Breaking Down Trayvon Robinson and the Other New Seattle Mariner Prospects

So, just who are these prospects that the Seattle Mariners traded for at the MLB trade deadline?

It's apparent Jack Zduriencik and company traded strengths for weaknesses, and in theory, that is a good way to rebuild. However, since most of the guys Seattle acquired are rookies or are still in the minors, it's hard to tell exactly where this puts them for the future.

Trayvon Robinson? Chih-Hsien Chiang? Charlie Furbush? Casper Wells? Real people? Or funniest names they could find?

Well, it turns out they are real. And it turns out they have promising futures.

Here's a look at everyone the Mariners acquired in the last few days, and where they will fit in Seattle's prospective plans.  

Charlie Furbush

At 6'5", Charlie Furbush is a tall, menacing pitcher. He was drafted out of LSU in the fourth round of the 2007 draft.

After missing the 2008 season due to Tommy John surgery, Furbush moved through the minors fairly quickly.

In 2010, he moved from High-A ball to Triple-A, while striking out 183 batters over just 153 innings.

Before being called up in May of 2011, the 25-year-old made nine Triple-A starts, putting together a 3.17 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 61 strikeouts in 54 innings.

With the Tigers this season, Furbush made 16 relief appearances, with an impressive 2.42 ERA and 19 K's. He also made two starts, which, well, went poorly.

With the amount of Mariners top pitching prospects in the minors, Furbush probably projects as a future middle of the bullpen-type guy. He'll be someone who can come in for long relief or hold a lead in the sixth or seventh.

He's got upside to be an end of the rotation guy, but his likely future destination is the bullpen. 

Casper Wells

26-year-old Casper Wells was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 14th round of the 2005 draft and made his major league debut last year.

Wells has never hit for a great average, but has always had decent pop. His best full season was in 2008, when he combined, in Single-A and Double-A, for a .269 average.

However, when Wells got his call-up last season, he put together an impressive .323/.364/.538 line in 99 plate appearances. This year, he's hitting .257 with a .451 SLG, which, sadly enough, makes him one of Seattle's top hitters.

His real future, however, is as a defensive outfielder. He can play any spot with ease, as his career 19.8 UZR/150 shows.

Wells could fit in as the left fielder Seattle has constantly been searching for, or he could replace Franklin Gutierrez or Ichiro Suzuki in a couple of years.

Worst-case scenario, Casper becomes a super utility outfielder, who can spell any outfield spot and provide good pop off the bench. (His eight home runs in 214 career MLB ABs projects to about 20 home runs in a full season). 

Best-case scenario, he's a starting outfielder, hitting out of the sixth or seventh spot with a .270 average and 15-20 home runs. 

Francisco Martinez

Depending on who the player to be named is, Francisco Martinez is easily the best prospect the Seattle Mariners got in their deal with the Detroit Tigers. 

Rated as Detroit's fourth-best prospect at the beginning of the year by Baseball America, Martinez has been holding his own as one of Double-A's youngest players. 

He's only 20 years old, but is hitting .282 with a slugging percentage of .405. Still though, he's struck out 80 times to just 19 walks, and he's made 27 errors over at third base.

Raw is a good word to describe this kid. He's yet to show his true power potential, but he's getting there.

Martinez won't hit the majors until 2013 at the earliest, but even then, he'll still just be 22.

Some have suggested that the addition of Martinez means Kyle Seager, Tacoma's third baseman, is now a trade target, but assuming Martinez continues to improve his power (his slugging percentage has increased every year), I see this kid as Seattle's future DH, not third baseman. 

Chih-Hsien Chiang

Just a couple of weeks ago, the Seattle Mariners only had two players in the MLB Futures game. Now, with the addition of Francisco Martinez from the Tigers and Chih-Hsih Chiang from the Boston Red Sox, they have four.

At the age of 21, Chiang was converted from second base to the outfield, and he has been flourishing in that role ever since.

Now, at 23 years old, Chiang is in his second season at the Double-A level, and looks like he's ready for a promotion. He's hitting .340 with an insane 1.046 OPS. He is among the Double-A leaders with 37 doubles, 18 home runs and 76 RBI. He has a decent enough 25:62 walk to strikeout ratio.

Chiang wasn't a highly-rated prospect for the Red Sox, but there's no arguing those numbers. 

If he continues his stellar rise through the minors, he could make an appearance in Seattle by middle-to-late 2012, and perhaps be a storybook replacement for Ichiro in right field in 2013. 

Trayvon Robinson

Of the three minor league prospects the Seattle Mariners got, Trayvon Robinson is easily the most major league-ready. 

Robinson has been playing pro ball for six years, and is still just 23 years old. He was drafted  by the Los Angeles Dodgers out of high school as a mere 17-year-old.

At just 23, Robinson is tearing up the PCL. He's hitting .293 with 26 home runs, 71 RBI and a decent .563 slugging percentage. 

With 122 strikeouts, he has the propensity to whiff a little too much, but don't mistake him for Carlos Peguero. Robinson's walk rates are much higher than Peguero's, and his strikeout rates are lower. 

Robinson strikes me as someone who shouldn't be rushed to the majors. The Dodgers were taking it slow with him, and the M's should follow suit.

I expect Seattle to wait until 2012 to bring up the young outfielder, but if they do call him up in August or September of this year, he should be ready to contribute in left field right away.