Mariners select shortstop Cole Young at No. 21 overall in 2022 MLB Draft

At an organized batting practice open to scouts in Western Pennsylvania, Mariners director of amateur scouting Scott Hunter remembers meeting Cole Young and his father. Hunter chatted with the pair in an adjacent parking lot before Young, a left-handed hitting shortstop, took to the cages.

Young only took two swings before Hunter texted president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto — “Yeah, this is an easy one.”

Sunday night, Seattle officially drafted Young, an 18-year-old shortstop from North Allegheny High School with the No. 21 overall pick in the 2022 MLB First-Year Player Draft.

In a relatively-quiet draft room at T-Mobile Park, front office members waited and looked at the television in excitement as MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred approached the stage in Los Angeles and announced Young’s name.

Then, the eruption of applause and cheers. The Mariners had their guy.

“Probably one of the best swings, and we believe, one of the best purest hitters in this draft,” Hunter said. “A combination of pure hitting to all fields, tools across the board. … We’re not only getting a good hitter, we’re getting a darn good baseball player.”

Young impressed Seattle’s front office with a 60-grade hit tool and 55-overall scouting grade, and entered the draft ranked as the No. 20 overall draft prospect.

“To know that (the Mariners) had a lot of interest in me is something I really appreciate,” Young said. “I’m glad they did.”

Young could have attended the draft in Los Angeles, but opted to stay home in Pennsylvania. “My friends and family have been with me through this whole process,” he said. “The least I can do is have them over for a party.”

He signed a national letter of intent to play baseball at Duke in November and was named a preseason All-American by “Baseball America” earlier this year.

Young was a career .428 (86-for-201) hitter for North Allegheny with 73 runs scored, 17 doubles, nine triples, 11 home runs and 64 RBI in 73 career games.

He’s the second consecutive high school selection for the Mariners in the first round, following catcher Harry Ford, taken at No. 12 overall in 2021.

“We’ve always taken what we thought was the best player at that time,” Dipoto said. “(Cole) checked every box for us.”

Hunter said the Mariners have no current plans to move Young from his natural position, though the shortstop is talented and versatile enough defensively to play second or third base.

As Young powered through last summer’s showcase circuit, Seattle scouts took careful note of the 6-foot, 180-pound shortstop.

“Cole Young better be there when we pick,” one scout told Hunter.

There’s still power to be found in his bat, currently a 40-grade tool, ranked by MLB.com. But “you take the hitter first,” Hunter said, “and the power always surprises you.”

“I’m an athletic shortstop that can make any play,” Young said. “I have a strong arm… as I get stronger, I’ll have more power. I’m not close to what I can be.”

Young won’t give away at-bats, striking out only 24 times across his entire high school career. Fifteen of those strikeouts were as a freshman. Velocity won’t “overmatch” Young at the plate, and a 55-grade run tool makes him “capable of taking the extra base,” per his scouting report.

“When you put (him) in a batting cage, it’s not hard to notice he understands what he’s doing,” Hunter said. “It’s a natural thing and a natural movement. The bat is an extension of his hands.

“A professional approach for an 18-year-old kid. … He’s going to fit in nicely with our hitting group, because he buys into using the whole field. He buys into pitch selection, dominating the strike zone.”

SEATTLE GRABS CORNER INFIELDER IN SECOND ROUND

Joined by some-200 people at his draft party, Tyler Locklear received the life-changing phone call.

The Mariners grabbed a college bat in the second round of Sunday night’s draft, selecting the VCU corner infielder with the 58th overall selection.

“Getting to hear that call was a surreal moment,” Locklear said. “It was a dream come true.”

Locklear, 21, was 90-for-224 (.402) this season with VCU, posting 77 runs scored, 25 doubles, plus a single-season school-record 20 homers and 78 RBI across 62 games.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound infielder drew more career college walks (101) than strikeouts (78) and his 37 career homers also tied a school record. VCU coach Shawn Stiffler told Wayne Epps of the Richmond Times-Dispatch that Locklear “possessed as much power, and as much overall hitting ability, as anyone he had coached in his career.”

Locklear was an Under Armour All-American and was the fifth-ranked high school player in the state of Maryland by Perfect Game in 2018. Ranked by MLB.com as the No. 98 prospect in this year’s class, Locklear’s bat “will have to carry him to the big leagues,” though his raw power from the right side and high contact rate in college could get him there, per his scouting report.

“Getting to know Tyler from the outside looking in, he’s one of those guys that people gravitate to,” Hunter said. “He’s a big teddy bear, almost, with a lot of power and a lot of personality.”

MARINERS DRAFT HIGH SCHOOL ARM TO CAP DAY 1

When Walter Ford’s phone initially rang, it wasn’t Hunter. It was Ford’s agent, who alerted the 17-year-old pitcher that Seattle wanted him.

“Let’s do it,” Ford replied.

The Mariners completed the first day of their draft by selecting Ford at No. 74 overall in the Competitive Balance Round B. A right-handed pitcher from Pace High School in Florida, Ford logged a 10-2 record with a 1.00 ERA in 70 1/3 innings this season, walking 30 and whiffing 126.

Ranked as the draft’s No. 53 overall prospect, Ford’s arsenal includes a slider, changeup, and fastball capable of topping 96 mph. He was selected to USA Baseball’s 18U National Team in 2021 and committed to play for Alabama as both a pitcher and infielder.

Seattle plans to harness Ford’s command, which is admittedly “spotty,” Hunter said. But “the ingredients are all there” for an electric arm to flourish as Ford progresses through the minor leagues.

“Electric arm, extremely athletic, with real big upside,” Hunter said. “We’re really banking on the athlete and pure arm talent.”

The Mariners were to return Monday at 11:05 a.m. for Rounds 3-10 in the MLB First-Year Player Draft, which concludes Tuesday with Rounds 11-20.