Seattle Mariners Select RHP Griffin Hugus in the Third Round of the 2025 MLB Draft

The Mariners drafted him as a money-saving pick, but the Miami product is sneaky good

After a chaotic day that saw the unexpected come to light at the top of the draft, the M’s went back to what they know and selected Griffin Hugus out of Miami, a fantastic organizational fit that likely saves them a bit of cash to help afford second-rounder Nick Becker.

Hugus is a name I’ve thought the Mariners would target for a while and believe he should excel in this system. He’s a smooth mover down the mound and has a fastball that’s touched the mid-90’s, though there’s plenty of reason to believe he’ll be able to add a few ticks to it considering his athleticism and frame. He pairs it with two breakers that have shown well and are capable of getting whiffs, though it’s somewhat unrefined. At the moment, there’s a ton of really fun clay to work with. He might not jump off the screen with his stuff, but this dude could be a stud. He’s with the right organization to get the most out of his profile.

A former two-way player who transferred to Miami from Cincinnati, Hugus has improved every year of his collegiate career and performed exceptionally well on the Cape last summer, though if you’re going to poke a hole in the profile outside of the lack of “wow” stuff, it’d be good-not-great command. It’s less of a problem and more of a “something to know”, but he’s not as big of a control artist as you might expect with a low 90’s fastball. Still, he throws strikes and is capable of missing bats despite a lack of premium velo. Just 21 years old and plenty of projection left, I’d be shocked if Hugus wasn’t able to get up into the mid-90’s with his heater. Assuming there’s some additional gas to come, his entire profile ticks up dramatically.

Hugus might not have been a big name on many draftniks boards, but he’s been well-regarded internally by the Mariners for quite some time, including a fan who’s also a former big-leaguer.

“Griffin had a really good year in the ACC, and we think he’s on the upswing,” said Scott Hunter post-draft. “A lot of our player development guys, all of our information from our high performance guys, as well as Bobby Korecky, who pitched in the big leagues, this was his gut-feel player pretty much all year. He wanted to keep us reminded that he was a guy we could overdraft a little bit if he needed to.”

I’d expect this pick to aid in the signing of Becker in the second round, a player who Hunter suggested would get money comparable to a Comp Round A pick. Though Hugus is likely getting the “money saver” label, don’t think this is a boring punt pick. Hugus is legit. I like him a ton and think he could turn into a very compelling arm with some refinement. I didn’t necessarily see him as a third rounder, but I don’t think his signing bonus will either. Assuming this helps get them back to even in the bonus pool, I love the pick.

To recap Day One:

1.3 - LHP Kade Anderson

1.35 - C Luke Stevenson

2.57 - SS Nick Becker

3.91 - Griffin Hugus

Check back in tomorrow for coverage on rounds four through twenty!