M’s Tab SS Marcus Littlewood at #67

Jay Yencich · June 8, 2010 at 9:37 am · Filed Under Mariners 

I talked a lot about him on the draft preview yesterday. It’s another slight overdraft, but opinion on Littlewood is mixed enough that you could find people who thought he was a legitimate first-round pick. The M’s knew they wanted this guy and weren’t going to take any chances with it. He’s a baseball through and through, like a lot of guys the M’s selected last year, so regardless of what you think of his long term potential, he’s a good bet to work hard and come close to maximizing his physical abilities. The floor is a utility player, the ceiling is a defensive-minded third baseman who could hit you about twenty home runs or more as a switch-hitter.

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13 Responses to “M’s Tab SS Marcus Littlewood at #67”

  1. Pete Livengood on June 8th, 2010 10:02 am

    Now with the 99th pick, Ryan Stanek, Blue Valley HS, a “projectible” RHP….

  2. Pete Livengood on June 8th, 2010 10:03 am

    BTW, the Rays went AGAIN to the local well, picking Highline HS’s Ryan Brett with the pick before the Mariners’….

  3. dnc on June 8th, 2010 10:04 am

    Nicely done, Gang Z

  4. Diehard on June 8th, 2010 10:05 am

    Good pick, I like it!

  5. joser on June 8th, 2010 10:06 am

    Over at Fangraphs, Bryan Smith wrote:

    There are no agreements to be found about Littlewood’s ultimate potential, as he offers a lot left to project with the bat, and a defensive profile that gives him that “tweener” label. He has good footwork and instincts up the middle, but scouts are concerned that his size (6-foot-3) and his lack of raw speed suggest a position change down the road. That would be unfortunate, because the one point of agreement seems to be that he’ll never hit for much power. He is committed to play at the University of San Diego.

    Hmmm, switch-hitting third baseman…. so his upside is Kaleb Cowart, the guy the Angels took with the #18 pick they got for Chone? (Except the Angels appear to think Cowart profiles better as a pitcher?)

  6. KR on June 8th, 2010 10:11 am

    My apologies for this, but can anyone post a site that is updating draft picks as they happen? I’ve been googling all over and can’t find anything.

  7. Pete Livengood on June 8th, 2010 10:14 am

    MLB.com is. Front page, across the top, including video.

  8. Pete Livengood on June 8th, 2010 10:15 am

    Joser, thanks for posting that. I think it must be more difficult to project a HS hitter, and obviously the M’s like Littlewood more than some other clubs. At his size, he should be able to hit for a bit of power. If that happens, and you can slot him as a decent-fielding 3B, that’s a good pick.

  9. KR on June 8th, 2010 10:16 am

    Well, that seemed too obvious. Thanks.

  10. flashbeak on June 8th, 2010 10:44 am

    His scouting video noted that nearly all of his power comes from the right side, which obviously isn’t a good hitter’s mold for Safeco.

  11. Hdizz on June 8th, 2010 10:52 am

    His scouting video noted that nearly all of his power comes from the right side, which obviously isn’t a good hitter’s mold for Safeco.

    That’s a pretty long term issue to worry about. If he does get to MLB ready in a few years then you are looking at a guy who is great trade bait, or he might develop his left side after seeing more lefties.

  12. Jay Yencich on June 8th, 2010 10:53 am

    Littlewood only started switch-hitting as a freshman.

  13. kylek on June 9th, 2010 10:46 am

    I think the Mariners are going to be surprised at how good Marcus is. I think they made a good choice. He went to the same high school as my daughter so I got to see a lot of his games. The most amazing thing about him is his smarts. Hope he does well for you guys.

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