Of course, most agreed the Mariners hit a home run with the selection of Kyle Lewis in 2016, but that felt like a lot of lucky bounces going Dipoto’s way. However, when Dipoto and company selected Sam Carlson in the second round of the 2017 draft, the “industry” heaped praise on the Mariners.
Carlson was ranked as the 15th best draft prospect on MLB Pipeline the day of the draft, but signability concerns dropped him out of the first round. Thankfully, the Mariners had done their homework and knew they could sign him. They selected him with the 55th pick, and signed him to a $2 million signing bonus.