Perusing sports-talk radio while driving the other day, I heard Jason Puckett on KJR-AM (950) advocating, somewhat tongue in cheek, for the Mariners to “Suck for Spencer.” Translation: They should tank the rest of the season to draft Arizona State slugger Spencer Torkelson, the presumptive No. 1 pick in next year’s baseball draft.
Over on ESPN 710, Mike Salk was torn between being happy when the Mariners win and lamenting the fact that ultimately it hurts their draft status.
It’s not a new debate with the Mariners. Every few years throughout their history, they’ve deep-dived to the bottom of the standings and competed for the top overall draft pick.