By Conor Glassey
January 27, 2012



Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel. All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible. Ages are as of April 1, 2011.

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TOP TEN PROSPECTS

1. Jesus Montero, c 2. Taijuan Walker, rhp 3. Danny Hultzen, lhp 4. James Paxton, lhp 5. Nick Franklin, 2b/ss 6. Francisco Martinez, 3b 7. Chance Ruffin, rhp 8. Tom Wilhelmsen, rhp 9. Vinnie Catricala, 3b/1b/of 10. Phillips Castillo, of

BEST TOOLS

Best Hitter for Average Jesus Montero Best Power Hitter Jesus Montero Best Strike Zone Discipline Vinnie Catricala Fastest Baserunner Jamal Austin Best Athlete Taijuan Walker Best Fastball Taijuan Walker Best Curveball James Paxton Best Slider Chance Ruffin Best Changeup Danny Hultzen Best Control Danny Hultzen Best Defensive Catcher Steve Baron Best Defensive Infielder Gabriel Noriega Best Infield Arm Carlos Triunfel Best Defensive OF Dan Carroll Best Outfield Arm Johermyn Chavez

PROJECTED 2015 LINEUP

Catcher Jesus Montero First Base Justin Smoak Second Base Dustin Ackley Third Base Francisco Martinez Shortstop Nick Franklin Left Field Vinnie Catricala Center Field Trayvon Robinson Right Field Phillips Castillo Designated Hitter Guillermo Pimentel No. 1 Starter Felix Hernandez No. 2 Starter Taijuan Walker No. 3 Starter Danny Hultzen No. 4 Starter James Paxton No. 5 Starter Hector Noesi Closer Chance Ruffin

TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Pos 2011 Org 2003 Rafael Soriano, rhp Yankees 2004 Felix Hernandez, rhp Mariners 2005 Felix Hernandez, rhp Mariners 2006 Jeff Clement, c Pirates 2007 Adam Jones, of Orioles 2008 Jeff Clement, c Pirates 2009 Greg Halman, of Mariners 2010 Dustin Ackley, of/1b Mariners 2011 Dustin Ackley, 2b Mariners

TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Pos 2011 Org 2002 John Mayberry, OF Phillies 2003 Adam Jones, SS/RHP Orioles 2004 Matt Tuiasosopo, SS Mariners 2005 Jeff Clement, C Pirates 2006 Brandon Morrow, RHP Blue Jays 2007 Phillippe Aumont, RHP Phillies 2008 Josh Fields, RHP Red Sox 2009 Dustin Ackley, OF Mariners 2010 Taijuan Walker, RHP Mariners 2011 Danny Hultzen, LHP Mariners

LARGEST BONUSES IN CLUB HISTORY

Danny Hultzen, 2011 $6,350,000 Dustin Ackley, 2009 $6,000,000 Ichiro Suzuki, 2000 $5,000,000 Jeff Clement, 2005 $3,400,000 Victor Sanchez, 2011 $2,500,000

MARINERS LINKS

Mariners Team Page Mariners Top 10 Scouting Reports Last Year's Mariners Top 10 Prospects 2011 Draft: Mariners (Basic Database) 2011 Draft: Mariners (Advanced Database) 2011 Draft Report Cards: Seattle Mariners Complete Index of Top 10 Prospects Pre-Order the 2012 Prospect Handbook

At first glance, the Mariners' 2011 season wasn't much better than the year before, which was arguably the worst in franchise history. They finished 67-95, the third-worst record in baseball, had a 17-game losing streak and wound up in the American League West cellar for the sixth time in eight years. Not coincidentally, the team drew fewer than 2 million fans for the first time in a full season since 1992.

Seattle's leadership believes things are moving in the right direction, though. After bottoming out in 2010, the major league team showed enough promising signs last year that GM Jack Zduriencik earned a contract extension before his third season at the helm had ended.

Former GM Bill Bavasi left the Mariners saddled with bad contracts and a gutted farm system. Zduriencik has preached rebuilding through player development, and he has stayed true to the plan despite the pain involved. For all that went wrong in 2011, a major league-high 18 rookies did appear in Seattle.

The most notable were Dustin Ackley and Michael Pineda. In just his second pro season, Ackley took over at second base and hit .273/.348/.417. Pineda led all rookies with 173 strikeouts in 171 innings.

The rookie parade also featured intriguing storylines. Tom Wilhelmsen made it to the big leagues after quitting baseball in 2005 and taking four years off, spending time as a bartender and traveling. Steve Delabar worked as a substitute teacher after the Padres released him in 2008, then worked out for the Mariners in April, signed a minor league contract and reached Seattle in September. Alex Liddi became the first player born and raised in Italy to play in the majors.

The Mariners reaped benefits from their deals at the trade deadline, when they were among the most aggressive sellers in the game. They added big leaguers Casper Wells and Charlie Furbush and a pair of quality prospects in third baseman Francisco Martinez and righthander Chance Ruffin when they shipped Doug Fister and David Pauley to the Tigers. Seattle also landed major league outfielder Trayvon Robinson from the Dodgers and outfielder Chih-Hsien Chiang from the Red Sox in a three-way deal that sent Erik Bedard and former first-round pick Josh Fields to Boston.

The strength of the system now clearly lies with its pitching, a fact that became even more pronounced when Seattle used the No. 2 overall pick in the draft on polished lefthander Danny Hultzen. In November, the Mariners hired Padres director of player personnel Chris Gwynn as farm director. Replacing Pedro Grifol, who now will manage the club's high Class A High Desert affiliate, Gwynn will oversee the development of Hultzen, Taijuan Walker, James Paxton and Co.

Seattle's pitching riches allowed it to make a blockbuster deal to upgrade its woeful offense in January. The Mariners sent Pineda and hard-throwing 19-year-old righthander Jose Campos to the Yankees for Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi. Montero immediately becomes the most dangerous hitter in Seattle's lineup, though it remains to be seen if he can remain a catcher.

Scouting reports for the Top 10 Prospects (How to subscribe)

Pre-Order the 2012 Prospect Handbook 30 scouting reports on every team