Lewis leads Mariners' Top 30 Prospects list

SEATTLE -- While outfielder Kyle Lewis continues to lead the Mariners' list of top prospects that was updated this week by MLBPipeline.com, the club has a number of newcomers among its Top 30 players.
Lewis is the lone Mariners prospect on MLBPipeline.com's midseason Top 100, sitting at No. 47 as he works back from major knee surgery. But 20-year-old right-hander Nick Neidert, who was just promoted to Double-A Arkansas last week after going 10-3 with a 2.76 ERA in 19 starts for Class A Modesto, just missed the Top 100 and has moved up to Seattle's No. 2 prospect.
• Mariners Top 30 Prospects
First baseman Evan White, who was this year's first-round Draft pick out of Kentucky, has been installed at No. 3 for the Mariners. Right-hander Andrew Moore, still eligible for prospect status despite having made five starts Seattle, moved up one spot from the preseason rankings to No. 4, while Sam Carlson -- the club's second-round Draft pick as a prep standout out of Minneapolis -- debuted at No. 5.

Former Washington Huskies outfielder Braden Bishop jumped 10 spots up to No. 6 on Seattle's list and No. 7 is Julio Rodriguez, a young outfielder signed out of the Dominican Republic three weeks ago as one of this year's top international prospects.
Shortstop Christopher Torres, a 19-year-old Dominican shortstop who is at Class A Everett, also took a big jump up the list, moving up eight spots to No. 8, followed by hard-throwing reliever Thyago Vieira (up four spots to No. 9), and converted reliever Max Povse (down four spots to No. 10).
Left-hander Marco Gonzales, who was acquired from the Cardinals last week for outfielder Tyler O'Neill, has been installed as Seattle's No. 11 prospect. O'Neill was in the Top 100 overall prospects at No. 37 in the preseason rankings, but a slow start at Triple-A Tacoma led to him being dropped out of the Top 100 now and he enters the Cardinals' system as their No. 5 prospect.

Among the other notable changes in Seattle's Top 30, right-hander Emilio Pagán -- who has been impressive in a long-relief role for the Mariners -- has gone from unranked to No. 13, while catcher David Banuelos, drafted last month in the fifth round out of Cal State Long Beach, comes in at No. 15.
Shortstop Juan Querecuto, another international signee this month, enters the Mariners' Top 30 at No. 20. Two other 2017 Draft picks -- Michigan left-hander Oliver Jaskie and Dallas Baptist right-hander Seth Elledge -- have been installed at Nos. 21 and 23 respectively. Both are playing at Everett.
Lewis remains the Mariners' elite prospect, though he dropped a few spots from his preseason No. 29 ranking in the Top 100, as he's been slowed by the knee injury suffered in a home-plate collision last July in his 30th game for Everett.
After a rigorous offseason of rehab and recovery, Lewis has played 11 games in the Arizona Rookie League and just began playing for Modesto. He's hit .368 with three home runs and seven RBIs in six games for Modesto, but he was removed from Monday's game after four innings after dealing with some renewed soreness in the knee.
Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said there was no structural issue and Lewis was to be re-evaluated on Tuesday, with his status listed as day-to-day.
The ranking of baseball's top prospects is done by MLBPipeline.com Draft and prospect experts Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis and Mike Rosenbaum, who compile input from industry sources, including scouts and scouting directors. It is based on analysis of players' skill sets, upsides, proximity to the Majors and potential immediate impact to their teams. Only players with rookie status are eligible for the list. Players who were at least 23 years old when they signed and played in leagues deemed to be professional (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Cuba) are not eligible.