Mason
For wide variety of reasons. But, like, his idea that, like, the pirates are, like, you know, really in it and he's just jumping on the hot hand is just, like, first of all, insane and reflective of the fact that he was telling the truth when he said that he was not a big fan of baseball. But also, like, the idea that you could get there about the Pirates speaks to how competitive the landscape is, which I just. It's so fun.

Evan James
Paul Skeens, man, he's on. He's on the Paul Skeens train. And, you know, if you got to be somewhere in baseball right now, that's a good place to be.

I think that. I totally agree, Zach. I think that the competitive nature of what's going on in the game right now is very healthy for the sport, and we're annoyed by it because we feel like the only path that we have to the postseason this year is through the AL west crown. Specifically because there are very good teams in the AL east who are going to take the rest of the spots. It sure feels like. And that doesn't leave us a lot of avenues to get to the post east.

Zach Mason
I don't agree with you about that, actually.

Evan James
Elaborate.

Zach Mason
I think the Mariners have a very good chance of winning a wild card spot. I think they probably have.

I mean, if I'm trying really hard to be analytical and objective about it, it's probably equally likely that they win the division versus win a wild card spot.

In my soul, I know that the Astros will win this division because they are the Astros, and you know my position on that. But, like, the.

There are three wild card spots which just inherently opens additional avenues.

Right? Like, there are more teams competing for it, but there are also more spots. So I.

They are also in a position where they would.

Would they have a spot if the season ended today? No, but they're like half a game out, which, I don't know, half a game behind. Kansas City feels a lot more achievable to me than a game ahead of Houston.

Does that not to you?

Evan James
I think the waters have shifted so much over the last month that I have a hard time answering it. You know what I mean? Because if you had asked me this a month ago, I would have said no. You asked me today, I maybe say yes, because Kansas City's faltered a little bit, Seattle's faltered. Houston has played better.

Check back in a month and we'll see where we are. Right. I'm saying there's a lot of season left. Yeah, it's definitely another avenue. It hasn't. So to your point so far, this season, had it ended today, we wouldn't make it through that avenue at basically any point. So while we've been in the lead for the AL west this entire season, we, like, there's basically no chance of that so far.

But, yeah, no, I'd love to see it. I'd love for the Mariners to get in any way that's possible. As far as Jerry's comments this week, and to your point, I think that the Mariners have kind of done Jerry a favor, because the Mariners want to do what they always do, which is to have 1ft in and 1ft out the door. They want to trade maybe some guys who are on short term contracts. They want to acquire maybe some relief pitchers they think can help in the short term, maybe the long term, but they don't want to make a big splash. And the team coming so far back in the standings to where Houston is, I think, has given them a noun, because if they, you know, if they had gone into the all Star break and into the trade deadline, ten games up, especially on Houston, seven, eight games up on Houston, I think it would be a non starter that they're adding to this team like it really would, and it would justify that they're in a position now where they could be a little mealy mouthed about it and be like, you know, well, and kind of soft add soft sell. Do you guys think that that's what they intend to do? Because kind of the vibe I got from Jerry was, we're still in it, but this is like a. This is a half white flag kind of a, if we don't do anything, it's because we didn't want to. We didn't we didn't want to go all in the way it would have required, and it looks like they're leading that direction.

Anders Doorstad
No, I think. I think in the end, they will buy. I think in the end, it will be very clear that they were buyers. I just don't think we know what that looks like right now, and I think it's likely that doesn't look like Luis river, which might be fine if they get other good players.

Max Ellingson
I don't. Yeah, I would agree. I don't think. I mean, like, granted, like, they've been playing abysmal baseball for an extended period of time. It's been tough to watch. They're still in first place. Like, they're not in a position where it's like, you know, maybe we're on the fence and making the playoffs. They're in first place in the division. They're. They are unequivocally in a spot to buy, and I don't think that is. I don't think their plan is to kind of go with the seawall, where they kind of sell off an asset that has a lot of value and has more value to someone else than probably to them at that point. But anyway, we don't need to relive that trade again.

But, yeah, I mean, they're 100% unequivocally in a spot to be buyers.

Yeah. I just don't see, you know, if your idea is it's one of the top two or three guys or bust and anything else is a failure, I would be expecting to be upset after the deadline. I don't think they're going to land one of the. These. What was the word? Dynamic he used, or whatever. I don't think. I know.

Zach Mason
Have the potential to maybe be dynamic.

Max Ellingson
Potential to be a dynamic player, you.

Zach Mason
Know, like, which everybody has the potential to be.

Max Ellingson
Yeah. What does that even mean?

Zach Mason
The essence of physics.

Max Ellingson
Yeah. Like, anybody could be dynamic. Sure. But, you know, if. If you are dead set on if. If Jerry doesn't go out and get Vlad Guerrero junior, or Luis Robert or, you know, one of these upper echelon type players, I would be shocked if you were not disappointed, honestly. But, you know, if he goes out and gets a few, you know, gets an outfield bat and an infield bat and maybe a backup catcher or something like that, and, you know, kind of supplements this thing, at the end of the day, if Julio and Cal and JP don't play well, this team is probably not going to be well, and you've seen kind of. They've started to score some more runs. Now that Julio and Cal are actually playing like they have historically done, this team just needs more length. This team needs more depth. And, you know, you thought you were getting that in Polanco. He's been pretty bad. You know, I mean, they just. At the. At the end of the day, the players have to perform, and they've started to kind of pick up steam, and I can see the vision, but they definitely need a few more pieces to kind of supplement that core.

Zach Mason
You just said so much that I agree with, but I want to pull out, like, a couple of them. One is just this, like, point that they are currently in first place.

And I feel like I beat this drama so often on this podcast, but, like, I would love for people to just be less reactive to what has immediately happened. You know, the fact that they are limping, have limped into the all star break is just so affects the vibe around the fan base that, like, they're. They've really played some of their worst baseball over the last, like, month or so.

Anders Doorstad
Yeah, they're in a better place now than they were when they won, what, 16 in a row going into the all star break.

Evan James
That's exactly what I was going to say.

Zach Mason
Two years ago, they went into the all star break and they'd won 14 in a row and they were in a worse position.

But, like, we felt better about it because, like, there was momentum behind it. And if they had played the way that they have played in a win loss sense over the last month in like, mid May to mid June, and instead played that, like, great stretch that they had from mid May to May June to mid June, just now, we'd be feeling stoked, right? They would have, like, just caught and passed the Astros, and it would have been amazing. And we'd be feeling like the world's in front of us, and that would have been, like, perhaps a little too reactive as well. The fact is they played these games and they just happened to be in the order that they were in. And that, like, I just think is affecting how people view this. And I listened to Kate on, I don't know if it was the last, last podcast or the podcast before that, saying things like, you know.

Max Ellingson
The team.

Zach Mason
Is like, they've made their bed and they need to lie in it. Don't make any trades. There's just no point. This isn't a playoff team. And I just feel like that's so wrong. You know, it's an attitude reflecting a preference to be indignant than to actually get better. And that, to me, is no way to experience your fandom. Like, that just seems factually wrong and unpleasant to experience.

Max Ellingson
Well, and, like, I hate to say it, like, Houston played terribly. It's kind of a law of averages thing going on right now. Like, I think this is a good team, and Houston played terribly. But right as the Mariners were playing their absolute worst ball of the season, Houston won 17 of 21. That's. That's going, like, that's gonna. They're gonna gain ground, right? Like, they played horribly and then they played good, and the Mariners played good, and then they played horribly, and they're pretty much in the same spot. So, you know, take that.

Go ahead.

Zach Mason
Yeah, there wasn't really a good stretch with it. Like, a small window. Right. There were like, what the.

There were individual games that were fun, but since June 18, the Mariners have won on a day that the Astros have lost one time in a month.

Max Ellingson
It's been unbelievable. Like, they've figured it out. They had a ton of injuries. They still kind of do, and they've pieced together something that has worked. This is, they're going to win 80 games with their current, or 80% of their games with their current rotation and their current lineup. No, I don't. In fact, no team will win 80% of their games. That's just not going to happen. So, you know, I just. To be so doom and gloom about it, it just seems like it's. I get it. I know why you feel like that right now, because it really does look bleak when you watch it. But just, you know, this is the best position the Mariners have been in this late into the season, in probably my entire lifetime, which is kind of an unbelievable thing to say. Maybe 2018, I guess. But, you know, I mean, this is a pretty remarkable spot they've been in, and they've got to, you know, capitalize on it, and you can't just, you know, roll over and die. You gotta. You gotta do something.

Zach Mason
I think the crash had started by this point in 2018, but irrespective of that, like, that was a situation with two wild cardinal teams that played a one game playoff, and the division was out of reach. You know, Houston was going to win that division. It was clear Houston was going to win that division by, like, 15 games. Right. That was, like, at the peak of their. Their dynasty here.

So even that, I think.

Max Ellingson
Yeah, so this is probably the best opportunity the Mariners have of winning the division in my lifetime because I was born after the. The zero one season. I mean, maybe, like, when I was tiny, like zero three or something, but, like, you know, a long, long, long time. So, you know, to have such a negative impact, like, I'm not. I'm not faulting you. I'm not saying, well, you should be happy they're losing all these games. Like, no, you should be mad because it's fun to see your team win, but, you know, to take a step back is important. They're still in first. Like, that is the advantage of having a ten game lead in June. You can play absolutely terribly and still be in first place. They're still in a fine spot, but they need to obviously make some moves and do something.

Evan James
Derge, you want to respond before I ask my last question here?

Anders Doorstad
No, go ahead.

Evan James
Okay. So I think one of the routes the Mariners have to improve starts from within starts. And I don't mean the way Jerry's talked about it in terms of like, oh, Mitch Garvey, Mitch Hannity, or can it better? Because I think that's a wash. True, but a wash. I think that they have some prospects who are ready to contribute to the team now. One of those is Tyler Locklear, who obviously has been here, and since he's went back to the triple A tie, France has looked like he's still injured, frankly, struggled at the plate massively, and I'm ready to see some change there. Obviously, class a is here again with Dom Canzone's injury. So he's in a position where I think him playing well could potentially, potentially seize a bigger role for the rest of this season. And the two other guys are Harry Ford and Cole Young. And Kate mentioned that she thinks Cole Young is definitely due up this year. I wanted to ask you specifically, max, you've seen those two guys.

How close do you think they are to helping the big league team now? Because we only have, you know, 60, 65 games left. Whatever it is, are they in a position to get meaningful time this year?

Max Ellingson
Harry Ford? No, Harry Ford is nothing ready. Um, if you squint your eyes and convince yourself that he's ready, Cole Young is ready. To me, I do not think he's ready.

Um, he is 21 in AAA and performing admirably for his age, but he is not necessarily knocked it out of the park. And I guess that's a. You know what? You get what I'm saying? You know, he's never going to be knocking it out of the park a lot because he's a contact hitter, but he has done, he has performed admirably for what, you know, he is, but he is still just 21 years old, and he was drafted out of high school in 2022, I believe. Yeah, that's right. Yeah. So, you know, that's, that's a, that's a quick timeline. And, you know, for a guy that does not possess a ton of power, he has premium contact ability there. You know, the jump from Double A to major leagues is no joke. So in stuff, at least, so. Or maybe in command of stuff and, you know, just overall ability. So I part, like, personally, I would rather, I think it's a better bet that Polanco starts like, turns into like an 80 wRC and I don't know, like, Polanco being like, a below average bet to me, is a better bet than, like, Cole young being around league average. Like, I, I think they're, it might be.

I don't know, because Polanco has been so bad, but he's kind of looked better recently. I don't know, is a career like 112, one to 110 to 120 bat being what? I don't even know where he's at. But to him, to me, being a league average bat for the rest of the season, there is a much higher likelihood of that than Cole Young immediately coming up and being a league average bat. That's, that's where I stand on it.

Anders Doorstad
Yeah. One thing you have to remember is that if Cole Young had gone to college, he would not have been draft eligible until next year. So, like, this is a guy who, like, wouldn't have even been on draft boards until next season and he's already in Double A, and Ford would have just become, he would have just been drafted likely if he'd gone to college this year because he would have been a junior. So these are two guys who, like, are already, like, ahead of the timeline that you would expect for a guy who had gone to college because both these guys are na.

And so I think that certainly in the case of young and, you know, young is. Young is young and Ford is a catcher. And both of those guys, for those reasons, I think, need extra time to season in aa. And then likely, I think both of them should see Tacoma.

But one thing that I was listening to rates and barrels the other day that was interesting, they were talking about, you know, if, if you're a minor league pitcher at this point, scouting and analytics on pitching has gotten so precise that if you have big league stuff, teams are taking you to the big leagues. And so as a result, like, guys are not seeing premium pitching at the minors as much as they used to because teams are just, they have reason and measurements to just like, say, okay, this pitcher is ready. We're just going to put them in the big leagues.

And so as a result, like, hitters are farther behind the eight ball than they were before. And that's why you are probably seeing guys like, you know, Jackson holiday struggled right away.

It's very infrequent these days that you see a guy come up to the big leagues and immediately rake. And I think that's part of the reasons is like, these guys haven't faced this level of pitching and a lot of them haven't had the chance to fail yet. And so when they do fail, they don't really have, like, the coping skills for how to get back on, on their feet.

That is all to say, like, Cole Young and Harry Ford aren't even like, knocking down the doors at Double A. So to me, there's no reason to call them up. The only reason to call them up is because they're so desperate for an upgrade. And if that's the reason to call them up, that's a bad reason to call them up.

Max Ellingson
Yeah, it would 100% be a, like, desperation move. That is 100% what it would be. They, Cole Young, I think, will be an excellent player and a very, he's obviously a very valuable piece to this organization, but calling him up this year, even at like September, would be, it would feel a bit drastic, I think, if it were me. If you're handling one of your top prospects that you have put, sunk a ton of time and money into, let him develop naturally and maximize his long term output, you know, you call him up for 30 days, whatever, at the end of the season, if you, if you really think he's ready, fine. But, you know, if you, if there is a doubt that he's not ready, which I certainly have them, I would not want them to call them up. So I think that's kind of where it stands for me.

Evan James
Let me pitch this as a response to that, as a question to Zach, because I, what I hear you guys saying is that the prospects are not ready. And I would, I definitely agree with that. I would also agree with durs that doing so would be a desperation move. And I'm sort of. Of the argument that we are more adjacent to that than we would like to be. And my question to Zach pitching it is this. So last year the Mariners had Colton Wong and AJ Pollock, who are underperforming at about this stage, and they ditched both those guys. They cut them and they have not cut Polanco or Hanegar yet. Do you think that one, it's time to cut bait with those guys given the way they performed, or two, there is any real replacement for them on the roster that doesn't involve bringing up a prospect who's not ready.

Zach Mason
I'm not ready to call it on Jorge Blanco yet without a better option becoming available.

Like, he has obviously been very bad and I think he has not looked better than he has played either.

But, like, players have bad half seasons, it does happen and then they get it together. That is not an uncommon experience and it feels so much worse when he is, you know, 30 points under a league average WRC plus than when like say, Ta Oscar was like at gave rather than 30 points over because, you know, league average does a lot to like, just feel better, but it's like sort of the same underperformance and like, look what t Oscar is doing this year. You know, this does happen.

So I would like for them to upgrade second base, but if they don't, I think Polanco is the best thing to do. Mitch Hannaker is a different situation. You know, it's like Mitch Hanniger did a lot for this franchise.

I have a lot of love in my heart for him.

He's gotten older and like, he doesn't have it anymore and he's not the answer moving forward and that's very hard, but it's just how it is.

Evan James
I pitched the idea of putting him on the Il for 60 days and it'd be a phantom stint. You know, that's not technically allowed, but teams do what they do and technically he could come back at the end of the year if they really had an emergency need for him and it lets him stick around the team and kind of rehab the way Santos did, keep his personality in the clubhouse. But I, I think they should have ditched him a month ago, frankly. And him continuing to get played appearances on this team, given the lead slipping away is harder and harder to justify. And if they lose out on the playoffs again by such a slim margin, it'll be. It'll look really ugly that they gave him playoff or played appearances this deep into the season. Um, so I'm of the mind that they are already too late on him particularly. I'm open to the idea that Polanco has looked better and he could to provide returns, but I think there is a little.

I think they are very hesitant this year to do anything and it has cost them a little bit. And like you said, there's a recency bias it feels worse because of the way the last series in particular went.

And I went into that series thinking they were going to sweep. And for the record, they didn't really have an excuse not to. They were in it and conceivably could have won with one swing of the bat. Any one of those games, they just happened to blow three of them. So it is what it is, and let's switch gears because the major league team bums me out. But I want to talk about the draft since we have about a half hour left. We have Max here.

I know Zach and I are going to ask questions and listen mostly and endures will chime in here, too, but obviously Durangelo and I'm going to box this Shinson St. Jaeger Sanchez.

Max Ellingson
Yep.

Evan James
Durangelo Sanchez. Which Gerangelo as a first name is objectively the coolest name I've ever heard. It just is. The fact that his name is Jorangelo and he's a switch pitcher, it's hard to be off on better footing in terms of me falling in love with a prospect.

Zach Mason
He has to be, like barely good to be a one, you know, a mononym guy with a name like that, it's awesome.

Evan James
But I guess the first question ever on everyone's mind is switch picture question mark. Is that a real thing or is that a gimmick he's going to give us and just be a righty? I believe in the major leagues. What's your read on that?

Max Ellingson
Max came out to the media and was talking about switch pitching and what he's going to do. They're going to let Darangelo decide for himself during this season. Towards the end of the season, he was primarily pitching with his right hand, which is his better side. So he's not. It's not like a switch hitter where a lefty comes up and he throws lefty and then a righty comes up, he throws righty. His right hand is significantly better, but his left hand, it's not like a gimmick, right? It's not like a venditty where he's like, I have no other option but to find some niche. So I'm going to start throwing with my left hand at like 83. Like he's 93, you know, 92, 91 on the fastball with his left hand. So Darangelo expressed interest in switch pitching and sticking with it for now. I do think it ultimately he will probably be just a right handed pitcher, but if he can figure out how to implement it in an effective way, you know, maybe a in that bat here and there, or like an extreme splits guy or something like that, where he can just incorporate it for a few at bats a game or something like that. I don't think that's out of the question.

Anders Doorstad
Like, he went through lefty to Jesse Winker, for example, perhaps.

Max Ellingson
Yeah, something like that. Like if he can get to the point where that is a viable option for him at the major league level or professionally or however you may want to gauge it, that would be a huge advantage that they would certainly not want to just throw away. I don't think they're going to be like, his left hand is not so bad. That is unusable professionally. That said, he is significantly better with the right hand, and you don't want to be taking the ball out of your pitchers better hand, which is a crazy thing to say, but, you know, you want to, you want the best pitcher on the mound. So I think ultimately he will be a right hander long term, but I do think that they will give it a shot to some degree, as in the lower levels, and if it works, it'll stick. And if it doesn't, then they can scrap it and he'll still be a good right handed pitcher.

Anders Doorstad
I just want to say really quickly that I think it was a surprise to everybody. The Mariners selected him partially because, and this is, I think, a reason why you may say, you know, mock drafts, really, even the ones that purport to give you information are really still not operating with a full set of information. Because I read in like four or five different mock drafts, if Traya Savage is at 15, the Mariners are definitely taking him. And Trey Savage was at 15, and the Mariners passed him and so did four teams after that. So it was like, I think, a big surprise, you know, when, when Savage dropped, and we're like, okay, well, that's the pick. And then they come out and they say Gerangelo, Saint ja.

Which I think also speaks to, you know, and I know that Kate mentioned this is kind of what Scott was alluding to, like, the potential of Saint Ja. This is a guy who is fairly new, all things told, to being like, a full time pitcher.

And so the sky is kind of the limit to him and what he could be. And the fact that he has these, these two different, I guess, paths of getting to the big leagues in the first place, either as a righty exclusively or as a switch handed pitcher, adds intrigue as well. But he's, he's younger, he's only a sophomore, and there's more ceiling to be. To be seen there than there was for you, Savage. And with where the Mariners are right now and kind of their, their development cycle, with their winning cycle and where the farm is at, they have the ability to take a risk on a guy like this. So I just want to point out for that, that I was, you know, very surprised they took him, but it was. Was very fun. Zach, I think I had this conversation with you, like, a month ago. We, like, briefly were talking about the draft when I went to your apartment to watch Mariners game, and I said, oh, yeah, the Mariners have this, like, you know, there's this guy in the draft who's a switch pitcher, and I feel like that would be, like, a guy who Jerry would, like, love to try to like, because Jerry is the kind of guy who loves to challenge and loves, like, a unique player. And I was like, I feel like that's the kind of guy that diphodo would love to take a crack at developing. And sure enough, that's what they did. And it seems like this draft, the theme of it, before we get deeper into that, is these very unique players who have these outlier assets or qualities to them that could be something very special if things break right.

But, yeah, I'm very excited for that because I think that this is a guy where there's a million ways this could go, and it's cool to just have an exciting, like, unique player like that in the organization.

Zach Mason
I don't have a lot to contribute, but I do want to say, you said there were the two paths of, like, switch pitcher or a righty, and, like, there's a third, like, he could be a lefty. I don't think that's, like, really on the table. It's, like, what they want to do. But he's extremely young. He's extremely new to pitching. People pick up, look at people become pitchers halfway through their careers. Right?

And I. If something goes wrong with his right arm, which happens not infrequently, that's on the table, too. So that's fun.

But I mentioned that just to be pedantic. The thing I want to say in response to your point about Jerry maybe enjoying players he can fixate on is I think this is an underappreciated thing about Jerry Depot, is that he so clearly loves baseball.

And I think the Mariners have not always done a great job at marketing.

How much the baseball is good.

They lean so heavily in the nostalgia. We've talked about that so many times, and there's so much discussion of the business side of things because it's a really active organization and because the budget has been so constrained. But when you hear him talk about baseball, when you hear him talk about he just like so clearly loves to watch them. And I appreciate that, that enthusiasm because it's infectious to listen to somebody who loves baseball that much talk about baseball. But it's a digression. I'm stoked about this pick.

Max, you, you had this pick dirt said not that many people foresight. You did. What made you think that?

Max Ellingson
Well, I'm not going to say, I'm not going to sit here and pretend like I was some, there were plenty of people that had it, but my gut, my gut said that it was going to be the guy in, I kind of got to the right pick in the wrong way kind of a thing. I thought for sure Yusavage was going to be gone, and I honestly would have expected them to take Yusavage if he got there.

But Yusavage is very much not a mariner esque pitcher. He is, as he currently is, he is probably the pitcher. He is going to be in the major leagues by and large, for the most part. He is incredibly advanced physically. He's massive. His stuff is good. He's got good command, good control. Like he's pretty much a finished product. There is not a lot of anything to extract out of his profile, and I think he'll be a really, really nice pitcher. I think he's going to be good.

That said, Gerangelo provides the mariners with a block of clay, if you will, to enhance and refine and make their own, and they have shown that they are pretty damn good sculptors of pitchers. Right. Like they know what they're doing. This is a, first of all, 21 year old. I did, I did think he was going to go underslaught. I apologize for misleading people. It was just speculation, but he had a lot cold.

Anders Doorstad
Emerson, too. So, like, in fairness.

Max Ellingson
Yeah, like he, he had a ton of late helium. Like the night before the draft, I kept seeing a bunch of people, like really like Gerangelo, and he was climbing up draft boards, as did Ryan Sloan, which I mean, at this point is.

Zach Mason
Also ours, but yeah, let's put a pin in that.

Max Ellingson
Yeah, we'll come back to that. But he got full slot and he's a draft eligible sophomore, so he used, fully used his leverage as he should have, and he got full slot and he is a really, really fun pitcher.

Even if you just look at him as a righty, he completely blew away right handed hitters. As a righty, it was like around a 200 batting average against over 30% K's k percentage. I mean, he just completely dominated. He was unreal.

If the only knock is being five foot eleven and 200 pounds, that is a little small for a starter height wise. But the modern pitching game has put less of an emphasis on huge size.

You more and more frequently are seeing guys that are 6ft tall, six foot one, and they're being drafted in the first and second rounds out of high school because they possess this elite ability to either spin a breaking ball or carry a fastball or just, you know, they have good, good levers and stuff like that. Like, it's no longer are we in the day of, if you're not 626364, you can't be a star. You're automatically in the bullpen. So he's obvious even.

Yeah, right. Like, like, if. If your stuff plays, you're. If you can start and your stuff plays, you're absolutely going to start. So he's an elite level athlete. He's from a lower slot, which the Mariners love. He's got, you know, crazy arm talent and, you know, Sam, you were saying he could be a lefty.

That would be like, worst case scenario. Right? Like, that would be like he blows out his arm twice and he has to become like a 6th inning lefty reliever.

Zach Mason
Like, I'm just saying it's on the table in a way that it's not for Logan Evans.

Max Ellingson
Exactly. It is 100% on. Like, it's a thing he can do, but that would be. That would be really bad if that happened. You want him as a righty. He's. He's fun as a right. You want him as a switch. You want him as a switch. But if things go wrong, you ultimately want him to be a right handed because he is far better at that. But it's just a super fun pick. He's. He's a mariner pitcher, hyper athlete. Like you, you. He's about how they drama. So super fun pick.

Yes. Savage is going to be great, too, but so is like, Durangelo's great, too. He's 21, he's younger than you, Savage. Got more upside than you, Savage. It's fun. It's really fun.

Anders Doorstad
I want to transition real quickly into the next guy, which is Ryan Sloan, who I had seen several mocks having him be the first pick for the Mariners, and I know that Jerry said that he was in the mix for consideration for the first pick. So when he dropped to the second round and was available. They swiped him up. It seems like the way they're treating him is they're treating him as if he was his first rounder. Like they. They're hyping him up as if he was a first rounder. They're introducing him at T Mobile park, which they did not do for Ben Williamson or Tyler Locklear, their most recent second rounders, and they gave him well over slot. He is also signed. So both these first two guys have signed. I think he probably. He got around $3 million. So, like, he got the money that, like a late, late first rounder would get. So the Mariners are acting like this is basically a second 1st round guy. Max, I want you to tell me why. Why is that? What makes this guy a first round talent?

Max Ellingson
Well, yeah, he. That is exactly what he is. He is a first round talent. He is an unbelievable player. He is, first of all, just as a person, I think he is awesome. He is a big. He's six, 5225, just this big, dopey, goofy dude. That is hilarious. I've watched a ton of, like, interviews with him. He's just a goofy dude. I think he's awesome. I think he'll fit right in, and I am incredibly excited to root for him.

He is massive. If you look up some, like, videos of him working out, he's done some kind of stuff with local news outlets near Chicago.

And, I mean, he's like, if you look at him, you could say like, okay, well, that's just, you know, a big guy moving around. That guy is jacked. He has legs. I mean, they are just tree trunks. They are massive. He is moving a ton, a ton of muscle. He is. And that's. I mean, you don't throw, you don't sit 96 as an 18 year old if you're not really, really strong and really, really athletic.

He. His fastball, you know, right now, his arm talent is really good. He's got really nice. Like, he's in control in the mound. He's very on top of things and looks athletic.

He repeats his delivery well. Obviously, he's hitting 99 to 100, but he, I was listening to in an interview, and he used to be fastball slider, and his slider can kind of, it's kind of slurvish almost. It's kind of, you know, can kind of vary here and there, but he was a fastball slider guy, and then he went to an event and he was facing eight lefties in a, it was like a high school USA team or high school all american game or something to that extent. And he was facing eight lefties, and he just couldn't get him out. He got shelled. He's like, okay, well, I have to do something. So he's like, what if I just. What if I just figured out this change up real quick? So he faced that team again later in the tournament, just decided to throw his change up and completely dominated. And he's just like, well, I guess I should just keep throwing this. And it's completely transformed him into this, like, unreal talent. So there's clearly some ability to, like, manipulate the ball and kind of, you know, understand. He understands kind of, like, how things work. I know that's kind of vague, but, like, he's. He just gets it. He's a good kid. Massive, unbelievably talented, super hard worker. He really wants to be a professional.

His. Both his parents were college athletes. His mom's actually in the hall of fame at her college.

Athletically, like, just. He's the whole package.

So I'm. I'm super excited for that.

But, yeah, I mean, there. It's legitimately two first rounders.

Zach Mason
Does your college have a hall of fame that is not for its athletes? Is that a thing?

Max Ellingson
I don't even. I couldn't tell you. I couldn't tell you. Someone who's in our hall of fame, honestly. I know one of the football coaches is in there, but I know the. The engineering college I was in has, like, a bunch of plaques on the wall, and I'm pretty sure those donated.

Zach Mason
You got an honor.

Evan James
Academic hall of fame.

Zach Mason
Academic hall.

Max Ellingson
Put me in there. Yeah.

But, yeah, it's super exciting.

Zach Mason
Day one, I was obsessively, like, trying to find a video of him working out while you were talking to see what you were.

Max Ellingson
I can. I can send you a couple. I can send you. They're like local news.

Zach Mason
Yeah, I found, I think, one of the ones you're thinking of, and it is extremely impressive. I knew he was a big dude, but it really is something.

I also, like, saw him next to somebody else, and I was like, oh, my God, this dude is enormous. And then it, like, zoomed out and changed angle a little bit, and it's like, oh, that is a twelve year old.

Max Ellingson
Yeah, yeah. You look at his face and you're like, oh, is that like my younger cousin that I haven't seen in a few years? And then you look at him, like, on the mound, and you're like, oh, that guy could, like, rip my head off if he wanted to.

Zach Mason
Is he kind of stupid. I would love it if he was, like, a little bit of a. He was a little dumb.

Max Ellingson
I think he's very smart, but I think. Well, I. But he gives off. He's so chill. Like, I think he's so chill. He's just kind of, like a big, lovable.

Like, kind of. What are they? What are they? Like, just like, he. He's a lovable, like, kind of like. It looks like a giant teddy bear. Like a big, giant teddy bear is how I would describe it.

Like, kind of just, I don't know, kind of goofy. Like, he clearly understands a lot about his body and pitching and everything like that, so I don't want to call him stupid, but I would say he is you. Like, it would not be hard to get that impression of him if you, you know, didn't know him.

Zach Mason
Yeah, I just. I would think it would be charming if somebody who, you know, had his sort of skills and talents and looks the way that he does was a little bit stupid, I would think.

Max Ellingson
I.

Zach Mason
You know, I would find that endearing.

Max Ellingson
He does have a very funny haircut. I do like his haircut a lot.

But, yeah.

Anders Doorstad
I do want to ask really quickly, before we dive into your favorite, like, day two or three picks, where would these guys slot into your mariners prospect rankings? And you don't have to be precise, because I'm asking you on the spot, but, like, I guess roughly, where would you equivocate those two guys?

Max Ellingson
Well, it is your lucky day because I am a total nerd and I cannot stop thinking about the draft. So I've actually already done my rankings.

Oh, good.

I have them at ten and eleven right now.

Anders Doorstad
Oh, wow. Okay, so who's.

Zach Mason
Who's in front of them? Who's behind them?

Max Ellingson
I have ty Pete right behind them, and I have Logan Evans right in front, but.

Evan James
Okay, here's what you have in front of them, he'd have to be, right?

Max Ellingson
Yep. He is the only pitcher that's in front of him. But I will say this. If you wanted to argue that you wanted to put them at seven or eight, maybe even six, you know, six through whatever, I I wouldn't fight you on it. There's. There's a. There's so much talent, right. You're kind of splitting hairs. So it really comes down to preference. Like, if you said Sloan and is going to be my 7th best and Durangelo's nine, and I'm going to put Aiden Smith between them or Michael Arroyo or, you know, it's like, sure, I'm not going to fight you.

I thought about putting them like 910, you know, maybe even eight, but until I see them pitch, I'm hesitant to just go super gung ho. They have a ton of ceiling, though, right? We've already seen the guys in front of them and, you know, we, we kind of have a frame of reference.

Anders Doorstad
For them with how deep the mariners farm system is. These guys. These guys, like borderline top 100 prospects.

Max Ellingson
Trying to, uh oh, can you guys hear me, you guys?

Anders Doorstad
Yeah, we just talked over each other.

Max Ellingson
Sorry, sorry. Yeah, um, yeah, they. We don't have a frame of reference for these people, so it's always tough to just. I'm a little more cautious on that side. I don't want to over rank and then be disappointed.

So, you know, back of, back of the top ten, but feasibly by the end of next year. But either one of these guys could be, you know, top three, four, five, you know, I mean, they're. The talent in the top ten to twelve in this system is unbelievable. So, yeah, cool.

Evan James
I think the last guy we should go into detail on today is Hunter Creighton. And he's exciting because as a relief pitcher, the team has already talked about he has the potential to make it to the major leagues this year. Obviously, that's a very accelerated timeline, and that would require him going to, you know, double A and pitching well right away, but it's not inconceivable. And so as the only prospect drafted this year who has any kind of a potential path to being on the team this year, what does that look like? What does success for him this year look like?

Max Ellingson
Success for Cranton would be kind of as, I mean, honestly, like, just like you said, he starts in Double A and he comes out and he's on par with Troy Taylor and he proves that he is more ready than Troy Taylor, and they go to him over someone in Triple A or through trade or something, he's incredibly pro ready, but pro ready as a collegiate is still probably, you know, there's still a lot of variables that can go wrong, but the stuff is undeniable. He's got a, his sliders kind of like a cutter almost. It's not like a sweeper or anything like that, but his fastball is unbelievable.

It's essentially been, like, unhittable this season. This is his first year as a full time reliever. He was a starter beforehand, and they threw him in the bullpen and he added like 5 miles an hour to his bowl or to his fastball. So you know, the, the control is, is good enough. You know, he's, he doesn't walk too many people.

He's been riding that fastball at the top of the zone a lot more this season, and the cutter has played really well off of that. He's made that firmer as well.

So he's. I mean, he's an option for sure, but he is an option on the way. Troy Taylor is an option. Right. It's like they are choosing to go internally rather than someone in Tacoma or waiver wire or something else. They are making that decision. So, yeah, he'll be, he'll be exciting to watch, though.

Anders Doorstad
I think it's the second year in a row the Mariners have picked the first college senior of the, of the draft, too, because they jumped the, they jumped the line on Ben Williamson. He was the first senior sign, and then they jumped the line here on Cranton, and both times it was because of the way that the board fell where they took a. But they took some overslot guys that they had to overcompensate for. But it's cool that, like, you know, and Max, you and I were talking pre pod. Like, a lot of these guys who the Mariners took in the later rounds are like the same kind of person. They're like, very interesting reliever traits, and I think Cranton's obviously, like, at the top of that, the top of that hill, but there's like eight or nine other guys that are like that.

So rather than go into detail about those guys, I wanted to ask you about some of your favorite, you know, guys who were further down the board. I know you know, Hunter, or, sorry, not Hunter.

Grant nip was very interesting guy, a two way player who's very toolsy. I know that you and I were talking about. There's a couple of guys who, like, are kind of in that maybe if there is a Brian woo or Logan Evans guy, it would be one of these two or three guys. So I just kind of want to give you full reign to, like, nerd out on some of these other players.

Max Ellingson
Hell yeah. All right. Yeah. I mean, so grant nip is very dangerous.

Zach Mason
Permission?

Max Ellingson
Yeah, I could probably have you guys sitting here for another hour and a half, so I'll try to keep it brief, but grant nip is another one. That is awesome. He's just like, another. Just interesting player. Like, you want to watch him play?

I, Scott Hunter had kind of alluded to the story of him becoming a two way pitcher, but I actually found an interview where he told the story.

Anders Doorstad
A two way player, you mean, or.

Max Ellingson
Sorry, two way player, not two way pitcher.

Zach Mason
Yes.

Max Ellingson
Sorry, I've got Darangelo on the brain.

But yeah. So I found an interview where he was telling a story and he was obviously a catcher in college, and it was probably, I think he said it was like five to five days to a week out from Campbell's pro day and he was, you know, catching the Campbell pitchers and he said it felt pretty good coming out, going down to second base.

And he, what he said is, do you think I could even hit 85, like on the mound? And they're like, oh, like, you could probably hit 90 if you really tried. He's like, all right, I'll try. So he comes out and he does not even like, rear back and he hits 90 on the dot and he goes, oh, like, maybe I, maybe I should actually try to pitch it. So his first one, he hits 95 and he gets up to 96 in the bullpen, goes to his pitching coach. He's like, so when am I going in? And your coaches. And his coach was like, what the hell are you talking about? And he's like, I just hit 96 on the gun and the pen. And two days later he threw a bullpen at the pro day and it's Campbell pro day and hit 98. I mean, just like a hilarious, like, story of raw athleticism. So he's super fun. He has tremendous power, really, like interesting hitter. And then also, hey, he's this completely unrefined closing pitcher that is hitting 98 in averaging 97 at the MLB draft league or MLB draft combine. So he's super fun. I think he's a bit of a character, too. So he'll be, he'll be great to have in the system.

Yeah. Josh Karen was the fourth rounder. I think he's pretty interesting. He's really athletic. Catcher, he's not going to be a Harry Ford athletic, but he's, you know, a pretty damn good athlete with some pop.

But yeah, the, the pitchers, the next logan Evans, that he's going to be a top 100 prospect.

No, but Christian little, they were really, they spoke glowingly about in the, the press conference. He, they really think that he has a lot to be tapped into. And, you know, frankly, like, he was such a premium recruit out of high school. I mean, he was in Vanderbilt's rotation at 17. He was starting for them at 17 years old. He was that good of a prospect for them.

He, he is interesting. He's been up to 99 with his fastball is what Scott Hunter said. Went up to 99. He's got a starter's arsenal. He's athletic. Six four. Like, good mover. He checks a lot of boxes.

And in the interview, they were saying that they were. He was talking with the Mariners pitching coach, and they're, the pitching coach says, well, you've got such good stuff. Why don't you just throw strike one and just throw it right down the middle and see what happens? And he, he said that Christian was a little taken back. He's like, what? Really? Like, it's that easy.

And so after, apparently there obviously a lot more into that discussion, but little expressed. A lot of interest in wanting to become a mariner, which is, I like, obviously as a fan, but I think there is definitely something there as a starter.

Harrison Cryling was the other one that they wanted to 100% try as a starter and log some innings.

He's interesting. He was on bas top 100 senior signs. Really small school. Nebraska Omaha was his.

Was his school. But he's a big, like, pitching nerd, right? Like, loves the. The trackman metrics and refining and honing his arsenal. So I think he'll fit right in.

Yeah. I mean, Brian Walters is. Brings a tear to my eye because I don't think he's gonna sign, but I think he's really good.

I don't, I don't. He's been. His stuff has been compared to his brother Andrew, who, if you're unfamiliar, what? In the second round of last year's loaded draft, he's just an unbelievable relief prospect. But I would be shocked if he signs.

Yeah, I mean, the day three was a little.

Little more bleak. Like, it was kind of more boring.

Anders Doorstad
It was just a lot of, like, relievers, basically.

Max Ellingson
Correct. But the, the one thing that I do think I kind of did let myself grasp on a little bit too much is half of their draft is under the age of 22, so they're 21 and, you know, however many months to some degree, and drafting a bunch of 21 year olds out of college is, you know, that's.

There's some upside to that. Just based on development period alone, obviously, they took some, several, you know, 24, almost 25 year old, you know, and those guys have less upside because they're more physically developed and they have less time in the system to be developed and built. But, you know, to say that these guys are just. It's not a bunch of just senior signs right there. There is some work and some. Some refinement that can go into these guys.

I don't know how high of a ceiling there is. But there is at least more intrigue than a bunch of 23 year olds. Like, they have some youth to their side, so it's not totally super, super boring. Like, there's. There's going to be some guys in the off season that pop. I think.

Anders Doorstad
I think that the mariners have more than earned our intrigue when they pick someone, and I think, like, I'm even more intrigued when they pick someone who has badlandhouse college stats or who, like, is, like, underwhelming. Like, Matt Tiberia was from. From Linn University in Florida.

Max Ellingson
I was just, like, a guy who's.

Anders Doorstad
Like, super unexciting on paper. Like, I have no idea why anyone would have any interest in him. And that makes me, like, even more intrigued by him, because the mariners clearly see something.

Max Ellingson
Yeah. Or, like, Evan Truett, like, in the 12th round, like, pretty mediocre numbers, and he's 511. And, you know, it's just like, what do they see? You know, like, what are they looking at? So I know they see something they wouldn't. Yeah. Like, this is.

It's. It is somewhat of a mundane draft, but I. I will. I will allow it now. Like. Like, I could do anything.

You know, I. They have.

They have earned the respect and our trust that, you know, it's. It could. It can very feasibly work out very well for them.

Anders Doorstad
The likelihood is that, like, one or two of these guys are going to be interesting prospects for the Mariners in the way that, like, Brandon, Garcia and Evans were. Maybe not to that degree, but, like, they will be names that we, like, are thinking of in the back of our head.

Max Ellingson
And just even as a reliever, like, you know, like, Wyatt, Lunsford, Shankman. Like, I think that guy could be a reliever, you know, a nasty 7th, 8th inning reliever very easily. And I don't think there's, like, a ton of. I think the floor is incredibly high for him or, you know, Brock Moore in the 7th round. Like, his. He's got much more variability, but he's pretty easily chucking 99 to 101, you know, at six, 6230.

You know, just there. There is upside in the sense that these guys could be contributors to a major league bullpen.

Now, that's not the most upside overall, but that is something that, that provides value.

Zach Mason
2024 Mariners will take it.

Max Ellingson
Yeah. And if you can get, you know, one or two of these guys on the 2024. Yeah. Even 2025 Mariners. Right.

Zach Mason
Like, oh, I'm not saying get them up right now.

Max Ellingson
I'm just saying no, no, no, I get what you're saying. If they had done that. Yeah.

Zach Mason
Good product.

Max Ellingson
Yeah. Like, it provides value to a system that does not have a ton of relief profiles. Now, obviously never draft for need, but they drafted to a strength this year. They are good at developing pitching, and that is what they saw in this draft. That, like, this draft had a lot of interesting pitching and not a lot of hitting. They took a lot of pitching and not a lot of hitting.

So I think it was a. I think it was a good draft. Great day one, good day to kind of mediocre day three, but that's what necessitated you can't have a great day one if you don't kind of, you know, take some lumps in the later days. So, um, yeah, I will say there's a great piece on Charlie Beelinson, the guy out of Duke in the fifth round. He is a fascinating dude. He's like the grandson of a senator and then walked on at Brown and then added 60 pounds of muscle because he found he had hypothyroidism.

Walked on at Duke as, like, a 23 year old and immediately became their best reliever. I mean, he is fascinating.

I will try to. I'll try to find the author here in a little bit, just to kind of shout him out, but it's a. It's a fascinating article.

He's really fun.

Zach Mason
We'll find it and get it in the. The moose tracks.

Max Ellingson
Yeah. And he's also. Yeah, that perfect. Yes. And he's also got, like, a heinous split change. That is disgusting. So, you know, I mean, like, there's. That's. That's the kind of fun that came from this draft is, hey, this guy could be a fun reliever. Like.

Like it. Outside of the top two, obviously, those guys are like, oh, that could conceivably be a number to starter, you know?

But, yeah, the lower guys, it's less like last year. There is no Aidan Smith of this draft. But that said, they didn't have the resources to do that, and I think for what they had, they executed it more than admirably. So that's. That's how I stand on.

Evan James
Cool. Well, there's a lot to be excited about. Um, anytime there's fresh blood, young blood in the organization, we're always going to be here to talk about it. And obviously, Drangelo is about as cool as a prospect can possibly be. So excited to add to the prospect family for the Mariners, but that's going to be it for today.

I'm Evan James. You can find me on Twitter at evanjamesaudio. You can find Zach at real Zach. Mason. Anders. Andersjorstad. Max is Ellington Ellingson. Max 18. Right. I've looked you up on Twitter enough to, I think.

Max Ellingson
I mean, I couldn't tell you my username if you put a gun to my head, so go. Go for it.

Evan James
But thank you, Max, for enlightening us on the prospects. And the Mariners offense continues to struggle. But use the code goems at checkout for on a McDougal bat. Get yourself dollar 20 off of that, you can get your offense up even if the Mariners continue to wafer on that. But we'll be back later this week with Kate and John. And, as always, go mariners. Until next time.