The Seattle Mariners already have no shortage of names at the top of the farm system, but that only makes the next wave more interesting. Colt Emerson, Kade Anderson, Lazaro Montes, Michael Arroyo, Felnin Celesten, Jonny Farmelo and Ace Reese are all part of the conversation now. The bigger question is who joins them next.
Three prospects fit that bill: shortstop Nick Becker, left-hander Mason Peters and outfielder Jake Brown. None of them is a household name yet, but each has a path to forcing his way onto the map in 2027.
Becker is the kind of prospect who can make evaluators work a little harder. The Mariners took him in the second round in 2025 out of Don Bosco Preparatory High School in New Jersey, a program that has produced only 13 draft picks and one major leaguer.
His first full season in pro ball was uneven. He struck out in more than 30 percent of his plate appearances in both the Arizona Complex League and with Single-A Inland Empire, and he hit just .561 OPS in 29 games with Inland Empire.
But there was plenty to like underneath the swings and misses. Becker posted a 19.2 walk percentage and a .407 OBP for the season, then kept putting pressure on defenses by stealing 46 bases in 50 attempts.
His .375 slugging percentage leaves room for more impact, especially once he adds strength to his 6-foot-4, 190-pound frame. And if he stays at shortstop, the profile gets even more intriguing.
Peters arrived with a different kind of appeal. Seattle took him in the fourth round in 2025 with the No. 122 overall pick, and like Anderson, he skipped the rest of that minor league season before making his pro debut this year.
The 22-year-old lefty did run into some trouble. Forearm soreness cost him more than a month in the middle of the summer, and after a promotion from Single-A Inland Empire to High-A Everett, he was hit around a bit, allowing 11 hits and seven walks in 14.0 innings across four starts for the AquaSox.
Even with that bump in the road, the overall line stood out: 64.1 innings, a 2.10 ERA, a 0.948 WHIP and a 4.6 K/BB ratio. Baseball America took notice early, singling out his curveball. With a usable slider and splitter and a delivery that seems to help him hide the ball, there’s something here even if the fastball doesn’t take a big step forward.
Brown may no longer be flying completely under the radar, but he still fits the spirit of the exercise. Seattle drafted him after Reese in 2026, taking him No. 65 overall, and at the time it looked like a steal.
Baseball America already has him ranked among the organization’s top 10 prospects, which tells you the industry is catching up. Still, he was overshadowed by Reese’s big debut, even though Brown put together a strong showing of his own with an .802 OPS in 24 games at Inland Empire.
He also showed he could handle lefties, producing an .870 OPS against them. Add in nine extra-base hits, seven stolen bases and some range in center field, and there’s a real case that he could be the most exciting outfield prospect in the system by this time next year, even ahead of Farmelo.
In Other News...
Mariners Bullpen Fix May Come From A Much Cheaper Free Agent
The Mariners are headed into another offseason with bullpen help near the top of the to-do list after the relief corps faded badly in the second half of the 2026 season. Seattle has already been linked to free-agent relievers as it looks for a fix that fits the budget, and the market appears to include some familiar names with different profiles, from power arms to pitchers who lean more heavily on command and contact management.
Jonathan Loisiga, Evan Phillips and Alex Vesia stand out as the sort of lower-cost options that could make sense if the club wants to avoid the pricier end of the reliever market. Each comes with a track record that gives the Mariners something to weigh, and the broader challenge is finding a bullpen upgrade substantial enough to matter without forcing the front office into a commitment it has been reluctant to make. [Read more 🡒]
Former Mariners All-Star Has A Surprising New October Role
Daniel Vogelbach has found himself in a very different October setting than the one Mariners fans remember. The former Seattle slugger, who made his biggest impact in 2019, is now part of the Milwaukee Brewers staff as a hitting coach after wrapping up a nine-year major league career that also included stops with several other teams.
Vogelbach moved into coaching after his playing days ended in 2024 and joined Milwaukees staff in January 2026, putting him on a postseason stage few would have predicted when he was still taking big league at-bats. For Seattle followers, it is a familiar name in an unfamiliar role, and one that has only added to the Brewers presence in October. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners May Have Found A Shortstop Worth Reworking Everything For
The Mariners search for stability at shortstop keeps circling back to a name that would change the conversation in a hurry: Zach Neto. The Angels infielder has the kind of two-way profile that can alter a lineup and a defense at the same time, and for Seattle, that matters with more roster turnover looming and shortstop still a position that could use a long-term answer.
Netos fit is obvious enough that it raises the harder question of how far the Mariners would actually have to go to get him. Any serious pursuit would require Seattle to navigate the realities of his team control and the kind of trade cost that comes with a young shortstop who already looks established, which makes this one more than a simple upgrade search. The idea is compelling because the alternative is continuing to patch the spot, and the Mariners may not want to do that for much longer. [Read more 🡒]