The Seattle Mariners have been regarded as having of the best farm systems in baseball for more than two years. And fans will likely get a good look at several of the prospects that make up the top end of that farm system in 2026.
The Mariners have six prospects on MLB Pipeline’s top 100 at the outset of the campaign. Several of those prospects, including infielder Colt Emerson and (potentially) left-handed starting pitcher Kade Anderson are projected to make their major league debuts in 2026. Emerson will have an opportunity to break camp for Seattle as the team’s starting third baseman.
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One national publication wasn’t as high on the M’s’ farm system going into this season as MLB Pipeline was. Baseball America only had four of the organization’s projects on its respective top 100: Emerson (No. 7), Anderson (No. 25), outfielder Lazaro Montes (No. 58) and right-handed starting pitcher Ryan Sloan (60th).
Even with not as many prospects on its respective top 100 list as other prospects, Baseball America still had a favorable opinion on Seattle’s minor leaguers as a whole.
In a recent ranking of all 30 MLB teams’ farm systems, Baseball America had the Mariners ranked 10th. The nine teams ranked above the M’s are, in order: the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Guardians, New York Mets, Miami Marlins and Athletics.
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Here’s what Baseball America had to say about Seattle’s farm in the rankings:
Similar to last year, the Mariners boast one of the league’s most impressive top 10s, headlined by Emerson, Kade Anderson and Lazaro Montes. Beyond that, however, the talent drops off sharply between players 13–30. Notable names in that range include Korbyn Dickerson, Leandro Romero and Teddy McGraw.
The latest rankings from Baseball America is a drop from where the organization ranked last year. It entered 2025 with the fifth-ranked farm. It’s still an increase from seasons before, where it ranked 16th in ’24 and 22nd in ’23.
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The Mariners saw a significant amount of contributions from their farm system last year. Starting pitcher Logan Evans made his major league debut and made 15 starts in place of injured hurlers Logan Gilbert, George Kirby and Bryce Miller. third baseman Ben Williamson and second baseman Cole Young also made their respective major league debuts and served as starters for a large portion of the season.
If things go well for Seattle, it won’t have to rely on contributions from the prospects in 2026 but there’s still potential benefits for the Mariners if that is the case, such as a Prospect Performance Incentive pick if one of the minor leaguers win an award.
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