Who do experts believe will be the Seattle Mariners' top prospect of 2028?
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The Seattle Mariners can certainly boast of not only one of the best farm systems in baseball today, but over the past several years, yielding stars like Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh to today --- with youngsters Colt Emerson and Lazaro Montez. And there's more to come over the next few years, as MLB experts recently pointed out during aview into their crystal ball for 2028.
The multitude of writers who compiled a recent ranking of who would be the top prospect in every organization two years from now chose righthanded starter Ryan Sloan, 20, as the chosen one for that season, far down the horizon.
"The Mariners went over slot in the second round of the 2024 Draft to sign Sloan for $3 million out of the Illinois high school ranks, enamored with his combination of feel for pitching and ceiling," the report from MLB.com stated. "He did not disappoint in his first full year of pro ball, earning his way to High-A despite being on a closely monitored workload. He could have three plus pitches when all is said and done, with at least above-average control of his entire repertoire. We could be talking about him as one of the best right-handed pitching prospects a year from now."
Sloan is highly-touted in the Mariners' system
Sloan was selected by the Mariners as the 55th overall pick in the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft out of York Community High School in Elmhurst, Illinois. During his senior season as a prep player, he dominated, going 2–3 with a 0.30 ERA and 90 strikeouts over 46 innings on his way to being named the Illinois Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year.
Even in 2025, and still just a teenager, Sloan was turning heads in Minor League Baseball. He posted a 3.73 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 82 innings pitched. He will likely be in camp before the 2027 season, but it's widely held that the team doesn't see a need to rush him. With their young, solid rotation, the M's have the luxury of letting him take time to mature.
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Ryan K Boman is a freelance writer and the author of the 2023 book, Pop Music & Peanut Butter: A Collection of Essays Looking at Life with Love & Laughter. His previous work has appeared at MSN, Heavy, the Miami Herald, Screen Rant, FanSided, and Yardbarker. Follow him on X @RyanKBoman