Jarred Kelenic may be stuck in the minors until after the Super Two deadline passes, but that doesn’t mean the Seattle Mariners won’t have a top outfield prospect making his MLB debut on Opening Day. Taylor Trammell was the 35th overall selection in 2016 by the Cincinnati Reds before being the piece that went to the San Diego Padres in the Trevor Bauer deadline deal in 2019. A year later Trammell found himself on the move at the deadline again, this time for Austin Nola and a pair of relievers.
Trammell has one season at Double-A and has yet to see Triple-A, but he has been informed he will be on the Opening day roster this season with Kyle Lewis unlikely to be ready to go. Despite having plus speed, 263 of his 394 games in the minor leagues have come in left field. His arm is well below average making right a non-option, but the speed will allow him to hold down center in a pinch, but left is the long-term solution for him. With that, the bat needs to improve from the .689 OPS he posted at Double-A.
When with the Padres, they made some minor tweaks to his swing that saw him selling out for pull side power too often and he really improved down the stretch. Based on raw talent, Trammell is a no brainer as an everyday guy, but he has not put it all together yet. He impressed enough in the alternate site a season ago and again this spring to get the nod, although I fully expect him to be sent down to Triple-A once Lewis is back and stay down there for long enough to keep him from being Super Two eligible.
THREE QUARTER SLOT 