The Seattle Mariners the first AL West team on our Players Likely to Debut series. In case you missed it, we have already rolled out two-thirds of the league.
AL East: Red Sox — Yankees — Orioles — Blue Jays — Rays
NL East: Marlins — Braves — Phillies — Mets — Nationals
AL Central: Tigers — Royals — White Sox — Twins — Cleveland
NL Central: Cardinals — Reds — Pirates — Cubs — Brewers
Below, you will find a list of three prospects from the respective organization. Each prospect will have a number score next to their name — this number will represent the estimated amount of time we anticipate that player seeing at the big-league level. Players that have already made their big-league debut will not be included on this list.
BREAKDOWN OF TIME ON ROSTER SCORES:
1 — September call-ups / guys that are likely to see less than 20-25 games on the roster
2 — 1/4 of the season (roughly 40 games on roster)
3 — 1/2 of the season (roughly 80 games on roster)
4 — 3/4 of the season (roughly 120 games on roster)
5 — Full season on the MLB roster
Seattle Mariners
Position — Name (Time on Roster Score)
OF — Taylor Trammell (2)
It’s not often you see Top 100 prospects being traded multiple times prior to even making their big-league debut. However, that’s exactly where we are with Trammell. Fans of the Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres might be keeping tabs on him, while Mariners fans will be ripe with anticipation as the 23-year-old outfielder makes his MLB debut for Seattle.
The outfield scene in Seattle has become one of, if not the most exciting developments over the last 12 months. With Kyle Lewis entrenched for years to come, the Mariners are simply bidding time with veteran outfielders until the youth are ready to take over. Trammell will get his call in 2021 and if the club gets off to a nice start, they may decide to turn the outfield duties over to the youngsters.
RHP — Logan Gilbert (2)
Drafted ahead of arms like Brady Singer and Daniel Lynch, the latter of which is set to make his debut as well, there’s plenty of reason for you to be excited about Gilbert. The 6-foot-6 righty boasts a quality four-pitch mix (Fastball, Curveball, Slider, Changeup) that will play up due to his overall baseball acumen. Chris Flexen, recently acquired from the KBO on a two-year pact, is expected to see time in the Mariners rotation this season. Given that he has posted a 3-11 record with an 8.07 ERA over three seasons of big-league work prior to joining the KBO, there’s no reason to think that he’ll stand in the way of Gilbert, once he’s ready.
OF — Jarred Kelenic (2)
This is the name that you’ve been waiting for. Many of you laugh at the trade that the Chicago White Sox made with the San Diego Padres, sending Fernando Tatis Jr to Southern California. What if I told you that the New York Mets sending Kelenic and Justin Dunn to the Great Northwest might be just as laughable, would you believe me?
Unafraid to show off his development on social media, you’ve likely seen several of his talent exploits at this point. Perhaps nothing is more impressive than smashing a frisbee in mid flight by driving a liner into the centerfield — see for yourself.
Showing an equal balance of a plus-hit tool and plus-power, it’s no wonder that he’s being deemed by some to be the best prospect in all of baseball. The good news is that you’ll likely get to see both him and Wander Franco in 2021. Apologies to the White Sox, Braves, Nationals, Angels, and Dodgers, but it’s hard to image a more hyped outfield group than Kelenic, Lewis, Trammell, and Julio Rodriguez in Seattle. Not likely to be an issue in 2021 — it’ll be fascinating to see how the club manages those four guys moving forward?
Notable
Currently on the 40-man roster, bullpen options Sam Delaplane and Wyatt Mills could see innings at some point this year. Both of these guys were 2017 selections, Mills out of nearby Gonzaga University. There’s an off-chance that the club’s No. 6 prospect, George Kirby, gets a call at some point, although far less likely than any of the arms listed above.
