Seattle Mariners: Where Are the Mariners' Top Prospects of 2011?

In 2014, the Seattle Mariners achieved their best finish since 2007, posting 87 wins. The team failed to break its lengthy playoff drought (2001 was the last time the M’s made it to October) but received key performances from players like Kyle Seager, Dustin Ackley, Taijuan Walker and Austin Jackson. These players were either on Baseball America’s list of the top 10 prospects in the Mariners system or were acquired for one of the 10 prospects.

According to Baseball America, these were the top 10 prospects in the Mariners system:

1. Dustin Ackley, 2B
2. Michael Pineda, RHP
3. Nick Franklin, SS/2B
4. Taijuan Walker, RHP
5. Guillermo Pimentel, OF
6. Mauricio Robles, LHP
7. Johermyn Chavez, OF
8. Marcus Littlewood, SS
9. Kyle Seager, INF
10. Dan Cortes, RHP

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

10. Dan Cortes

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Once considered a top prospect, Cortes came to Seattle from Kansas City in a 2009 trade for Yuniesky Betancourt. Seattle also received fellow minor league pitcher Derrick Saito in the exchange. The trade was originally perceived as a success: Betancourt was an underperforming shortstop, and Cortes was believed to have a bright future.   

Cortes posted a 3.92 ERA in 2009 while at Double-A before moving to the Mariners. Once he became a Seattle player, the starting pitcher struggled.

His roll call of ERA numbers in Seattle’s system is by no means impressive. The second half of 2009 saw him post a 4.94 ERA. That number jumped to 5.27 in 2010.

After having moved to Triple-A in 2010, Cortes transitioned to the bullpen and turned in an ERA of 4.97 before seeing it creep higher to 5.08 in 2011.

In addition to his less than flattering ERA numbers, his hits allowed per nine innings and walks per nine innings weren’t spectacular either. Cortes consistently gave up between eight and nine hits per nine innings, culminating with a 9.9 number in 2011.

While Cortes posted favorable strikeout numbers, walks were an issue. Save for nine appearances for Triple-A Tacoma in 2010, the reliever’s walks per nine innings stat was never below 5.3—not an encouraging stat by any means.

Cortes made 14 big-league appearances for the M’s, posting a 5.06 ERA. He posted a 13.50 ERA in independent ball in 2014.

9. Kyle Seager

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The jewel of this list of prospects, Seager quickly established himself as a premier performer at third base.

A recent Gold Glove winner at third, Seager also produced 184 extra-base hits and drove in 251 runs during his time as a full-time starter.

Seager possesses the most superstar potential of any player the M’s have produced since Felix Hernandez—not only thanks to his stellar defense and power but because of his hitting acumen in general. The third baseman hit .328 during his minor league career. If he can improve his numbers against lefties (he has a .242 batting average against southpaws in 2014 and .238 for his career), he could be truly special.

8. Marcus Littlewood

A second-round pick by Seattle in the 2010 draft, Littlewood is only 22, but he is running out of time to make an impact with the Mariners.

Originally a middle infielder, Littlewood moved to catcher in 2012 and failed to reach Double-A. His career .230 average in the minors isn’t much to write home about.

Littlewood doesn’t have a chance at starting at catcher for the M’s thanks to Mike Zunino’s presence. He’ll have trouble securing a backup job with talented prospect John Hicks near his Major League debut and Jesus Sucre still on the books.

The former top prospect is still young enough to develop into a big-league player, but time is running out.

7. Johermyn Chavez

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Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays along with Brandon League for former first-round pick Brandon Morrow, Chavez had M’s fans buzzing with excitement thanks to his numbers in 2010. The outfielder hit 32 home runs, seven triples, 30 doubles and batted .315 with a .964 OPS at Class A-Advanced High Desert.

Chavez projected as a potential long-term solution to the M’s still-present need of a true power hitter. The outfielder was supposed to be the cleanup hitter of the future but eventually came down to earth statistically.

After the outfielder posted exorbitant numbers in 2010, the former Blue Jays farmhand struggled comparatively with Double-A. His extra-base hits shrunk from 69 in 2010 to 33 in 2011. Additionally, his batting average dropped nearly 100 points from .315 to .216.

The descent was complete when Chavez, known for his power, hit only eight home runs in 75 games for Double-A Jackson in 2012.

He left the M’s and experimented as a pitcher in the Cubs minor league system before moving back to the outfield. He spent part of 2014 on the Royals books, hitting .224 in 36 games at Class A-Advanced Wilmington.  He also hit .194 in a 20-game stint in independent league ball.

6. Mauricio Robles

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Robles made his Major League debut in 2013 but not with the Mariners. The reliever made three appearances with the Phillies that year.

As for Robles’ career with Seattle, well, let’s just say it didn’t work out.

Acquired along with Luke French from the Tigers for Jarrod Washburn, Robles’ numbers were all over the place. He showed promise in 2010 when he posted a 3.99 ERA in 27 starts at two minor league stops after coming over from Detroit.

However, the success ended there as Robles’ ERA in 2011 at multiple stops was 8.91. He walked 10 more batters than he struck out, and over 32.1 innings he averaged at least a run and a walk allowed per inning.

2012 brought a slightly better showing but nothing close to what was expected. His ERA sat at 5.78, and he posted an unhealthy 7.9 walks per nine innings.

Robles spent 2013 with the Phillies. He signed with the White Sox prior to last season.

5. Guillermo Pimentel

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

Similar to Littlewood, Pimentel hasn’t made the progress one would expect of a top prospect who has spent five years in the minor leagues.

Pimentel hasn’t reached Double-A and owns a career .260 minor league batting average. He hit .245 in Single-A as a 19-year-old, which was impressive given his age at the time. Now at 22, time may be running out for the former top prospect.

Plying his trade in the outfield, Pimentel hit a collective .277 at multiple minor league stops in 2013 before hitting .333 this past season. Both were extremely small sample sizes—the outfielder played in 85 games total over those two seasons.

If Pimentel wants to make it to Seattle, he’ll have to start progressing quickly. The M’s have been linked to Nelson Cruz as a short-term fix, while the team has three top outfield prospects in Alex Jackson, Gabriel Guerrero and Austin Wilson progressing through the system.

4. Taijuan Walker

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

Along with James Paxton and Danny Hultzen, Taijuan Walker was regarded as one of the M’s "Big Three" pitching prospects.

The early returns were extremely positive for Walker, who made his Major League debut in 2013.

The former first-round pick put up a sparkling 2.89 ERA—albeit in a mere 11 starts—but he’s shown that he can be an effective starter in the big leagues.

It seems the Mariners were smart to hang onto Walker, who was the subject of numerous trade discussions involving everyone from Justin Upton (who actually rejected a deal to Seattle that would have sent Walker to Arizona) to David Price.

Walker put up a 2.61 ERA in eight appearances in 2014, never allowing more than three runs in any of his starts. He’s widely regarded as a future ace.

3. Nick Franklin

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While Walker was rumored to be part of a potential trade for David Price, it was actually Franklin who moved to Tampa in a trade involving the Rays ace. The caveat here is that Seattle didn’t acquire Price—Detroit did—but the M’s essentially acquired center fielder Austin Jackson for Franklin.

Jackson has been an excellent defensive center fielder and an above-average hitter for the position, while Franklin has struggled early in his career.

Once believed to be the shortstop of the future, Franklin lost that gig to Brad Miller and moved over to second base. The Miller-Franklin double-play combo was supposed to be the norm in Seattle for the next decade, but the signing of Robinson Cano threw a monkey wrench into those plans.

Franklin was buried on the depth chart and only played 17 games for Seattle in 2014. He didn’t do himself any favors, as he posted a lowly .363 OPS.

He was also buried on the organizational depth chart, as Chris Taylor surpassed both the former top prospect and Miller, further compounding the misery for Franklin.

He moved on to Tampa in the Price deal and hit .210 in Triple-A Durham before hitting .206 in a brief cameo with the Rays. Tampa is hoping that Franklin, along with fellow Price acquisition shortstop Willy Adames, will provide the team with a double-play combination for the long run.

2. Michael Pineda

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Michael Pineda was a step or two ahead of the aforementioned "Big Three" pitching prospects but came with the same potential.

He made the All-Star team in his rookie season with the M’s but was dealt in the offseason with minor leaguer Jose Campos for Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi. The trade was widely perceived as a swap of up-and-coming youngsters in Pineda and Montero. While Montero has had well-documented struggles, Pineda hasn’t had the easiest road either.

Pineda has been beset by injuries during his time in a Yankees uniform. He didn’t make his debut for New York until this past season, when he posted a glimmering 1.89 ERA and a fantastic 59-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

With CC Sabathia in decline, Pineda and Masahiro Tanaka will be expected to lead the Yankees’ rotation into the future. 

1. Dustin Ackley

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Drafted one pick behind Stephen Strasburg and ahead of future MLB stars such as Mike Trout, Zack Wheeler, Shelby Miller and Garrett Richards, Ackley certainly arrived with talent.

After a rookie campaign in which the former second overall pick hit .273 with six home runs, seven triples, 16 doubles and 39 runs scored in only 90 games played, M’s fans got a glimpse of what Ackley could be.

What followed, similar to Ackley’s .692 OPS in 2014, was average. The former second baseman moved to the outfield in 2013 and was the M’s starting left fielder in 2014.

The  former top prospect has hit .239 since his rookie season, with only 30 home runs and 23 stolen bases. Thirty bombs and 23 steals are fine numbers to post in one season, especially if Ackley was still playing second base. But in three seasons and 1637 plate appearances? Not so much.  

Should the M’s find offensive upgrades in the corners over Ackley and Michael Saunders, expect the former to be a utility player of sorts for the M’s. It’s not the most ideal career trajectory for someone drafted second overall, but it’s Ackley and the Mariners’ reality.

As mentioned, Ackley’s 2014 OPS of .692 was just below the league average. He hit .245 with 45 extra-base hits and eight stolen bases. Ackley mainly filled the second or seventh spot on manager Lloyd McClendon’s lineup.