Analysis: 5 Bats Mariners Should Target in 2022 MLB Draft
The 2022 MLB Draft is quickly approaching and teams are beginning to finalize their boards while keeping one eye on their bonus pool all at the same time.
The Mariners hold pick No. 21 in the first round and the group of prospects is a bit deeper and more well-rounded than last year's class. There will be plenty of talent on the board late into the first day; and while Seattle has favored college players early in its recent drafts, it bucked that trend a year ago and we've yet to hear any sustained chatter about the direction Jerry Dipoto, Scott Hunter and the rest of the organization's baseball ops department will go.
Regardless of who the pick is, the draft represents every team's chance to improve their farm systems and, by extension, their major league rosters. The draft is critically important to all 30 teams and if the Mariners want to truly build a sustainable winner, the draft is the best and cheapest way to make that happen.
Nailing the draft is difficult, however, and selecting the right players at the top can change the entire direction of a franchise. With that in mind, here are five bats that could appeal to the Mariners at pick No. 21.
SS Eric Brown, Coastal Carolina
MLB Pipeline rank: 60 | Prospects Live rank: 16
Brown doesn't possess any elite skills, nor is he a lock to stick at shortstop. But he is still an impressive hitter who most agree is at least an average defender at short with a plus arm. Brown's discrepancy in his rank mostly stems from a usual setup at the beginning of his swing. He starts his hand parallel with his helmet and drops the barrel on his load. He does a good job getting to an athletic hitting position and the setup hasn't impacted him much at Coastal Carolina.
He showed well in the Cape Cod League, which has been an area of interest for the Mariners in the past. Standing 5-foot-11 and weighing 190 pounds, there isn't much physical projection left, which could be a concern for some clubs. But despite his modest size, Brown has shown tremendous raw power and with the right tweaks, 20 home runs and 30 doubles shouldn't be a ridiculous ceiling for his bat. He draws plenty of walks, doesn't strike out and is a good bet to stay up the middle at either second or shortstop.
SS Zach Neto, Campbell
MLB Pipeline rank: 25 | Prospects Live rank: 11
In the spirit of full disclosure, Neto is my favorite player in the draft class. His slight frame hides deceiving power and—to borrow a scouting term—the kid flat-out rakes. Boasting a career college slash line of .403/.500/.751 will certainly get scouts' attention, and when Neto slashed .304/.439/.587 this season it cemented his status as a first-round pick.
Neto has an aggressive swing that features a large leg kick, which leads some to worry if he'll hit for much average against elite pitching. There are a lot of moving parts in the swing and while bats like Ty France make it work, it's still not an ideal part of his profile. If everything clicks for Neto, there are some traits similar to José Altuve. He's a good athlete who is described as a grinder and his balanced profile makes him a fascinating player for Seattle's consideration.
OF Chase DeLauter, James Madison
MLB Pipeline rank: 19 | Prospects Live rank: 12
If you love upside, you love DeLauter. Early in the process, he was generating top-five buzz, but a broken foot in April prevented him from answering several questions about his swing, particularly in regards to his lower half.
Still, DeLauter is an impressive specimen. He's 6-foot-5, 240 pounds and ran a 60-yard dash time of 6.4 seconds at James Madison's pro day. He's a quality centerfielder with double-plus raw power and plus in-game power who, despite the swing concerns, whiffed just 63 times in 469 plate appearances. He had no problem adjusting to wood bats in the Cape Cod League, slugging nine home runs and seven doubles in 146 plate appearances.
DeLauter, however, has never played a full season and the level of competition concerns are legitimate. But he dominated at JMU and has a strikingly similar skillset to Joey Gallo—minus the strikeouts. There are just enough concerns to possibly push him down to No. 21, but nobody should be surprised if his name is called inside the top-10.
OF Drew Gilbert, Tennessee
MLB Pipeline rank: 28 | Prospects Live rank: 22
The Volunteers were the talk of college baseball this season; they were talented, loud, brash and didn't conform to the traditional mindset of the circuit. Drew Gilbert served as the sparkplug for Tennessee. He gets pegged as a slap-hitting leadoff hitter, and he does possess traits similar to Luis Arráez's ability to put up long at-bats. But Gilbert also has plus power to his pull side and while he's likely never going to be a 20 home run guy, he has the potential to do so. The power, however, may come at the expense of his contact skills, which is a trade-off most big-league clubs won't like for him to make.
Gilbert plays a good center field and has a strong arm. He's not an elite burner, but he's twitchy on the bases and in the field and should threaten enough on the base paths to fill the role of a traditional leadoff man with good pull power. He's a fiery competitor who is loved by his teammates and hated by his opponents. The 5-foot-9 frame will lead some to Andrew Benintendi comparisons, but Gilbert may carry a ceiling closer to Jacoby Ellsbury when all is said and done.
OF Justin Crawford, Bishop Gorman High School (NV)
MLB Pipeline rank: 13 | Prospects Live rank: 29
The son of former All-Star Carl Crawford and first cousin once-removed of current Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford, Justin carries a lot of the same traits as his dad. He's a plus runner, earning a speed grade of 80 from some, with a plus glove and a strong arm. Crawford is going to be a traditional scouts' dream as the 18-year old stands at 6-foot-3, but tips the scales at just 175 pounds. This suggests there is plenty of projectability left in the frame, which could lead to more consistency from his fringe-average game power as he develops.
Crawford's urrent swing is geared to contact and he's bought into the idea that his job is to get on base and wreak havoc on the base paths, but there is bat speed here and the possibility of a fuller frame leads some to believe that average power can be tapped into. He is a fantastic athlete and, as the 2021 selections of Harry Ford and Edwin Arroyo indicate, the Mariners will require any of their high school draftees to have a better than average chance to stay up the middle to be selected early on draft weekend.
