Mariners begin Day 2 with outfielder Bishop
Righty Thompson on board with fourth-round pick; shortstop Jackson taken in fifth round
SEATTLE -- The Mariners stayed close to home with their third-round pick Tuesday in the 2015 Draft, selecting University of Washington center fielder Braden Bishop with the 94th overall selection.
The 21-year-old from San Carlos, Calif., is a defensive standout who hit .295 with four home runs, 14 doubles, 15 stolen bases and 38 runs in 49 games for the Huskies as a junior this spring.
Bishop is regarded as a true center fielder with good speed and an accurate throwing arm. He was named to the All-Pac-12 team this season and is a two-time All-Pac-12 Defensive first-team selection as well as an honorable mention All-Academic selection.
The 6-foot-1, 188-pounder established @4MOM_ALZ this year to help raise awareness for early onset Alzheimer's after his mom, Suzy, was diagnosed with the disease last fall. He is the 12th player selected by the Mariners out of the University of Washington, and first since current Triple-A Tacoma right-hander Forrest Snow was taken in the 36th round in 2010.
"We've been tracking him the last three years and he's one of the better athletes in the Draft," said Mariners scouting director Tom McNamara. "He can fly, and it's hard to find center fielders who can run and really go get the ball. And we think he's got the makeup and work ethic to improve with the bat. We think there's a lot of room to grow."
Bishop was the first of Seattle's eight selections Tuesday in rounds 3-10. The Draft concludes on Wednesday, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 11-40 on MLB.com beginning at 9 a.m. PT.
Video: Draft Report: Dylan Thompson, HS Pitcher
Round 4: RHP Dylan Thompson, Socastee (S.C.) High School
The Mariners continued their early trend by landing the Myrtle Beach, S.C. prepster after also tabbing two right-handers on Day 1 with their second-round pick Nick Neidert, a Georgia high schooler, and Competitive Balance Round B pick Andrew Moore out of Oregon State.
The 6-foot-2 Thompson has a low-90s fastball and a usable curve and changeup and is a youngster who could add arm strength as he fills out. He played basketball as well as baseball at Socastee High and has committed to play baseball at nearby Coastal Carolina.
Video: Draft Report: Drew Jackson
Round 5: SS Drew Jackson, Stanford
The 21-year-old opted to attend Stanford after being drafted by the Giants in the 37th round in 2012 out of Miramonte High School in Orinda, Calif. After struggling at the plate his first two years, he had a breakout junior season and led the Cardinal this year, hitting .320 in 40 games with a .396 on-base percentage -- though he missed 17 games in midseason with a left-hand injury.
Jackson is a Science, Technology & Society major at Stanford. At 6-foot-2 with a good arm, there is some thought he could end up eventually at third base. His older brother, Brett, was the Cubs' first-round pick in 2009 out of Cal-Berkeley and is currently playing Triple-A ball for the D-backs after competing in 51 Major League games in 2012-14 with the Cubs and D-backs.