Mariners 2021 MLB Draft picks, fifth through tenth rounds

Here are the writeups for the remaining draft picks on Day 2 of the MLB draft, rounds 5-10. If you want the writeups on the first four draft picks, round one (Harry Ford) is here, round two (Edwin Arroyo Jr.) is here, round three (Michael Morales) is here, and round four (Bryce Miller) is here.

Round five: C Andy Thomas, Baylor

Thomas is a senior sign, money-saver pick after the Mariners went prep in the first three rounds. He’s not listed among the Baseball America top 500 prospects. Thomas hit well over his time at Baylor, averaging around .330/.400/.475, walking almost as often as he struck out, although his playing time was limited as he was playing behind Shea Langeliers, who was a top-10 pick in 2019. Thomas draws rave reviews from his teammates for his leadership and ability to manage a pitching staff; behind the dish, he threw out almost half of would-be base stealers and was a Buster Posey finalist this year. Offensively, he has a little more pop in the bat than one might expect from a senior sign, likely organizational catcher, knocking 11 homers in his senior season—more than in his previous three seasons combined (although that does include a shortened 2020 season).

Round six: RHP Bryan Woo, Cal Poly

Ignore the ugly ERA (6.11 as a reliever) and focus instead on the stuff: mid-90s fastball up to 97 with life that led to 42 Ks in 28 IP. Woo is slated to have TJ surgery, so don’t expect to see him soon. Woo pitched in the Alaska Baseball League in 2019, where he drew the attention of scouts, striking out 36 batters in 25 innings.

Round seven: OF Colin Davis, Wofford College

I hadn’t heard of Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC, enrollment 1,659, until last year, when the Mariners signed INF Brett Rodríguez, currently with Modesto, as a free agent out of Wofford. Wofford plays in the Southern Conference, and Davis was the SoCon Player of the Year this year. If the Mariners didn’t know him from their apparent exhaustive scouting of Wofford College, they might also have seen Davis popping in limited action in the Cape Cod League in 2019. As a member of the Brewster Whitecaps, Davis hit .368 over 19 ABs, with four doubles, a triple, and a home run. He also swiped three bases and walked twice as many times (6) and he struck out (3).

Round eight: SS James Parker (Clemson)

Parker profiles as a utility infielder in the high-OBP/low-SLG model, although he steadily improved his power over three years at Clemson, where his dad was a member of the rotation for three years. While not ranked among Baseball America’s Top 500 prospects, Parker developed somewhat of a reputation at Clemson for delivering clutch hits when the Tigers needed him the most:

The glove is pretty slick, too:

Round nine: OF Spencer Packard, Campbell

Another money-saving senior sign, so let’s focus on the interesting things here: 1) Campbell’s mascot is a Fighting Camel and I am obsessed with it;

and 2), according to his bio on the Campbell site, Spencer’s dad’s name is Clad? Clad Packard? That’s the name of an American folk hero and I refuse to believe differently. Anyway, Spencer himself is not so interesting in that he’s probably more of a 1B type at the next level, but is very interesting in that he has hit for both average and power, although that really emerged just this past season when he hit 11 HR, slugging .675.

We got a direct report on Packard, actually, from Campbell alum and Kenmore native Grant Harris:

Well that’s what we like to hear!

Round ten: RHP Jordan Jackson, Georgia Southern

Another senior sign, Jackson was outstanding in 2019 for the Eagles, with a 1.57 ERA and striking out just about a batter an inning. This year the strikeouts went up, but so did his ERA. Jackson is 6’6”, though, so there’s literally a lot to work with here if the Mariners can help refine his arsenal.