Zach DeLoach

A second-round pick by the Mariners in 2020 out of Texas A&M, DeLoach had a solid 2023 season with Triple-A Tacoma while hitting 23 homers with an .868 OPS, and the Mariners added him to the 40-man roster in November to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. The 25-year-old was able to hit .286 over his 623 plate appearances in the Pacific Coast League, but he'll likely struggle to hit for average at the highest level due to the swing-and-miss in his profile, and he whiffed 173 times in 528 at-bats last summer. He does help compensate with his pop and a strong approach at the plate as seen in the aforementioned homers along with 83 walks, and he's fast enough to steal 10-plus bases if he receives regular playing time. DeLoach likely opens the 2024 season back in Tacoma, but he'd be worth monitoring if/when the Mariners gave him a chance to play before the campaign closes.

DeLoach is a fascinating case. He didn't seem like a talent worthy of selection in the first five rounds through his first two seasons at Texas A&M, but few college hitters did more damage in the 2019 Cape Cod League last spring. Seattle bought in, selecting him with the No. 43 overall pick. The left-handed hitter reportedly made a swing change to incorporate more loft and proceeded to hit .353/.428/.541 with five home runs and a 19.1% strikeout rate in the Cape before hitting .421/.547/.789 with a 3:14 K:BB (3.9 K%) in 18 spring games against mostly mediocre competition. His speed is also ticking up, as he went 14-for-16 on stolen-base attempts over his last 55 games. DeLoach may have to move to left field, which would put more pressure on his bat. His hit tool received rave reviews at the alternate training site and during instructs, but it's not yet clear how much power he will get to in games.