Mariners make back-to-back selections at No. 29, 30 in MLB Draft
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The Mariners added three more players to their system within an hour of each other Sunday evening on the first day of the 2023 MLB Draft.
Fans in attendance at Lumen Field cheered as the hometown club’s first-round pick — John Glenn (Ohio) High School shortstop Colt Emerson at No. 22 overall — was announced just before 6 p.m.
Not long after, Seattle added two more high school position players in a span of five minutes, selecting Westfield (Virginia) outfielder Jonny Farmelo with the 29th overall pick and Trinity Christian (Georgia) shortstop Tai Peete with the 30th.
“It’s an exciting day to not only be a Mariner, but a Mariner scout,” Seattle’s director of amateur scouting Scott Hunter said. “This is the stuff we’ve really worked for over the last six or seven years to put our organization in a position that we could shoot for big upside. And with three picks in the first round we still had to wait around to see what would come to us, but to take three high school picks like we did that have middle-of-the-field excitement, athleticism, tools is really exciting for us.”
The second of four total selections Sunday, the Mariners selected Farmelo, considered the No. 39 prospect in this season’s draft by MLB.com, in the Prospect Promotion Incentive Picks round.
The 18-year-old, left-handed-hitting center fielder committed to Virginia in 2020, and was a Class 6 All-State Baseball selection by the Virginia High School League in 2023.
“He is a powerful athlete who possesses the rare combination of speed and power,” Hunter said. “We see Jonny developing into a middle-of-the-order bat that will hit for both average and power, as well as make things happen with his elite speed.”
Farmelo sports a 60-grade run tool, earning grades of 50 across the remainder of the board (hit, power, arm, field). Scouts tout Farmelo’s bat speed, with an ability to spray the ball and find consistent barrels.
A career .385 hitter for Westfield, Farmelo added 60 runs, seven homers, and 29 RBI with a .546 on-base percentage and .773 slugging percentage in 48 total games.
Farmelo’s selection came only seven picks after fellow high-schooler Emerson.
Seattle received the No. 29 pick “as a result of Julio Rodríguez winning the Rookie of the Year Award after being named in at least 2-of-3 top 100 prospect lists from ESPN, MLB.com and/or Baseball America and accruing a full year of Major League service time,” per Mariners PR.
Moments after Farmelo was selected, the Mariners were on the clock again, and added a third high school player to their system in Competitive Balance Round A, selecting Peete.
“Tai is a great athlete with big upside potential both at the plate and on the field,” Hunter said. “We see Tai as a potential five-tool player that will possess the rare combination of speed and power. We are excited to add this type of athlete with this type of potential to our organization.”
The 17-year-old infielder hit .414/.536/1.011 his senior season at Trinity Christian with 47 runs scored, eight doubles, four triples, 12 home runs, 40 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 28 games.
Scouts consider Peete somewhat pull-happy, though he possesses elite bat speed with 60-grade run and arm tools.
On Sunday morning, Seattle’s newest selection enjoyed a round of golf before receiving, assuredly, the biggest phone call of his young life.
“It was just me and my friends in this room,” Peete said via Zoom. “And we went crazy when I got the call.
“My love for the game … it’s different. It’s something that’ll never be taken from me.”
The Mariners added their fourth and final pick of Sunday’s first day just after 8 p.m., this time selecting a college infielder in William & Mary third baseman Ben Williamson in the second round at No. 57 overall.
The 22-year-old right-handed hitter posted a .391/.513/.662 slash line across 55 games his final college season with 57 runs scored, 11 doubles, five triples, 12 home runs, 49 RBI and 14 stolen bases.
Williamson was the Colonial Athletic Association player of the year this spring, leading the CAA in on-base percentage and OPS (1.175). He was also the conference’s defensive player of the year in 2023, posting a .976 fielding percentage, and was a three-time all-conference first-teamer.
The draft resumes at 11 a.m. Monday with Rounds 3-10.
This story will be updated.
This story was originally published July 9, 2023 at 8:03 PM with the headline "Mariners make back-to-back selections at No. 29, 30 in MLB Draft."
