“Oh yeah, he’s way better than those guys.”
That was the response a scout gave me when IMariners fans have seen a revolving door of players tabbed with the No. 4-5 starter label over the past few years, particularly as Jerry Dipoto desperately attempted to raise to baseline competency of the Mariners’ 25-man roster to support its stars and scrubs core. Since 2016, we’ve seen the Mariners move to acquire a multitude of young players with that designation. Nate Karns, Zach Lee, Paul Blackburn, Ariel Miranda, Rob Whalen, Max Povse, Chris Heston, Dillon Overton, and Chase De Jong all fit the bill.