Minor League Baseball

Pair of Seattle Mariners Pitching Prospects Named Breakout Candidates by Insider

Relievers Brandyn Garcia and Hunter Cranton could provide a boost to the Mariners major league bullpen in 2025.
Teren Kowatsch|
The Seattle Mariners Armed Forces Day hat is pictured in the dugout before a game against the Atlanta Braves on May 20, 2023, at Truist Park.
The Seattle Mariners Armed Forces Day hat is pictured in the dugout before a game against the Atlanta Braves on May 20, 2023, at Truist Park. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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Seattle Mariners

Pitchers and catchers have officially reported to spring training for the Seattle Mariners. And several prospects will have a chance to make a strong impression during their stay at the Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Ariz.

Outside of Cole Young, who will have a chance to compete for the open second base job, the pitching prospects will have the best opportunity to make the major league roster in 2025.

The Mariners will have two or three open spots on the bullpen. Several prospects will be getting significant looks as relievers. And a Seattle insider highlighted two such minor league pitchers as potential breakout candidates.

An article published by Adam Jude of The Seattle Times mentioned left-handed pitcher Brandyn Garcia and 2024 third-round pick Hunter Cranton:

Garcia, a 6-foot-4 lefty, emerged as one of the Mariners’ top starting pitching prospects after a strong season between High-A and Double-A last year. The Mariners are shifting him to the bullpen this spring, as reported earlier this offseason, with the idea that he could compete for a spot on the opening-day roster.
An 11th-round pick in 2023, Garcia, 24, relies on three-pitch mix — a mid-90s two-seam fastball, a mid-80s slider and a cutter — that he throws with a three-quarter arm slot and a deceptive cross-body delivery. If he can throw consistent strikes, he could be a valuable asset out of the bullpen.
Cranton, 24, was the Mariners’ third-round pick last year out of Kansas. He has a fastball that has touched triple digits and he projects to move quickly through Seattle’s system — and could very well be in the M’s bullpen mix at some point this year.

Garcia made 27 appearances (25 starts) for the Mariners High-A team, the Everett AquaSox, and Double-A club the Arkansas Travelers, in 2024. He had a 2.25 ERA and struck out 134 batters in 116 innings pitched.

Cranton had nine relief outings for Seattle's Low-A Modesto Nuts in 2024. He struck out 14 batters in 8.1 innings pitched. He registered the final strikeout that clinched a second-straight California League championship for the Nuts.

If Cranton and Garcia both perform at the level they're capable of, the floor of Seattle's bullpen could be higher than it was in 2024.

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Teren Kowatsch
TEREN KOWATSCH

Teren Kowatsch is a staff writer for ''Minor League Baseball on SI'' and other "On SI'' baseball sites. He has been a writer for “On SI’’ for two years and is a graduate of the University of Idaho. You can follow him on Twitter @Teren_Kowatsch

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