Seattle Mariners 'Big 3' Living Up to the Hype

Seattle Mariner's Double-A affiliate, the Jackson Generals, have made it through their first five games of the year posting a 4-1 record. With five games under their belt, that means the starting rotation has made its cycle, and the fans were able to see the future of the Mariners for the first time all together. 

The Generals are currently the spot where the top three pitching prospects in Seattle's entire organization have landed. The three are Taijuan Walker, James Paxton and Danny Hultzen, who are each former first-round picks.

Adding these three to the big-league roster, which is already anchored by Felix Hernandez is what everyone is anxiously waiting for, but they have to make their way up the ladder before that can happen. The past week's action is officially the first step for all three together on which hopes to be a very quick journey through the final two stages of the minors. 

How did they do in their first starts of the 2012 season is the question?

James Paxton, who is figured to be the quickest to the big leagues, got the first start out of the three last Friday night in a 2-1 win. Paxton was almost un-hittable in his 5.2 innings pitched. He surrendered only two hits and no runs, while racking up 10 strikeouts.

Paxton is currently ranked as the 77th overall prospect by MLB.com, and the No. 8 overall for left-handed pitchers. Though he is the oldest of the three, at age 23, he is said to have the least potential. That is not to insult though, as the other two are very, very highly-touted prospects.

His currents stats are: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 10 K

Hultzen was on the hill for the Sunday game, and though he got roughed up a bit, he still flashed the brilliance he was drafted for. The 16th ranked prospect (No. 3 LHP) threw three scoreless frames before he reached a bump in the road.

The opposing team roughed him for two runs in the fourth, and then eventually knocked him out in the fifth for three more runs, bringing his total earned runs up to five.

Though the scoreboard wasn't pretty for his first start, he still looked impressive by striking out seven of the 12 outs he recorded. The overall result didn't go as planned, but Hultzen showed why he'll be a key spot in the Mariner's rotation for years to come. 

His current stats: 0-1, 11.25 ERA, 7 K, 3 BB

Taijuan Walker got the start on the Monday morning game, and the 19-year-old didn't disappoint.

In his five innings pitched, he recorded eight strike outs, while allowing two runs on four hits. That was good enough to pick up the win and to wrap up the big three's first go-round. This will be Walker's second full season, and as young as he is, it's obvious to see why the Mariners think so highly of the guy.

It's hard not to compare him to Felix due to his dominance early on. Though Hernandez broke into the league at 19, it will probably take another year or two before we see Walker dawn a big-league uniform. When he does though, he'll be there for a very long time. He is currently the 18th-ranked prospect (No. 8 RHP), and it looks like he'll be moving up this list by seasons end. 

His current stats: 1-0, 3.60 ERA, 8 K, 1 BB

If this start is any look to what their futures hold, then I think M fans will be happy when these three are holding down spots in the big-league rotation. If they can keep up the good work, it might happen much sooner than expected. 

Stats are from MLB.com and MILB.com.