Seattle, WA

Why Seattle Mariners could go new route with first-round draft pick

Published

2 years ago

July 5, 2024

Why Seattle Mariners could go new route with first-round draft pick

When it comes to this year’s MLB Draft, the Seattle Mariners’ scouting department knows one sure thing: It will need to be ready to think on its feet.

Seattle Mariners Roster Notes: OF added on waivers; Woo, Speier updates

After having a whopping three first-round selections in a top-heavy draft last year, the Mariners hold the 15th overall pick in 2024. Exactly who will be available when Seattle is on the clock will be quite the mystery, even to the organization’s dialed-in scouting department.

“This was a different one,” Mariners director of amateur scouting Scott Hunter said about this year’s draft on Wednesday. “It’s going to be more of a challenge. I think we’re gonna have to do a lot of heavy lifting and figuring out (how to extract) the players that really we believe in for what the Mariners do.”

The 2023 draft was stocked with talented high school position players, which resulted in Seattle going that route for all three of its first-round selections. According to Hunter, this year’s draft – which begins with the first and second rounds July 14 and runs through July 16 – doesn’t have near the caliber of depth at the top.

“The depth of the draft is a lot different. It’s a weird class,” Hunter said. “… It’s a little thinner than last year’s at top of the draft. I think there’s about nine or ten players we think are going to be off the board before we pick, and then after that, we’re pretty much saying it’s dealer’s choice for what organizations are going to do.”

A different route for M’s?

Over the past several years, Hunter and his staff have hit on a number of early-round picks. First it was a run of college pitchers picked in the first round in consecutive years, starting with Logan Gilbert in 2018, then George Kirby and Emerson Hancock. In the three drafts since, Seattle has shifted its focus to high school bats, selecting catcher Harry Ford in the first round of 2021, shortstop Cole Young in 2022 and infielders Colt Emerson and Tai Peete and outfielder Jonny Farmelo in 2023.

Gilbert, Kirby and Hancock have all reached the majors. (Hancock is currently in Triple-A, which is more of a testament to Seattle’s pitching depth than Hancock’s talent). Ford, Young, Emerson and Farmelo are all rated as top-100 prospects by either Baseball America or MLB Pipeline, or both.

With that type of success, it appears Seattle is doing something right when it comes to scouting high school bats and college arms. However, they may have to go a different route with their first-rounder this month.

“There’s a lot of high school pitching, which I know we haven’t really done much at the top of the draft, but it’s actually really in play for us because we have to consider every demographic in the draft,” Hunter said. “And we don’t want to make poor decisions, but we also want to make sure we’re giving our best ourselves the best chance to make a good decision. Sometimes the high school pitcher could be that guy.”

Seattle hasn’t taken a high school pitcher in the first round since Hunter was hired following the 2016 season. The highest prep hurler taken during that stretch was right-hander Sam Carlson going in the second round at N0. 55 in 2017. Carlson’s career has been hampered by injuries, but Seattle is seeing some good early returns from a recent high school pitcher it drafted. Michael Morales, a third-rounder in 2021, is with Double-A Arkansas at just 21 years old and is the Mariners’ No. 12 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.

Hunter said the injury risk and time it takes to reach the majors are some of the cons of taking a pitcher out of high school. However, he also noted that high school pitchers are starting to have more success early on in the minors than in the past, and they’re entering pro baseball with better raw stuff and understanding of analytics than ever.

“If you pick the right high school pitcher, you usually have a lot of success,” Hunter said, “but there is a lot of landmines and risk that goes into that.”

More on the Seattle Mariners

• Servais confident Mariners offense ‘will turn it around’
• ‘Classic slump’: MLB insider diagnoses what’s wrong with Julio’s swing
• How much will Gregory Santos’ arrival to bullpen help the Mariners?
• Video: Mariners Breakdown – Is AL West now a two-team race?
• Seattle Mariners sign former All-Star reliever, make roster move at catcher

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Seattle, WA

WEST SEATTLE SATURDAY: 30 options!

Published

9 hours ago

February 7, 2026

Press Room

(Skyline Seahawks support, seen from Hamilton Viewpoint last night, this photo and next by Greg Snyder)

Happy Super-Bowl-Eve Saturday! Highlights for today and tonight include open houses, student performances, workouts, comedy, music, theater, roller derby, a donation drive, more – mostly from our West Seattle Event Calendar:

SATURDAY GROUP RUN: At West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor), you can join the Saturday 8 am free group run.

FREE PRENATAL WORKOUT: 9 am at FIT4MOM West Seattle (3707 California SW), free FIT4BABY class.

FREE MEDITATION: Start the weekend with Heavily Meditated, 9 am free meditation at Inner Alchemy Studio/Sanctuary (3618 SW Alaska).

INTRODUCTORY WALK and WALKING FOR WELL-BEING: 9:30 am, walk a mile as a prelude to the 10 am well-being walk (or just show up for that one). Both start from 47th SW and Fontanelle.

DONATE AT NEW WEST SEATTLE CLOTHESLINE SITE: 10 am-1 pm at 5444 Delridge Way SW, take seasonally appropriate clothing donations to the new location of the West Seattle Clothesline clothing bank.

OPTIMIZING DIGESTION: Invest 2.5 hours in learning how! 10 am-12:30 pm online with Megan Taylor, ND, FABNG, of Neighborhood Naturopathic Clinic (WSB sponsor) and Fawn Coussens, PT, of Kinetic PT – find details and registration info in our calendar listing.

ARK PRESCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: 10 am-noon, visit the preschool at Arbor Heights Community Church. (4113 SW 102nd)

MORNING MUSIC AT THE COFFEEHOUSE: 10:30 am-noon at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), Marco de Carvalho and Friends perform. Info about Marco’s music is here.

FAMILY STORY TIME: 10:30 am at High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond). Free.

FREE WRITING GROUP: 10:30 am free, weekly, in-person, critique-free group – details in our calendar listing.

LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE – OPEN HOUSE @ VILLAGE GREEN: 11 am to 1 pm, visit Village Green West Seattle (2615 SW Barton; WSB sponsor) for an open house with tours, Q&A, and info about their senior-living options.

FAMILY READING TIME: At Paper Boat Booksellers, 11 am family reading time. (4522 California SW; WSB sponsor)

LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: The home of West Seattle’s history is open, noon-4 pm most Saturdays (61st SW and SW Stevens).

VIETNAMESE CULTURAL CENTER: The center is open to visitors noon-3 pm Saturdays, as explained here. (2236 SW Orchard)

LONG-DISTANCE ADVOCACY: Monthly Saturday meeting gathering to write Postcards 4 Democracy, 12:30 pm-2:30 pm at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor).

ALKI ELEMENTARY MUSICAL, TWO PERFORMANCES: See rock musical “Olympus,” performed by Alki Elementary students, at 1 pm or 6:30 pm at Schmitz Park Elementary (5000 SW Spokane) – info and tickets here!

VISCON CELLARS TASTING ROOM/WINE BAR: Tasting room open, with wine by the glass or bottle – 1-6 pm at Viscon Cellars (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor).

NORTHWEST WINE ACADEMY TASTING ROOM, WINE BAR, STORE: Open 1-6 pm on north end of South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus.

FREE MASSAGE: 3-5 pm walk-in clinic offering short, specific massages at Nepenthe. (9447 35th SW)

JUNIOR ROLLER DERBY: Southside Revolution hosts visitors from Whatcom County for bouts starting at 4:15 pm at Southgate Roller Rink (9676 17th SW, White Center) – details and advance ticket link in our calendar listing.

MUSIC AT THE COFFEEHOUSE: 6 pm, Circle of Songs at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), all ages, no cover.

ASTRA LUMINA: A few more weekends for the celestially inspired lights-and-sound show at Seattle Chinese Garden on the north end of the South Seattle College campus (6000 16th SW); first admission at 6 pm, get tickets here.

SUPER SMASH SATURDAYS: Play at Fourth Emerald Games (4517 California SW, upstairs), starting at 6:30 pm.

LIVE AT KENYON HALL: Morsel Trio, piano and strings, 7 pm; get tickets here. (7904 35th SW)

LIVE AT EASY STREET RECORDS: West Seattle School of Rock house band, 7 pm, free, all ages. (California SW & SW Alaska)

‘TOPDOG/UNDERDOG’: First weekend for the new play at ArtsWest (4711 California SW), 7:30 pm curtain, get tickets here.

COMEDY COMPETITION, NIGHT 3: You get all the laughs, and you’re the judge! 8 pm at Great American Diner and Bar (4752 California SW), get tickets here.

REVELRY ROOM: 9 pm, Dilla Day. (4547 California SW)

SK8 PARTY: 9 pm-midnight at Southgate Roller Rink (9676 17th SW), with rotating DJs spinning old-school funk & hip-hop, $18 plus $5 skate rental.

KARAOKE AT TALARICO’S: 10 pm karaoke at Talarico’s Pizzeria. (4718 California SW)

Have a West Seattle event coming up? If community members are welcome, your event is welcome to a listing on our calendar, free of charge, always! Please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

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Seattle, WA

Archbishops in Boston, Seattle place friendly wager on hometown teams in Super Bowl – The Boston Globe

Published

21 hours ago

February 7, 2026

Press Room

Archbishops in Boston, Seattle place friendly wager on hometown teams in Super Bowl – The Boston Globe

If Jesus were a football fan, who would he be rooting for in Sunday’s Super Bowl?

Who knows, but the archbishops of Boston and Seattle know where they stand.

Boston Archbishop Richard G. Henning is firmly for the New England Patriots. And Seattle Archbishop Paul D. Etienne is squarely in the Seahawks camp.

Ahead of Super Bowl LX on Sunday, the two clergymen have bet a $500 bet that their teams will raise the championship trophy after the Feb. 8 game.

Whoever pays up, the money will go to Catholic Charities Immigrant Services in the winning team’s city.

While both acknowledge that people are living in “extraordinary times,” they also believe that sports brings people together, the Boston archdiocee said in a statement Friday.

“It is important that we are very mindful of the difficult, painful, and traumatic events of recent weeks and months that are playing out across the country,” the archdiocese said. “That said, sports can be a unifier and bring people and communities together with the Super Bowl being the most watched event annually in the United States.”

The archdiocese is also grateful for the longtime support of the Patriots organization.

Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas (3) on his way to a touchdown in the first half of the Patriots-Texans divisional round playoff game.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff

Team owner Robert Kraft, along with wide receiver DeMario Douglas and former players Devon McCourty and Matthew Slater, are “very engaged” in the Archdiocese of Boston, Catholic schools and other entities, the statement said said.

“And of course, we are very confident that the Patriots will prevail and bring back their 7th Super Bowl win!” the archdiocese said.

Adam Sennott can be reached at adam.sennott@globe.com.

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Seattle, WA

Seattle and Boston face off in showdown of Super Bowl cities

Published

1 day ago

February 6, 2026

Press Room

Seattle and Boston face off in showdown of Super Bowl cities

The Seattle Seahawks will take on the New England Patriots this Sunday in Super Bowl LX.

For the Seahawks, it’s a chance at redemption as they chase their second Lombardi trophy after losing to the Patriots, led then by quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick, over a decade ago.

Meanwhile, the Patriots, whose stadium is located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, are going for glory and their record-breaking seventh Super Bowl title.

As the teams prepare for the big game, the dueling NFL cities look to outshine each other.

Seattle vs. New England

Known as the Emerald City, Seattle is a tech hub, home to Amazon’s headquarters, while New England’s history dates back to colonial times. The USS Constitution in Boston is the oldest warship still floating.

Both are known for pop culture.

The popular and longtime series “Grey’s Anatomy” is based in Seattle. But one of the stars on the show for 11 seasons – Patrick Dempsey – is from New England and a lifelong Red Sox fan.

Seattle isn’t alone in being the backdrop to a popular TV show. “Cheers” was set in Boston and is where Kelsey Grammer got his big break. But the fictional character he played on the show, Frasier Crane, is from Seattle.

Traditions are strong in these NFL cities that sit at opposite ends of the country. While candlepin bowling and ice fishing are New England classics, Seattle is known as the nation’s glass art capital and as the birthplace of grunge.

The two are even divided when it comes to coffee shops.

Starbucks was founded in Seattle in 1971 and Dunkin is a Boston original. But the modern automated donut machine was invented in Seattle, while Boston cream pies, a timeless dessert, was created at the Omni Hotel in Boston.

Back on the gridiron, this will be the Patriots 12th Super Bowl appearance. They are heading into the game with a perfect 9-0 road record this season.

For Seattle, quarterback Sam Darnold and the Seahawks soared to the best record in the NFC and an all-time franchise record with 14 wins.