After being drafted as a third baseman in the fifth round out of Florida International University in 2019 by the Mariners, it was a foregone conclusion that Austin Shenton would be everyone’s favorite sleeper prospect. Born and raised in Washington, including a two-year stint with the summer collegiate West Coast League’s Bellingham Bells? It’s almost always so easy to root for local kids, and Shenton did nothing but mash after joining the org, tearing through short-season and Low-A ball before COVID knocked out the 2020 Minor League Baseball slate. Opening 2021 with newly-minted High-A Everett, he continued to hammer the ball, putting up a 164 wRC+ before earning a promotion to Double-A Arkansas.
40 in 40 2025: Austin Shenton
