Sam Carlson was considered a blue chip prospect in a mediocre draft class of 2017. But signability concerns forced him to drop to pick 55, where the Mariners scooped him up. They paid him $1.2 million, a first round price. Why?
Simple answer; Sam Carlson has a chance to be something special. He already poses 3 above average pitches, each of which has shown improvement in the past year. The fastball sat in the high 80’s for most of last season, but jumped into the 94-97 mph range this year. He sits comfortably at 92, but the hard sink and run allows the fastball to play up.