Mariners 2024 MLB Draft: Rounds 11-20

The second-to-last batch of new Mariners is here!

The Mariners were quiet yesterday, as expected, after spending the majority of their $9.5M Draft bonus pool on their Day One selections of first-rounder Jurrangelo Cijntje and prep arm Ryan Sloan, to whom they reportedly gave an overslot bonus of $3M to in order to buy him out of his commitment to Wake Forest. However, there are still some interesting arms and upside plays in Day Two; catch up with the previous day’s action here (or find individual writeups on their Round Three and Round Four selections. Day Three promises to again be heavy on money-saving picks, but the Mariners should have a little money to play with given the way their Day Two played out, so there might be a surprise in here.

We’ll be updating this story live as the Mariners make their Day Three selections for rounds 11-20.

Eleventh Round: RHP Christian Little, LSU

Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Little features a starter’s arsenal out a strong, 6’4/235lb frame. Little was considered a big-time recruit out of high school, committing to Vanderbilt at the ripe young age of 14. After joining the Commodores, however, things did not go quite as smoothly as everyone expected. Immediately joining their rotation as a seventeen-year old, Little was forced to exit the rotation and never truly regained his spot. After his sophomore year, he would transfer to LSU and found similar results. He’s a college senior sign, but having just turned 21 years old 11 days ago, he’s got considerable youth on his side. With athletic operations on the mound, he’s got velocity on the fastball (he’s up to 97) and a good breaker as parts of a full starter’s arsenal. We haven’t seen it for several years, but if Seattle can harness the traits that made Little a surefire first rounder out of high school, we could be looking at yet another late round bloomer.

Twelfth Round: RHP Evan Truitt, Charleston Southern

Truitt is a 5’11 right hander that features a low 90’s fastball and four pitch mix. He’s pitched on the Cape twice before, but has found little success to date. He’s more of a pitchability righty that doesn’t feature overwhelming stuff at the moment, but the Mariners clearly see something in his profile that intrigues them.

Thirteenth Round: 3B Brandon Eike, VCU

Chalk another one up for Mid-Atlantic area scout Ty Holub. Eike is a compact, yet athletic third baseman out of both Jerry Dipoto and Tyler Locklear’s alma mater Virginia Commonwealth. Eike, who actually replaced Locklear as the team’s third baseman in 2023, has mashed for the Rams since transferring from UNC. He had a bit of acclaim coming out of high school as well, gracing some T-500 lists. Eike possesses above average exit velocities, fast hands, and a good arm at third base. He played every game for the Rams at third this season, however some have suggested he could move to a corner outfield spot if necessary. He was announced as a INF/OF, so perhaps the Mariners plan to bounce him around to see what sticks. Yet another senior sign, Eike will be 23 in October.

Fourteenth Round: 3B Austin St. Laurent, Appalachian State

St. Laurent bounced between shortstop and third base for the Mountaineers this season, officially listed as a utility player on their team site. Making First Team All-Sun Belt, St. Laurent took a major jump forward this season after two seasons where his offensive numbers were just alright. The Sun Belt Freshman player of the year in 2022, St. Laurent will likely play a slurry of positions as a pro, perhaps getting some run as a shortstop to maximize his defensive utility.

Fifteenth Round: RHP Thomas Higgins Jr., Georgia Southern

Higgins was the Friday night starter for the Eagles in 2024 and pitched well, posting a 3.74 ERA across 53 IP while striking out 40 hitters while walking just 17. It’s not a huge frame at 6’1/200lbs, however the righty does possess solid control and doesn’t walk a lot of hitters. He did miss all of 2023 with an injury, however the nature of that is unclear at the moment. He’s a redshirt sophomore at 21 years of age.

Putting the “student” in “student athlete,” Higgins carried a 4.0 GPA in high school and regularly made the President’s List for academics at Georgia Southern, where he majored in Middle Grades Education.