One day after Kade Anderson impressed in the Cactus League, it was the big righty's turn.
One day after top prospect Kade Anderson impressed in his Cactus League debut, Seattle Mariners prospect Ryan Sloan did the same.
The righty, who is ranked as the No. 33 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, went one inning, giving up no runs on no hits and no walks. He struck out one. Sloan is just 20 years old and was a second-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of the Illinois high school ranks.
He threw 12 pitches, 10 of which were strikes. His fastball topped out at 99 mph and his solid slider was present as well. Much like Anderson, he showed impressive poise in getting ahead of hitters and challenging them.
Several prominent baseball people weighed in on his debut, including Thomas Nestico of @TJStats:
Ryan Sloan (#27 Prospect) made his debut!
Sloan's calling card in his first pro season was his pinpoint command and strong breaking balls. Now he is dialing up his fastball to the upper 90s and flashed a wicked changeup. He has future #1 Pitching Prospect written all over him!
Eric Cross of RotoBaller said he also could be the top pitching prospect in baseball soon enough:
Ryan Sloan made his debut today.
Really excited to see how he does this season. The upside to be the top pitching prospect in the game a year from now is definitely there.
And from Pitch Profiler:
You do not have to squint to see why Ryan Sloan is viewed as a top-50 prospect!
The stuff is electric, the command has been excellent, and he looks like a pitcher with a real chance to become an impactful rotation arm.
About Sloan's 2025 and 2026 ahead
The 20-year-old appeared in 21 games in 2025, 18 of which came at Single-A Modesto and three of which were at High-A Everett. He went 2-4 overall with a 3.73 ERA, striking out 90 batters in 82.0 innings. Opponents hit .256 off him at hitter-friendly leagues.
It's unclear exactly what the plan is for him at this time, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him start at Everett and then ascend to Double-A Arkansas. At that point, there is always a chance he could be up in the big leagues by the end of 2026 if the team really needs him.
Need to know
We had a chance to speak with Sloan at Mariners spring training in Peoria and you can listen to that interview on the 'Refuse to Lose' podcast.
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