Mariners wrap up 2017 draft with top 10 picks all expected to sign contracts

MINNEAPOLIS — There was an audible exhale from Scott Hunter that could be heard through the scratchy connection of a conference call. The 2017 Major League Baseball draft — his first as Seattle’s amateur scouting director — had finished with the Mariners making selections for rounds 11 through 40 on Wednesday.

“It’s a sigh of relief to say the least,” Hunter said. “I talked to the room at the end of it. You spend so much time with the staff and the guys were pretty much nomads during the course of the spring season traveling around. When you spend 18 days in a room eating three meals a day with your crew of guys, it was kind of an emotional moment for me getting through that first draft. I just had a few moments and a few words for them, thanking them for their effort and the communication and trusting in the few changes from the last regime to now. Everybody bought in.”

But the biggest aspect of that group effort was the fact that the Mariners have reached preliminary agreements on their top 10 draft picks and many more beyond that, including first-round pick Evan White — a first baseman out of Kentucky and coveted high school pitcher Sam Carlson — a hard-throwing, high school pitcher out of the Minneapolis suburbs. Getting the drafted players signed can be just as much work as the selection process.

“Right now, I’m getting emails from our area scouts after we put out the offers and I would think at this point, nine out of our top 10 should be in our minicamp when it starts,” Hunter said.

The minicamp begins on Saturday with players reporting to the Mariners complex in Peoria, Arizona for physicals. There will be a light workout on Sunday and three days of full workouts before many players depart for Everett or other teams.

The only player of the top 10 that won’t report is Carlson, who is still finishing up his high school season. He will report after it’s done.

“I can’t take credit for that one,” Hunter said of the agreements being reached. “The effort the staff gave from all four crosscheckers, to the front office management, to the support from Tom McNamara (former scouting director), who has been a great sounding board for me and picking up the phone and making agents aren’t giving us the run around. We were able to really move this pretty good. It was a total team effort.”

White will follow the tradition of top picks by appearing at Safeco Field. The plan is for him to be at Thursday’s game on June 22nd vs. the Tigers.

“He’s going to fly back here to Seattle either with me or the Everett team on Wednesday,” Hunter said. “We’ll do the official signing here, let him meet Scott Servais, do the tour of the clubhouse, see the players and take batting practice as well on the field.”

Of the first 30 picks, Hunter expects most of them to sign.

“At this point, I’m pretty confident that everyone drafted up until the later rounds in the 30s, there’s probably about four or five guys that may take a little time,” Hunter said. “They are sitting back and weighing their options.”

Seattle went local in their final four rounds of the draft, taking players from the Pacific Northwest. All are expected to honor their college commitments.

• 37th round — outfielder Jesse Franklin from Seattle Prep, who was the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state and  is committed to the University of Michigan.
• 38th round — talented left-handed pitcher Kolby Somers from Hillsboro, Ore., who is committed to the University of Oregon.
• 39th round — shortstop Jack Smith out of Mercer Island, who is committed to Washington State.
• 40th round — third baseman Zach Needham, a Puyallup native who played for Edmonds Community College and is committed to University of Houston.

“We wanted to secure a few kids from the area that we really believed in, but just might not have the finances to sign them,” Hunter said.

Of the 40 picks, the Mariners selected 23 pitchers, including eight left-handers, three catchers, nine infielders (two first baseman, five shortstops and two third basemen) and five outfielders. They went college heavy with 32 college players and only eight high school players.