On Danny Hultzen, Guaranteed Money and a German

The MLB Signing deadline was at midnight eastern time on Monday, and even though the deal wasn't officially announced until after the deadline, the Mariners signed their top pick, #2 pick Danny Hultzen, left-handed starting pitcher from the University of Virginia. The deal included an 8.5 million guaranteed Major League deal, the most guaranteed money of the entire draft class. Already developed, Hultzen features excellent command and a plus change up to go with his low 90's fastball. He should move fast, perhaps reaching the big leagues before Paxton or Walker. Pitching depth is something to be protected. We can see this clearly with Atlanta, who entered the year with 5 great starters, but has already spread around about 20 starts between Julio Teheran, Mike Minor and Randall Delgado. Ideally the Mariners will trade Vargas, Beaven, Walker or Paxton for a quality 3B or C, since we have neither in our system. Mariners fans will certainly drool over the prospect of a King Felix, Pineda, Hultzen, Walker, Paxton rotation, with Furbush and Beaven as flexible swing men. //The Mariners also brought two shortstops into the system, Brad Miller from Clemson and Gavin Cahoes from Germany. Both add depth and upside to one of the most difficult positions to develop talent.

On Young Mariners and Why the Future Just Isn't That Bright

The Mariners have Felix Hernandez locked up for a few more years, Pineda for a bunch, and James Paxton, Taijuan Walker and Danny Hultzen(fingers crossed) close behind. Paxton and Walker have cemented themselves as both elite starting pitching prospects and fast movers. So why isn't the future bright? The offense. We have little of it now and there's not much coming. We have Ackley, Smoak, Gutierrez and Ichiro as our only above average offensive options and Ichiro is in serious decline. Olivo, kennedy, Ryan, and Wilson are not solutions in any sense of the word. What about Mike Carp? He's hitting well now, but expecting 20+ batting runs from him is optimistic, and coupled with his poor defense, he's not likely a major league starter on a winning team. How about Trayvon Robinson? He has some pop and some speed, and age is on his side, but he exhibits the same propensity for strike outs that plague most minor leaguers. While not in Peguero or Halman territory, he still likely lacks the contact to be a contributing major leaguer. Casper Wells? Wells may actually be able to stick in LF, but is a #6 hitter at best. Kyle Seager? He won't hit as well as he has been doing in the minors, and will hit much better than he has in the majors, but at the end of the day he's a decent OBP guy with little power and little power potential. #7-8 hitter in an average lineup. Carlos Peguero, Greg Halman, Alex Liddi and Matt Mangini are not major leaguers-take my word for it. Nick Franklin? He's seen his power development stagnate this year, and since he's unlikely to stick at SS may force a move to 3B since Ackley blocks him at 2B. This is a bat we can dream on as the potential is there to be a solid run producer. Expecting anything out of Wily Mo Pena, Johermyn Chavez, Rich Poythress or Dennis Raben will probably lead to disappointment. The only savior is years away: Guillermo Pimentel. He has crazy power and already exhibits pith recognition and plate discipline light years better than what Halman and Peguero show right now. The Mariners continue to stock the system via international signings and Pimentel is a shining example. In sum, if you think an Olivo, Smoak, Ackley, Ryan, Seager, Carp, Guti, Ichiro, Robinson lineup is anything but a bottom 5 in baseball, hopes may exceed reality. Hopefully a few guys pan out a bit above than expected, the pitching is phenomenal as expected and a big-name, left-handed power bat can be coaxed here in a few years.