Let the quest for the Cup begin.

Dozens of the best high school baseball players in the country will gather at Everett Memorial Stadium today with hopes of prevailing in the three-day Mariners Cup. The second annual event features three teams sponsored by major league organizations – the Northwest Mariner Team, the USA Mariner Team and the Chicago White Sox Team. The players are highly skilled athletes who will graduate from high school in 2008 or 2009.

Seven members of the Northwest Mariner Team, which includes 26 players from Washington and one from Utah chosen by the Seattle Mariners scouting staff, are from schools that compete in the Western Conference: pitcher/outfielder Derek Jones and pitcher/outfielder Brian Wolfe of Snohomish; outfielder Danny Oh of Jackson; first baseman Kramer Scott and pitcher Kyle Long of Edmonds-Woodway; pitcher Jake Theis of Mountlake Terrace, and catcher Doug Joyce of Stanwood.

The first two games of the Mariners Cup are at Everett Memorial. The Northwest plays the White Sox, featuring elite players from the Midwest, at 1 p.m. today. The Northwest takes on USA, whose players hail from Southern California, 30 minutes after the end of Game 1. The games are open to the public and admission is free.

The action moves to Safeco Field in Seattle on Thursday and Friday. On Thursday the White Sox play USA at 1 p.m., followed by the White Sox vs. the Northwest. On Friday, USA plays the White Sox at 11 a.m., and later USA battles the Northwest. The Safeco games cost $5 for adults and are free for children age 12 and younger. Parking is free in the Safeco garage.

Up for grabs for the three teams is the actual Mariners Cup, a one-year-old trophy that lists each year’s winning team and is displayed at Safeco Field. The Northwest will try to defend its 2006 championship.

The purpose of the event is to give young players an opportunity to display their skills on a big-time stage. Like many showcase tournaments for teenage players, it’s a chance to be evaluated by college coaches and pro scouts. But unlike some other well-known summer tourneys, the Mariners Cup features full games with detailed scorekeeping and the lure of the trophy.

The Northwest team will be managed by Dana Papasedero, a part-time area scout for the Mariners.

The seven Wesco players on the Northwest team are experienced and very talented, said Jim Fitzgerald, the Mariners Northwest scouting supervisor. Fitzgerald helped select the Northwest team.

Fitzgerald specifically praised Snohomish teammates Jones and Wolfe, who in May helped lead their high school team to second place in the Class 4A state tournament. Jones, The Herald’s 2007 All-Area Baseball Player of the Year, is considering scholarship offers from several Pacific-10 Conference programs, his father, Dave Jones, said.

Wolfe, who bats and throws left-handed, just like Jones, is one of just two Class of 2009 athletes on the Northwest squad.