Emerson tops Majors-high 7 Mariners in Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects

Once again, the Mariners can boast the deepest group of top-end Minor League talent in baseball.

With the release of MLB Pipeline’s 2026 preseason Top 100 Prospects list, Seattle paces all clubs with seven ranked players. Including preseason and midseason lists, this is the fourth straight cycle in which no team has had more such prospects than the Mariners.

The Mariners are coming off a high of nine Top 100 players in the midseason 2025 rankings -- the most for any farm system since the 2019 Padres -- although shortstop Felnin Celesten dropped off, and the club traded catcher Harry Ford to Washington for reliever Jose A. Ferrer in December. The other seven players remained in the Top 100:

No. 9: Colt Emerson, SS
No. 21: Kade Anderson, LHP
No. 33: Ryan Sloan, RHP
No. 43: Lazaro Montes, OF
No. 67: Michael Arroyo, 2B
No. 78: Jonny Farmelo, OF
No. 91: Jurrangelo Cijntje, SHP

Emerson once again stands as the club’s top prospect and remains ranked ninth overall in baseball. The 2023 first-round Draft pick (22nd overall) has one of the best hit tools in the Minors (65 grade), and his power ticked up last season as he stayed healthy for a full campaign. Emerson has a chance to make an immediate impact in Seattle this season at shortstop or third base.

Anderson, meanwhile, moved up two spots in the rankings after going third overall in the 2025 Draft, making him the second-highest-ranked player from his class and the third-ranked lefty overall. He’ll be making his professional debut this spring -- one of the most highly anticipated debuts of the year -- and could move quickly as an advanced college pitcher.

The big move for the Mariners was Sloan leaping from No. 44 to 33 on the Top 100. The right-hander has displayed three pitches flashing plus, headlined by a fastball up to 99 mph and a sinking kick-change that misses bats.

The 19-year-old Sloan -- a second-round Draft pick in 2024 -- averaged less than four innings per start in his debut season after getting first-round money. He could continue to rise in the rankings in '26 if his stuff and above-average control hold up over longer outings.

Montes dropped from No. 29 to 43. He’s still one of the 10 best outfield prospects in the game and sports some of the best raw power in the Minors, although his aggressive approach continued to lead to swing-and-miss issues.

The 21-year-old Montes took his lumps in a 64-game sample at Double-A last year (.213/.319/.433). But he has plenty of time to fulfill his middle-of-the-order potential -- he'll be 3 years younger than the average competition in the Texas League in 2026.

Arroyo (No. 63 to 67), Farmelo (75 to 78) and Cjintje (90 to 91) each dropped a bit but largely maintained their value as they head into interesting developmental years.

Arroyo, MLB’s No. 2 second-base prospect, could receive outfield reps to get his bat in the big league lineup, while Farmelo will be in his first full season back from a torn right ACL. It’s unclear how much longer Cjintje, who’s much better from the right side, will continue switch-pitching.

More Mariners prospects could be joining the Top 100 ranks before long as well. Celesten, the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2023 international class, has tremendous upside, and Luke Stevenson, the 35th overall pick last July, has an intriguing combination of power and catching defense. Plus, Seattle will be selecting 24th overall in the 2026 Draft.

But until then, amassing seven Top 100 prospects is no small feat, especially considering each of them will spend time in the upper Minors -- and potentially the Majors to support another run to the postseason.