The Ultimate 2025 Seattle Mariner Draft Guide

Some information, some speculation, and a whole lot of players

Welcome Seattle Mariner draft enthusiasts! With the 2025 MLB draft just a few short days away, we at LL want to familiarize you with as many names that just might be Mariners as we possibly can. I’m sure we’ll whiff on the vast majority of these picks, but it’s a lot more fun to follow the draft when you recognize a few names.

Day One Selections

3, 35, 57, 91

Bonus Pool: $17,704,400 (Second most in the league)

The State of the Draft

This draft is quite shallow at the top in terms of elite talent, however there is a substantial amount of depth that should make the latter half of day one particularly interesting. There has been a healthy amount of discussion surrounding many of the teams picking in the top ten about cutting a “money saving” deal in order to supplement their bonus pool in the following rounds, however with little clarity as to who will land where, any one player could ostensibly accept a discount if they were fearful of a slide. I don’t think anyone has a clue how the first ten picks will shake out, ensuring for an incredibly exciting Sunday afternoon.

The Options at Three

If you missed our more in depth run down on the primary candidates for their first overall selection, click here. It will provide a lot of helpful information and is a great place to start before diving into this article.

From this vantage point, there’s three primary scenarios the M’s will need to consider on draft day, mostly revolving around where Kade Anderson is drafted and how badly they want to stick with a college pitcher.

Scenario #1: WAS selects Ethan Holliday, LAA selects Kade Anderson

In this iteration, the M’s find themselves in the scenario most people have expected for quite some time. They’d likely be able to execute the plan they had made pre-draft to their fullest extent. Whether that’s Seth Hernandez, Jamie Arnold, Aiva Arquette, or anyone else, I’m not sure anyone knows for certain. Most estimates have had them leaning college pitching, but those have wavered as we’ve approached draft day.

Scenario #2: WAS selects Kade Anderson, LAA selects Liam Doyle/Jamie Arnold

With the M’s stuck with the last choice of the college lefties, I don’t think it’s impossible we see something strange happen if this is how it shakes out. Arnold is more the Mariners “flavor” and would seem like a fit if the Angels went with Doyle, however I’m less sure of the Mariners’ fit with Doyle and could see them pivot elsewhere if Arnold was off the board. I wouldn’t rule out Doyle entirely, but it’s not necessarily the typical profile they look for in a pitcher. Obviously if their plan didn’t involve a college lefty (Seth Hernandez comes to mind as the likeliest option), they could still execute that to it’s fullest effect.

Scenario #3: WAS selects Ethan Holliday, LAA selects not Kade Anderson

The M’s would take Kade Anderson if he’s on the board. This is the least likely version of how the top three could shake out, but there are whispers of the Angels looking at some options that could save them serious cash for their subsequent picks. Probably a long shot, but not an impossibility.

For those that are curious about Ethan Holliday and the Mariners: I’d be stunned if they ended up selecting Holliday with their pick. With how public the Rockies have been about wanting him, the familial ties, the Scott Boras problem, the player profile itself, and basically everything else in between, I just don’t see that being a match. Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems unlikely.

Additional Names to Know

I’m going to go rapid fire here and give you a list of names you might see on day one with a brief description of what they bring to the table. These are going to be rather brief writeups on players to cover as many names as possible. It’s most likely none of them are going to be Mariners at all, but who knows! All of these players I’m about to mention could end up anywhere in the first handful of rounds.

#35

Xavier Neyens - A prep shortstop with local ties, Neyens is unlikely to slip all the way to 35, but would be a super intriguing pick if he did. Massive power from a lefty swing, Neyens could ultimately end up as a hulking slugger at the hot corner.

Jaden Fauske - Another prepster with a sweet left handed swing, Fauske is a good athlete with intriguing offensive upside. Currently a catcher, Fauske could play a solid corner outfield and might profile better there given his above average foot speed. There’s plenty of impact in the bat to play anywhere on the field.

Nicky Becker - A cold weather high school shortstop, Becker has a projectable frame with tons of offensive upside. He makes a lot of sense as a high-ceiling play and seems like a really likely candidate for this pick.

Cooper Flemming - A simple, repeatable stroke from the left side, Flemming has had some helium of late and carries a ton of projection with good feel to hit. I really like his profile and I think the Mariners will too.

Landon Harmon - Our first arm we’ve covered, Harmon is one of the top prep arms in this class and features an athletic operation with massive stuff. He checks a lot of boxes the Mariners like to see in their arms.

Aaron Watson - A favorite of LL staffer Kate Preusser, Watson is similar to Harmon in stature and oozes projection with intriguing stuff. The ease of his operation stands out against many other young arms.

Josh Owens - A buzzy name that’s gotten a lot of traction late this spring, the projectable Owens is a two-sport athlete with a very Mariner-esque profile. He’s a high floor prepster with relatively average tools across the board, however there’s some reason to think he’ll grow into some additional pop with above average speed.

Rounds 2-5

Murf Gray - One of the hottest hitters in the country down the stretch this season, Gray employs a simple right handed swing and is capable of generating tremendous pop without sacrificing his bat to ball skills, though it’s more pure strength over twitch. The 6’4 Gray is a third baseman long term and is likely somewhere around average at the position if not a hair below, but you’re ultimately drafting him here for the bat.

Mason Morris - An intriguing college arm that might save you some money if they want to get creative early, Morris is a lanky right hander out of Ole Miss that saw his stuff tick up in a big way this season. Primarily a fastball-slider guy with a cutter to mix in, Morris dominated the SEC all season and can rush it up into the upper 90’s with good carry through the zone. A very interesting profile that should go inside the first hundred picks.

Mason Pike - A local product out of Puyallup, Pike is a dynamic athlete with a strong frame and currently flashes promise on both sides of the ball. There’s not a clear consensus on whether he’ll be a bat or an arm long term, however I’d be inclined to guess he’ll be on the mound. He’s hit 97 on the radar gun before and has a nice four pitch mix, but there’s plenty of intrigue in a potential middle infielder that has his kind of pop as a switch hitter as well. He’ll be off the board relatively early.

Michael Salina - Perhaps a repeat of their Teddy McGraw move is in order? Salina has one of the more dynamic fastballs in this class that touched 102 this spring, however Salina is currently recovering from Tommy John and likely wouldn’t pitch until the middle of next season. There’s a substantial amount of effort in his delivery which could move him to the bullpen long term, but I’d imagine someone will bet on the arm relatively early on day two.

River Hamilton - An interesting ball of clay for the pitching development team to work for, Hamilton is out of Gresham, Oregon and has caught the eyes of scouts thanks to his projectable 6’3 frame and fastball that’s been into the mid 90’s. It’s a low release height that should be able to eat at the top of zone with optimized shape and an interesting four pitch mix. Though he’s not as loose of a mover as others who’ve been prioritized by the M’s, there’s quite a bit to like in the profile.

James Ellwanger - A big right hander out of Dallas Baptist, Ellwanger fits the profile of a player the Mariners tell to “just throw your stuff over the plate” that ultimately blossoms into something much greater than his current form. The stuff is truly filthy and he was able to show improved command in his brief time on the Cape, however it’s still below average command at best. With his premium 6’5 frame and athleticism moving down the mound, I’d expect Ellwanger and his upper 90’s heater to get scooped up at some point on day one.

Daniel Dickinson - Another local product out of Kennewick High School, Dickinson was a stalwart for the LSU national championship team and has shown some nice contact ability that should get him selected early. He’s a second baseman long term, but it’s a relatively high floor that’s shown some speed at times. It’d be awesome to see one of these local guys get a shot in the PNW, and I think Dickinson is a real option for them this year.

I could probably write on and on about this draft for days, but I’ll stop it right here. Hopefully this was able to help get you ready for Sunday’s festivities and allows you to enjoy the event just a bit more. As always, GOMS!!