Even with us still in the (relatively) early stages of the 2025 season, the Seattle Mariners and the rest of the league always have one eye on the future. This extends to the mainstream media as well, including when it comes to this year’s draft.
Looking ahead to the draft can manifest itself in a number of ways, including mocks like the ones MLB Pipeline consistently puts out. Baseball America is another example (subscription required), with their recent mock draft offering an intriguing change of direction for the Mariners.
The Mariners are in an extremely strong position after miraculously jumping up from 15th to third place in the draft lottery for this year, which pretty much ensures they will get a No. 1-level talent. However, Baseball America has Jerry Dipoto going against his usual draft philosophy and potentially selecting high school pitcher Seth Hernandez.
Mariners not renowned for going the high school route
This would be quite the decision, given the Mariners haven’t taken a high school pitcher in the first round of the draft since Taijuan Walker back in 2010. Further, Dipoto’s preferable mindset with pitchers in general is to draft them out of four-year universities.
The best examples of this approach being successful are with Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo. The quartet were all part of the statistically best rotation in the majors last season, and Mariners fans will understandably be hoping they collectively remain in Seattle for a long time to come.
Other examples include Emerson Hancock, Logan Evans and Jurrangelo Cijntje, although Dipoto isn’t totally averse to going down the high school route as per selecting Ryan Sloan 55th overall last year. We would also argue the Mariners could have gone for Garrett Crochet in 2020, instead of taking Hancock with the sixth overall pick.
So why Seth Hernandez at No. 3?
With all this in mind, what is it about Hernandez which has Baseball America predicting the Mariners to possibly take him? Well, generally speaking, it is contended he is the best pure talent in this year’s draft class, with more upside than any of his peers.
From the perspective of MLB Pipeline, they have Hernandez ranked No. 2 among all 2025 draft prospects, which is quite the accolade for the high school pitcher. He made a name for himself when he won MVP honors as a junior, after a complete-game shutout helped Corona High School clinch the National High School Invitational tournament and his reputation has only grown ever since.
While not without flaws — who would be at the age of 18? — there is so much to like about Hernandez, with him more than capable of becoming yet another draft success story for the Mariners. We would certainly be enticed by the prospect of Dipoto selecting him third overall, although there are some who believe finding a bat should be a higher priority for the organization.
Overall, we appreciate there is going to be plenty more mocks and a lot more which can happen between now and July 13 in Atlanta, Georgia when the draft begins. However, if the Mariners do end up selecting Hernandez, you won’t find any complaints from us.