Mariners defy the odds, landing a top 3 pick in 2025 MLB draft

DALLAS — With the lowest odds — a 0.5% chance — of earning the No. 1 overall pick, the Seattle Mariners didn’t go into the Tuesday’s MLB draft lottery thinking they would hit the grand prize.

But as Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser, the guest emcee for the event, carefully revealed the teams for each individual draft spot, starting at pick No. 19, the Mariners’ hopes grew larger with each time their name wasn’t called.

Could the impossible happen?

That dream ended when Cowser announced that the No. 3 overall pick belonged to the Seattle Mariners.

While getting the first overall pick would’ve been a magical occurrence, getting a top-3 pick was still a major coup for the Mariners, considering the circumstances.

New manager Dan Wilson was on stage representing the Mariners during the draft lottery and Scott Hunter, who oversees the team’s draft preparations, was watching in the audience. After the announcement, they posed for pictures in front of the stage.

“This is a lot of fun,” said Hunter, Seattle’s senior director of amateur scouting. “It’s shocking, actually.”

Any early thoughts on the 2025 draft class?

“I don’t think there’s a clear No. 1 yet, just from the outside looking in from our preliminary work,” Hunter said. “But I do think it’s a little deeper than last year. There’s a few more college options than last year. There’s a few more high school bats, but I do think compared to last year, there’s a little more depth than we’ve seen in the last few years.”

It’s Seattle’s highest pick since the 2012 draft when they selected Mike Zunino third overall and first time having a top-5 pick since Jerry Dipoto joined the team.