2025 MLB Draft - Mariners with Pick #3

[GL_Storm]

Saw this today from Baseball America and thought some of you might be interested. I've had my doubts about Jace LaViolette just based on his swing mechanics and K-Rate. My thought process for the last few weeks was that he would fall to the middle of the first round, something like that. But reading this blurb, it sounds like he's going in the second or even third round.

Here's the blurb:

Jace LaViolette, OF, Texas A&M (No. 1)
.281/.500/.594, 3 HR, 1 2B, 28.3 BB%, 30.4 K%

LaViolette’s No. 1 status on the board is slipping. Scouts have noted he looks less athletic than he did a year ago with worse run times than he’s previously clocked, while his swing-and-miss tendencies haven’t improved. Through his first nine games, LaViolette owns a 38% miss rate. That mark is greater than his 2023-24 miss rate of 29%, and he hasn’t yet gotten into the meat of the schedule. He’s one of just two top-100 ranked college hitters with a strikeout rate north of 30%.

[D-train]

Yeah they aren't going to take a guy with those K rates as a #3 pick. Even Jerry isn't that dumb.

[GL_Storm]

My best guess is that the Mariners will go with an arm at #3.

Here's one that's kind of interesting: https://www.baseball-reference.com/regi ... yle-001lia

The level of dominance is striking, but it's early season and his numbers last year weren't all that great. Still, it wouldn't surprise me if he moves steadily up the ranks and is right there at #3.

[Double Mocha Man]

If he could have similar numbers all season long, in the SEC, then he could be coming into his own. Love his strike-out ratios over the last two seasons. But no one-season wonders, please. Jerry needs to dispatch a scout to look at this guy's fundamentals right away. And the kid needs to know there's a scout in the stands. See how he does under pressure.

[D-train]

If he could have similar numbers all season long, in the SEC, then he could be coming into his own. Love his strike-out ratios over the last two seasons. But no one-season wonders, please. Jerry needs to dispatch a scout to look at this guy's fundamentals right away. And the kid needs to know there's a scout in the stands. See how he does under pressure.

Yep he been lights out but it has been 20 IPs. Crazy ERA and K rate this season.

[rockycola]

Here's the latest Baseball America mock draft Top-10. Any complaints? Hip-Hip-Hoorays?
~

B.A. Mock Draft 2025-04-19 sounds good to me.jpg (104.7 KiB) Viewed 381 times

[GL_Storm]

Here's the latest Baseball America mock draft Top-10. Any complaints? Hip-Hip-Hoorays?
~
B.A. Mock Draft 2025-04-19 sounds good to me.jpg

I've been expecting Ethan Holliday to drop and maybe he still will. It's not that there's anything especially wrong with him, but I've not heard anything yet to make me think he belongs at the top of the draft. Positionally, there's no way he's a shortstop in the pros, so is he a third baseman? It's probably more likely that he isn't. So what you're drafting is a bat, and if you're drafting a bat that high, it needs to be special, more special than just having the name Holliday and being an advanced high school level bat. I have no doubt he's a good hitting prospect, but is he truly special?

[Seattle or Bust]

Here's the latest Baseball America mock draft Top-10. Any complaints? Hip-Hip-Hoorays?
~
B.A. Mock Draft 2025-04-19 sounds good to me.jpg

I've been expecting Ethan Holliday to drop and maybe he still will. It's not that there's anything especially wrong with him, but I've not heard anything yet to make me think he belongs at the top of the draft. Positionally, there's no way he's a shortstop in the pros, so is he a third baseman? It's probably more likely that he isn't. So what you're drafting is a bat, and if you're drafting a bat that high, it needs to be special, more special than just having the name Holliday and being an advanced high school level bat. I have no doubt he's a good hitting prospect, but is he truly special?

You can't draft a third baseman? Didn't the M's do exactly that with Colt Emerson?

How is his bat not special? According to Joe Doyle, he was hitting over .600 with 8 homers in 16 games on April 8th.

If the concern is contact, we drafted a guy who was supposed to be an elite contact hitter. His name is Cole Young. Scouts grade him as a 60 hit tool. He is currently hitting .225 as a near 22 year old in AAA. He hasn't hit .300 since his rookie-ball days over 34 games.

[GL_Storm]

Here's the latest Baseball America mock draft Top-10. Any complaints? Hip-Hip-Hoorays?
~
B.A. Mock Draft 2025-04-19 sounds good to me.jpg

I've been expecting Ethan Holliday to drop and maybe he still will. It's not that there's anything especially wrong with him, but I've not heard anything yet to make me think he belongs at the top of the draft. Positionally, there's no way he's a shortstop in the pros, so is he a third baseman? It's probably more likely that he isn't. So what you're drafting is a bat, and if you're drafting a bat that high, it needs to be special, more special than just having the name Holliday and being an advanced high school level bat. I have no doubt he's a good hitting prospect, but is he truly special?

You can't draft a third baseman? Didn't the M's do exactly that with Colt Emerson?

How is his bat not special? According to Joe Doyle, he was hitting over .600 with 8 homers in 16 games on April 8th.

If the concern is contact, we drafted a guy who was supposed to be an elite contact hitter. His name is Cole Young. Scouts grade him as a 60 hit tool. He is currently hitting .225 as a near 22 year old in AAA. He hasn't hit .300 since his rookie-ball days over 34 games.

From what I've read about him, it seems unlikely he'll stick at 3rd. He's already big and he'll probably thicken out some. He's more likely a first baseman or corner outfielder, which isn't special positionally. And so the question is: how special is the bat? And what I've read about him so far is that everyone likes him and he's a good hitting prospect, but not so much that he's head and shoulders above all the rest. Nobody (so far) seems to think he's the best hitting prospect they've seen in years. But maybe that will emerge over the next few months, which is what happened with his brother.

[Donn Beach]

From what I read he isn't going to stick at SS but he's considered to make a good 3rd baseman

Holliday moves well for his size and has average speed, though he'll probably lose a step as he continues to mature physically. He has nice actions and solid arm strength at shortstop, but he won't cover enough ground to stay there on a long-term basis. The Oklahoma State recruit projects better as a slugging third baseman and could be a quality defender on the hot corner.

https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects/draf ... day-815787