A stocky third baseman with a compact, but powerful left-handed swing and a high baseball IQ? That’s worked out pretty well for the Mariners. So why not add a player similar to that profile to the organization.
With their second-round pick – No. 50 overall – the Mariners selected hard-hitting infielder Joe Rizzo out of Oakton High School in Oak Hill, Virginia.
“Besides his natural ability, he’s got a good approach,” said Tom McNamara, Mariners director of scouting. “We saw him a lot this summer. And he saw a lot of good pitchers. His ability to put himself in a lot of good counts and square the baseball up, we really liked.