SEATTLE, Wash. -- Seattle Mariners Director of Amateur Scouting Scott Hunter announced today that the club selected 40 players in the 2018 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, highlighted by their first pick, right-handed pitcher Logan Gilbert, who was the 14thoverall selection in the draft.
The Mariners selected 21 pitchers, 3 catchers, 11 infielders (6 2B, 4 SS, 1 3B) and 5 outfielders. Seattle selected 33 college players and 7 high school players.
Outfielder Josh Stowers (2^nd round/54^th overall) from the University of Louisville was the Mariners first college position player, while second baseman Jack Montgomery (38^th round/1138^th overall) was the first and only high school position player drafted by Seattle. Of the 19 position players selected, 9 are right-handed hitters, 8 are left-handed hitters and 2 are switch hitters.
Seattle selected 21 pitchers in the draft: 15 right-handed pitchers and 6 left-handed pitchers. Right-handed pitcher Logan Gilbert (1^st round/14^th overall) from Stetson University was the first college pitcher selected by the Mariners, while right-handed pitcher Damon Casetta-Stubbs (11^th round/328^th overall) out of King's Way Christian Schools in Vancouver, WA, was the first high school pitcher drafted by Seattle. In all, 15 of the 21 pitchers selected by Seattle were college pitchers.
The Mariners selected 33 college players in the draft, including each of the Mariners first 10 picks. At 17-years-old, left-handed pitcher Justin Wrobleski (36^th round/1078^th overall) out of Sequoyah High School in Georgia was the youngest player the Mariners selected.
In all Seattle selected players from hometowns in 17 states and 3 countries: Alabama (2), California (3), Connecticut (1), Florida (5), Georgia (2), Hawaii (1), Illinois (3), Massachusetts (2), Minnesota (1), Missouri (1), Nebraska (1), New Jersey (2), New York (2), North Carolina (3), Pennsylvania (2), Texas (5), and Washington (1); Canada (2), Japan (1) and the United States (37).
The Mariners selected 1 player with ties to the Pacific Northwest in the 2018 First-Year Player Draft: right-handed pitcher Damon Casetta-Stubbs (11^th round/328^th overall) out of King's Way Christian Schools in Vancouver, WA. In 11 starts in his high school senior season in 2018, Casetta-Stubbs went 6-1 with a 0.68 ERA (5 ER, 51.1 IP) with 97 strikeouts and 7 walks. Prior to the season, he was preseason 2018 Rawlings-Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-America. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound right-hander threw a complete-game shutout in his final high school start, allowing just 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 12 in the Class 1A state semifinals. Casetta-Stubbs pitched 20 consecutive scoreless innings in postseason play in his high school career.
Seattle selected two players with MLB connections: left-handed pitcher Rigo Beltran (31^st round/928^th overall) and right-handed pitcher Jacob Maton (39^th round/1168^th overall). Beltran is the son of Rigo Beltran, a left-handed pitcher who played in parts of 5 Major League seasons with St. Louis (1997), New York-NL (1998-99), Colorado (1999-2000) and Montreal (2004) and is currently the pitching coach for the Akron RubberDucks, the Cleveland Indians Double-A affiliate. In the 2018 season with Lynn University, the younger Beltran went 6-2 with a 3.18 ERA (31 ER, 87.2 IP) and 87 strikeouts. Maton is the brother of Phil Maton, a right-handed pitcher for the San Diego Padres
Seattle selected teammates from Stetson University in Florida, right-handed pitcher Logan Gilbert (1^st round) and left-handed pitcher Benjamin Onyshko (24^th round). Onyshko, from Winnipeg, Manitoba, has made 20 appearances in 2018, 18 out of the bullpen. He has gone 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA (10 ER, 33.1 IP) with 12 walks and 42 strikeouts as a senior in 2018. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound southpaw collected a 7-7-1 record with a 4.23 ERA (65 ER, 138.1 IP), 86 walks and 161 strikeouts in 70 career appearances (18 starts) with Stetson.
The Mariners dedicated their 40^th-round pick (David Rhodes, a right-handed pitcher from White Rock, British Columbia) to longtime scout Wayne Norton, who passed away in January. Norton, a native of Port Moody, British Columbia, covered Canada as a Mariners scout beginning in 2000.
The Mariners selected 10 players (rounds 3-10) on Tuesday afternoon. The Mariners also made two selections during the first day of the draft: right-handed pitcher Logan Gilbert (1^st round/14^th overall) and outfielder Josh Stowers (2^nd round/54^th overall).
Gilbert, 21, was named ASUN (Atlantic Sun Conference) Pitcher of the Year and received ASUN 1^st-Team All-Conference honors in 2017. He received All-America honors from both Perfect Game (3^rd-Team) and Collegiate Baseball (2^nd-Team), and was selected preseason All-America by Collegiate Baseball (2^nd-Team) and Perfect Game (1^st-Team) prior to his junio year in 2018. Over the course of three seasons with Stetson University, the 6-foot-6, 225-pound right-hander posted a 23-2 record with a 2.38 ERA (65 ER, 245.1 IP) with 307 strikeouts and 75 walks in 51 games (32 starts). His 157 strikeouts lead NCAA Division-I baseball this season. Stowers, 21, hit .336 (74x220) with 72 runs, 14 doubles, 4 triples, 9 home runs, 60 RBI, 52 walks, 36 stolen bases, a .477 on-base percentage and a .559 slugging percentage over 62 games in his recently-completed junior season with the Cardinals. Among NCAA Division-I leaders this season, the 6-foot, 205-pound outfielder ranked T3rd in stolen bases, T5th in runs and T13th in walks. The right-handed hitter hit safely in 50 of 62 games this season with Louisville, including 19 multi-hit games. In his collegiate career at Louisville, Stowers hit .323 (140x434) with 126 runs, 29 doubles, 7 triples, 15 home runs, 96 RBI, 85 walks, 60 stolen bases, a .449 on-base percentage and a .525 slugging percentage in 147 career games.
View 2018 Draft Picks