Minor League Baseball

Seattle Mariners Top Draft Pick Narrowly Missed Top 100 Prospect Rankings

According to MLB Pipeline, Ryan Sloan, who was drafted in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft, is knocking on the door of being one of the best prospects in the sport.
Brady Farkas|
A detailed view of the Seattle Mariners armed forces day hat in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park in 2023.
A detailed view of the Seattle Mariners armed forces day hat in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park in 2023. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

In this story:

Seattle Mariners

Seattle Mariners right-handed pitching prospect Ryan Sloan is reportedly knocking on the door of being one of the top prospects in all of baseball.

According to MLB Pipeline, Sloan just missed being named one of the Top 100 prospects in the sport, despite the fact that he's never thrown a professional pitch. He was drafted in the second round of the 2024 draft out of the Illinois high school ranks.

Per MLB Pipeline:

Sloan has all the makings of a potential top-of-the-rotation starter. Not only does he have three potential plus pitches, including a fastball that has touched triple digits with run, but the extension created by his 6-foot-5 frame and his flat approach angle also add a layer of deception. The 18-year-old's advanced polish helped make him the top high school righty in the 2024 Draft, and the M's paid him accordingly with a $3 million bonus in the second round. Seattle has historically been cautious with prep pitchers, but Sloan's workhorse frame and history of pounding the zone could enable him to make a big impact in his highly anticipated pro debut.

The Mariners have gone in cycles with their draft philosophy since Jerry Dipoto took over a decade ago. The M's have built their major league roster on pitching, including homegrown draft picks Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller, but they went to a hitting-first philosophy in the draft in 2022, selecting Cole Young, and the again in 2024 with Colt Emerson.

Now, with the major league pitching established and the minor league hitting coming along, the M's are swinging back to pitching. They took switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cjtinje in the first-round in 2024, then took Sloan immediately following.

It's expected that Sloan will make his debut with Low-A Modesto this season.

Related MiLB Stories

QUITE THE IMPRESSION: Jorge Polanco spent just two games in Single-A Everett on a rehab assignment in 2024, but he made quite the impression based on their funny social media post last week. CLICK HERE:

DROUGHT BREAKING: The Syracuse Mets own the longest championship drought in the minor leagues and they are looking to break it in 2025. CLICK HERE:

BREWERS DRAW PRAISE: The Milwaukee Brewers were given a solid grade for their international class, per MLB.com. CLICK HERE:

Published | Modified
Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is the senior writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and the host of “The Payoff Pitch’’ podcast, which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. Follow Brady on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.

Home/NEWS