The Mariners 2024 second-round draft pick managed to hold his own and then some against several major league hitters
The Seattle Mariners farm system has been considered one of the best in baseball, boasting six top 100 prospects per MLB Pipeline.
Most of the attention on the Mariners farm system has been paid toward the position players, with Colt Emerson (No. 9 MLB Pipeline) and Lazaro Montes (No. 43) getting a lion's share of discussion among analysts over the years.
However, so far in spring training, it's been the pitching prospects that have showed out at the Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Ariz.
Last year's No. 3 overall MLB Draft pick, left-hander Kade Anderson (No. 21), showed out Saturday. He struck out utility player Miles Mastrobuoni, outfielders Dominic Canzone and Randy Arozarena and generated a popout from Cal Raleigh, all in a live bullpen session.
The aforementioned players are competing in the upcoming 2026 World Baseball Classic and are getting in live BP reps earlier than usual in spring training due their participation in the international competition.
On Sunday, it was time for another top 100 pitching prospect's time to shine: right-hander Ryan Sloan (No. 33).
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound hurler, who was picked in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of high school, took on Raleigh, Josh Naylor and Arozarena in a live BP session.
The 20-year-old took on Raleigh in an eight-pitch at-bat that didn't yield a clear result. He then forced a groundout from Naylor.
The biggest highlight came during his showdown against Arozarena. He sat down the 2025 All-Star swinging on a slider with 20 inches of vertical break, per an article from MLB.com's Daniel Kramer, that resulted in Arozarena's bat flying out of his hands.
Sloan's fastball touched 99 miles per hour and his two-seam fastball, which he put on display for the first time in his professional career, touched 98 mph.
Sloan had an impressive showing in his first year of professional ball last season and was awarded with a non-roster invite. He began '25 with the Single-A Modesto Nuts and was promoted to the High-A Everett AquaSox on Aug. 10.
Sloan finished '25 with a 3.73 ERA and struck out 90 batters in 82 innings pitched across 21 starts at Single-A and High-A.
The organization views both Anderson and Sloan in high regard and doesn't expect lengthy stays in the minor leagues for either of them. In Kramer's article, Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said he doesn't expect either to spend a "heck of a lot of time" in the minor leagues.
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