20-year-old Tai Peete is showing promise in the Seattle system
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For the Seattle Mariners, it's a nice luxury to have a player like Tai Peete around. The 20-year-old shortstop, second baseman, and outfielder has been rapidly rising in the M's minor league ranks, and he's developing into the kind of threat that could benefit the big club. But thanks to the team's developmental depth, adding Peete to that mix is like icing on the cake.
Peete was chosen by the Mariners in the first round (30th overall) of the 2023 MLB Draft. At first glance at his surname, many fans may think he's related to former pro quarterback Rodney Peete. He's not, but it's no wonder there's some confusion. The youngster already has the frame of an NFL player, as his assessment on MLB.com indicates.
"A premium athlete with a wide receiver's 6-foot-2 frame, Peete has a left-handed swing geared to do damage at the plate," the online scouting report reads. "He has immense raw power and showed flashes of it in 2024, with an approach that could let him crush balls to all fields."
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"But he just as easily can get out of that approach when he tries to sell out for power, and while he does draw some walks, the 30.7 percent strikeout rate he registered last year isn't going to work as he moves up the ladder," the report added. "He doesn't have great rhythm and feel at the plate, and [he] could be an ambush power-over-hit type of offensive player."
Is Tai Peete a future starter in Seattle?
JP Crawford is 28 years old, and he's finishing up a two-year contract extension with the Mariners that runs through the 2026 season, so he’s currently in the final year of that deal. As one of the team's veteran leaders and an acknowledged credit to the community (he was nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award last year), the team would love to see him stay in Seattle for the foreseeable future. At the same time, the club knows it has a wealth of young talent on the way. They will be more youthful and less expensive, which is all the better for any MLB club.
The heir apparent is M's top prospect, Colt Emerson, who will likely play elsewhere on the infield until his natural position opens up. As far as second base is concerned? Cole Young and Michael Arroyo are ahead of Peete in the prospect pecking order, so he has also been playing in the outfield.
In the end, Peete's future in MLB might be as a utility player. Expect his arrival to the big leagues to come in late 2027, then we will get a better look at how he'll perform at the highest level.
