Pitcher Ryan Peterson was drafted out of Sam Houston and hails from tiny Shiner, Texas
Ryan Peterson did not arrive in the Miami Marlins' organization with the kind of résumé that many of his contemporaries
The righthander from Shiner, Texas (pop. 2000), was selected by Miami with the 71st overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft after a successful career at Sam Houston State, where he earned All-Conference USA honors. He went 6-5 with a 3.38 ERA over 88 innings and 15 starts, while striking out 105 and walking only 23.
He also made a bit of history for his alma mater when he was chosen 71st overall by the Fish, becoming the first Bearkat chosen since Kevin Renz was selected 54th overall by the Detroit Tigers in the 1984 draft.
Peterson signed with the Marlins in July and was slotted into the Florida Complex League. Throughout the remainder of the regular season, he sat out, worked out, and trained. That may benefit him even more as he heads into year two, likely at the Single-A level, with the hopes of reaching High-A by the conclusion of 2027.
To go from a small town to a small college to the big leagues would be quite a feat for the young hurler, but Peterson certainly has the skills to accomplish that feat, in the mind of team executives.
A Work in Progress
When discussing Peterson and fellow pick Ethan Kleinschmit, Marlins vice-president of Amateur Forecasting & Player Evaluation Frankie Piliere had this to say:
“We talk a lot about our ability to create shapes and velocity and create nastier stuff Both of these guys are really great frameworks: the strikes, the deliveries, the ability to start the framework for some good shapes already. … I think both of these guys we see as huge opportunities to continue to enhance their stuff and make them better.”
Peterson wasn't drafted because Miami viewed him as a finished product. The organization appears to have seen a pitcher with an unusually good foundation — especially his breaking ball, strike throwing and pitch shapes — and believed its development system could add velocity and make the overall arsenal nastier.
For the Marlins, that is the intriguing part. Not what Peterson's overall ability is right now, but where he could potentially be in short order. And a quick maturation process would be optimal for the righty, who is too old to be lingering around the low minors for very long. He needs to jump a couple levels in at least one of his first two seasons. That looks like a more likely scenario in year one.
