Mariners Prospect Rankings #3, RHP Ryan Sloan

There are very few baseball players capable of doing the things that Ryan Sloan does on a daily basis. At just 20 years old, Sloan has ascended from high schooler to consensus top 100 prospect in just 82 innings, supplanting himself near the top of pitching ranks over players with far more professional experience. A tremendously gifted player with as much potential as any pitching prospect the Seattle system has seen in years, Sloan is on a rocket ship toward the big leagues and could be a major league contributor far sooner than anyone could have anticipated at the time of his drafting.

Physically, Sloan has an imposing 6’5 frame with plenty of strength to hold velocity deep into games. More impressively, however, is how he’s able to move given his size. Sloan is smooth down the mound and rarely looks like he’s overexerting himself, repeating his mechanics exceptionally well for someone as green as he is. His athleticism is an underrated aspect of his game and is foundational to what makes him so tantalizing as a prospect.

The arsenal is immense. His fastball, arguably his “worst” pitch, is now sitting 98 mph, up a few ticks from last season. It doesn’t get much carry through the zone and isn’t spectacular metrically, but his velocity helps it play up and makes it a solid offering. His slider, a hellish breaker with bite and sweep, is a true strikeout offering that profiles as a plus-pitch long term. His changeup, a pitch he picked up at a high school event one day to combat a lefty heavy lineup, is equally as impressive, dropping off the table for hitters and getting some arm-side fade to boot. He’s added a cutter and sinker as well, giving him a five-pitch arsenal to deploy on opposing hitters. The stuff is not a concern whatsoever.

The command is typically where young pitchers falter, but for Sloan, it’s arguably better than his stuff. Sloan rarely walks batters and has commanded his pitches rather well, working a sub 2 BB/9 in his first professional season and landing his putaway pitches in good spots to induce chase. His aforementioned athleticism and repeatable mechanics corroborate the notion he’ll throw strikes, and he’s given little reason to believe adding new pitches to his arsenal impacts his overall control of the zone. It’s borderline anomalous talent.

At the risk of egging on the hype train even further, there is not an obvious critique of Sloan’s game. Sure, the fastball is generic in shape, but any heater that’s sitting 98 is going to play at any level, particularly one that’s well located. At 20 years old, Sloan has already ascended to Double-A and seems destined for the elite upper echelon of prospects leaguewide. He’s polished, he’s “stuffy”, and he’s got a great head on his shoulders that’s equally personable as it is competitive. It’s tough to poke holes in his game right now, and fans should get excited to watch Sloan pitch in a Mariner uniform for many years to come.