Amateur Draft | Mariners look for some help with 20th pick in amateur draft

The Mariners go into today's amateur draft with the 20th pick and an open mind.

Bob Fontaine, their vice president of scouting, jokes that they've narrowed down their choice to either a high school or college player that's either a pitcher or a position player.

Probe a little more deeply, and you'll find that the Mariners are leaning college, but not dead-set against the right high-school player.

They are believed to be strongly considering a college reliever that they can fast track to the major leagues, and the draft is well-stocked in that category. But Fontaine didn't rule out a starter, or a left-handed power hitter as a priority.

The top-rated college pitchers include right-handers Aaron Crow of Missouri, Shooter Hunt of Tulane, Andrew Cashner of Texas Christian, Josh Fields of Georgia, Ryan Perry of Arizona, Lance Lynn of Mississippi and Aaron Weatherford of Mississippi State; and left-handers Brian Matusz of San Diego, Christian Friedrich of Eastern Kentucky and Daniel Schlereth of Arizona,

There is no consensus on the overall strength of this year's draft; Fontaine believes it is deep with talent, while others have rated it as subpar.

Allan Simpson, the founder of Baseball America and now a cross-checker for the scouting service Perfect Game USA, said there is widespread agreement on the first 10 to 12 picks "but it falls apart a little after that."

Added Simpson: "From the standpoint of power-hitting corner infielders at the college level, this is probably the best it has ever been in the draft. You may see five or six first basemen in the first round, and you rarely see that. It's really a historic level in terms of some of those bats on the infield corner."

He is referring to the likes of Pedro Alvarez, a third baseman from Vanderbilt who is regarded as the No. 1 talent in the draft. But that doesn't mean that Tampa Bay, selecting first, will necessarily select Alvarez. They are said to be torn between Florida State catcher Buster Posey and Georgia high-school shortstop Tim Beckham.

That would leave Pittsburgh, at No. 2, or Kansas City, at No. 3, with a shot at Alvarez. Another shortstop named Beckham — Gordon Beckham from the University of Georgia, no relation to Tim (or David, for that matter) — is also slated to go in the Top 5.

Others in that standout crop of college corner infielders include first basemen Justin Smoak of South Carolina, Yonder Alonso of Miami, Ike Davis of Arizona State, David Cooper of California and Allan Dykstra of Wake Forest (no relation to high school outfielder Cutter Dykstra of Westlake, Calif., the son of former major-leaguer Lenny Dykstra and a likely high pick).

Third basemen include Brett Wallace of Arizona State, Conor Gillaspie of Wichita State and James Darnell of South Carolina.

"I think there are more hitters in this draft than other drafts," Fontaine said. "That doesn't mean it lasts a long time; it just means where in other drafts you might think there are three or four premium hitters, in this one there might be seven or eight.

"We also think there's a good depth of pitching, and we feel there's someone at every position, whatever you might be looking for."

The M's are said to be intrigued by third baseman/catcher Brett Lawrie, a right-handed high schooler from Langley, B.C., who is shooting up draft boards after a phenomenal showing with the Canadian junior team in the Dominican Republic. Playing against the Mariners' rookie-league team in the Dominican, Lawrie hit five homers in a doubleheader sweep, hitting at least one to each field.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the Mariners went back up to Canada," said one scout, referring to Lawrie and last year's No. 1 pick by Seattle, Phillippe Aumont, from Gatineau, Quebec.

But Lawrie's stock is on such a rise that he might not last until 20, with the Reds, at No. 7, said to be particularly high on him.

Two draft evaluation sites have linked the Mariners to high-school pitcher Tim Melville, a right-hander from Wentzville, Mo.

Today's draft will include the first five rounds, followed by rounds six through 50 on Friday.

Asked about in-state talent for this year's draft, Fontaine said, "Overall, it's not one of the strongest years in the Northwest. We project next year to be a lot stronger, but there's going to be players drafted up here."

According to Baseball America, the top 10 prospects in the state are, in order: right-handed pitcher Trevor May from Kelso High School; left-handed pitcher Nick Haughian from Washington; third baseman Paul Gran from Washington State; right-handed pitcher Jorden Merry from UW; left-handed pitcher Matt Way from WSU; outfielder Bryan Peterson from West Valley High School in Spokane; left-handed pitcher Stephen Foster from Bellevue Community College; outfielder Kyle Conley from UW; first baseman Ryan Wiegand from Gonzaga; and right-handed pitcher Brad Reid from Bellevue CC.

Larry Stone: 206-464-3146 or lstone@seattletimes.com