Three Underrated Mariners Hitting Prospects to Follow in 2025
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Seattle Mariners prospect Jared Sundstrom connects on a pitch during the Arizona Fall League. Credit: Jared Sundstrom/Instagram [/caption]
The 2025 season is under two weeks away, and while fans of the Seattle Mariners should be excited for the upcoming campaign because of the elite pitching staff and a lineup that also exists (sorry), there’s also plenty of reason for long-term optimism as the Mariners currently have one of — if not the — best farm systems in all of Major League Baseball.
The reason for that public admiration has much to do with the “famous” prospects in the system like Colt Emerson, Cole Young, Harry Ford and more. But the Seattle system is much more than those names. Much, much more. There’s more quantity in this group than I can ever remember, and I’ve been doing this for far too long.
Here’s a look at three underrated hitting prospects who have a chance to help the Mariners in the coming seasons, and we’ll take a look at some pitchers who aren’t getting enough attention later in the week.
Hitters
Brock Rodden, 2B
When the Mariners completed their trade for Randy Arozarena and it was announced that Tampa Bay was receiving a player to be named later, there were rumblings that the player the Rays were getting was Rodden. With all due respect to left-hander Ty Cummings, who ended up being that PTBNL, Mariner fans should be happy Rodden stuck around.
Rodden’s 2024 stat line isn’t overtly impressive with a slash of .253/.343/.416 with 14 homers, but those numbers don’t fully illustrate his ability. It’s also worth nothing that he stole 29 bases, and he was hitting .302/.413/.484 with High-A Everett before an up-and-down final two-plus months with Double-A Arkansas. A fifth-round pick in 2023 out of Wichita State, Rodden has shown quality patience at the plate, and while that leads to two-strike counts and strikeouts, he helps compensate with free passes. He has a smooth, line-drive stroke from both sides of the plate that should allow him to hit for a solid average, and despite standing just 5-7 while being listed at 170 pounds, he’s starting to tap into some power as well.
Rodden is also a solid defender up the middle with plus speed, and he could play a few different positions at the highest level as well. This is not a future star, but I believe his skills translate to an MLB career and he may just help Seattle at some point in 2025.
Jared Sundstrom, OF
The Mariners were able to pick up Sundstrom with the 307th pick of the 2023 draft out of UC Santa Barbara, and based on everything he’s shown thus far as a professional, that selection was a steal. The right-handed hitting outfielder forged a solid .784 OPS in his limited action that summer, but he really impressed in 2024; not only with Everett, as seen in an .813 OPS with 13 homers and 26 stolen bases, but also in the Arizona Fall League where he hit .279/.352/.443 with three homers over his 22 games.
Sundstrom’s power is still more projection than realization — that’s true for many 23-year olds — but his natural loft and strong lower half give him a chance for 55-grade pop (on the 20-80 scouting scale) when all is said and done. He’s also an above-average runner, and that speed should help him steal bases and also allow him to be a solid, if unspectacular, defender in the outfield. There’s some concerns about the hit tool and strikeouts will be readily apparent, but like Rodden, he’s a patient hitter (71 walks in 112 games last year to go with 117 strikeouts) who should make pitchers throw him strikes or risk losing him via walk.
Sundstrom should begin the 2024 season with Arkansas, and if he’s as good as he was in High-A along with the AFL, he won’t be underrated for much longer.
Dawel Joseph, SS
It’s a little weird listing someone who was given a $3.3 million bonus last year “underrated",” but it feels like Joseph isn’t getting enough attention, so I’m gonna do just that. Joseph was not good in his professional debut, and not good is underselling it. He hit .133/.274/.173 in the Dominan Southern League while striking out in 52 of his 150 at-bats. He didn’t homer, and just six of his hits went for extra-bases. In a word: Yuck. But it’d be foolish to give up on any player based on 47 games, and it’d be even more foolish if it was a player that doesn’t turn 18 until the middle of May. And to Joseph’s credit, he was able to pick up 27 walks in those 47 contests, which is a 93-walk pace over a full 162-game season.
The tools that made Joseph one of the best prospects of the 2024 international class are still here. He’s an outstanding athlete who should be able to be a plus runner even as he continues to fill out his 6-2 frame. That frame along with impressive bat speed gives him a chance for plus power — perhaps more — but he’s going to have to improve his feel for hitting to tap into it. He also will probably outgrow shortstop, but a strong arm and the athleticism should make him either a solid option at third or possibly the corner outfield.
There’s no denying that Joseph’s first taste of professional action was closer to disaster than success. But when you consider his age and skill set, it’s not hard to imagine Joseph having a successful MLB career. There’s plenty of time for him to figure it out.
