Seattle Mariners select C Luke Stevenson with the #35 pick in 2025 MLB Draft

The Mariners take a college catcher with North Carolina ties. The last one worked out okay.

The 2025 MLB Draft has so far been as advertised, with lots of surprises in what analysts and scouting directors alike called an “unpredictable” draft. That surprise worked out nicely for the Mariners in the first round, who were able to get a potential first overall pick at third in Kade Anderson, the left-hander out of LSU. Per Daniel Kramer, Anderson has already agreed to terms with the Mariners at a slightly underslot deal, which would have allowed the Mariners some flexibility in taking a prep player in the next round. Instead, the Mariners went for a college catcher, taking Luke Stevenson out of North Carolina.

“I’m pumped,” said a beaming Stevenson on a post-draft Zoom call. “This is an absolute dream come true, being able to go to an organization like this, the development that they do. I could not be happier.”

Stevenson had plenty of buzz early in this season as a potential top ten pick; however, he had an interesting year at the plate that saw the contact ability take a step back. The lefty hit .251/.414/.552, including 19 home runs, this year for the Tar Heels. There’s a healthy amount of concern surrounding the bat-to-ball, but outside of that concern, there’s a lot to love. A surefire defender behind the plate with a cannon of an arm, Stevenson could be a plus defender behind the plate and provides them some nice depth at a position the system is relatively dry at right now. That’s not to say he’s a pick for need in this case (he’s been mocked to go in this range for a while now), but it’s an added bonus to snag a player at a premium position.

However, this is an undeniably odd pick for the Mariners, who prize contact skills and controlling the zone. Per Baseball America, there have been 316 first-rounder hitters selected out of Division I baseball since 1982. Of that group, just 16 (5.1%) hit under .300 in their draft year. Stevenson hit .251, with a 72% overall contact rate and an 80% in-zone contact rate. There are real questions about how his skills will translate to the tougher competition of professional baseball, but Stevenson, whose mom was a college softball catcher and who’s been catching his whole life, has a makeup the Mariners love.

“I take a lot of pride in working with my pitchers, getting to know them well and their strengths, and developing with them, and developing a good relationship with them,” said Stevenson. “That’s something I take a lot of pride in, and I’m excited to get to know these pitchers and work really hard for them.”

Stevenson also impressed the Mariners with his maturity, as a player who started as a freshman needing to run a pitching staff of players several years older than him. “I knew that I was going to have a big role, and I knew that, being 19 years old, that I had to gain the trust of some 23-year-old pitchers. Being the catcher, I knew I was going to have to handle an older staff, and I was going to have to do it quick, earn their trust quick. And I think that’s something that is a big quality that I learned and got better at, and I think that’s something that’s really going to help me in this pro career, being able to work with pitchers and understand what they need in any given moment and work my tail off for them in any situation.”

If he can develop his hit tool enough to get to his power at the next level, Stevenson has the kind of power to be a true impact bat.

“I like to think I can change the game with a swing,” he said. “I’m going up there and trying to do damage, trying to put a good swing on something I can drive. I want to swing at strikes and be a tough out and do damage in the box.”

If that sounds like the current catcher the Mariners have, Stevenson has been closely watching what Cal Raleigh has been up to this season. “Cal is someone I watch all the time, and what he does behind the plate and what he does in the box, it’s unbelievable. I’m excited to be around it and be around the guys that helped him and pick their brains.”

As a draft eligible sophomore, the signing bonus will be something to watch for. Though it’s unlikely he’ll be a big overslot guy, I’d be surprised if there were any massive savings with this pick. He’s got plenty of leverage and could easily go back to school if he was so inclined. That’s unlikely to be an issue as they likely already have a deal negotiated, but if you were looking for another big pay cut, don’t hold your breath.

Stevenson comes with a plethora of awards from a highly decorated college career. Most notably, he was a semi-finalist for the Buster Posey Award, given to the best college catcher. He also won the ACC Tournament MVP, leading the Tar Heels to their ninth tournament title in program history. But maybe the most important fun fact for you to know about him is that he supposedly makes over 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches per year, which he uses to fuel him during baseball games.

Stevenson is quick to note that the 1500 number is vastly overinflated—“it’s maybe like one a game”—but doesn’t deny he’s good for at least one per game. “I hope they have good bread in Seattle,” he joked.

But at the end of the day, Stevenson is a dyed-in-the-wool catcher, through and through, who eschews the spotlight. His philosophy of playing the catcher position will put several Seattle fans in mind of their current backstop.

“You wear a ball off the wrist or off the throat, you just gotta get back there and keep doing your thing. No one really cares about you back there, no one really wants to see you, no one wants to notice me. . .and I love it. If no one’s talking about me, that means I’m doing my job.”

“I just want to be a servant to my staff.”