Virginia Tech Baseball: Former Hokie Griffin Stieg Selected By the Seattle Mariners with the 542nd Overall Pick

After missing the 2024 season, the right-handed pitcher slipped down the draft board.

Griffin Stieg delivers the pitch in the gray Hokies jerseys. | Virginia Tech Athletics.

The Seattle Mariners have selected right-handed pitcher Griffin Stieg 542nd overall in the 18th round. Stieg wouldn't be returning for the 2026 season with Tech, regardless, having transferred to the University of Alabama in the offseason.

His UCL tear kept him out for the entire 2025 season, leaving a gap in the Hokies’ starting rotation. In 2023, Stieg overpowered hitters throughout his sophomore campaign, tallying 48 strikeouts in 13 starts.

Stieg finished his sophomore season with a 3-2 record and a 4.70 ERA with a WHIP of 1.30 over 51.2 innings. Those are impressive enough numbers for any collegiate pitcher, let alone a sophomore in the ACC.

The UCL injury appeared to be a minor red flag on a few teams' draft boards, with him slipping down from his No. 236 MLB.com draft projection before the Mariners seized the opportunity to pick him in the middle of Round 18.

A filthy two-seam fastball with a lot of movement is Stieg's number one pitch, with the heater maxing out at 97 during the 2024 season. Stieg pairs that fastball with a mid-80s slider with a lot of horizontal movement a changeup that drops vertically, generating plenty of swings and misses.

While he'll be out for all of this season, one college arm I'm rather bullish on is RHP Griffin Stieg (@HokiesBaseball). After showing flashes as a Freshman in 2023 to the tune of 24 Ks across 18.2 IP, Stieg took a step forward last spring and pitched his way to a 4.70 ERA with… pic.twitter.com/OAZ9xPRg4q

— Peter Flaherty III (@PeterGFlaherty) January 22, 2025

The inexperience with Stieg is the reason that he dropped this low; without being sidelined and possessing more experience under his belt, Stieg could have shot up the prospect rankings even more and solidified himself as a top pitching prospect from the right side of the rubber.

Stieg was the only Tech player on last season's roster to get a invite to the MLB Draft Combine, earning him the chance to showcase his arm talent in front of MLB scouts of all 30 franchises.

Stieg can easily settle in the back of the rotation as a solid starter who will claw his way to a victory, or Seattle could shift him into the bullpen to allow a more vicious Stieg while simultaneously protecting his arm.