Mariners Take Another Flamethrower With Second Pick in MLB Draft
After drafting the intriguing Jurrangelo Cijtnje in the first round of the MLB Draft on Sunday night, the Seattle Mariners struck the pitching market again in round two by selecting pitcher Ryan Sloan out of the Illinois high school ranks.
For the Mariners, re-stocking the pitching part of the farm system is a good thing. Though they are built on pitching at the major league level, Seattle now has gone the other way in the minors. Seven of the top eight prospects are position players, according to Baseball America, so evidently the organization felt it was time to re-invest on the mound.
Sloan was ranked the No. 19 draft prospect by MLB.com and the Mariners have gone over slot value to ensure that he'll likely sign with them.
The following comes from a portion of his MLB.com draft profile:
Gatorade's Illinois high school player of the year, Sloan shows the ability to manipulate a 93-96 mph fastball that tops out at 99, as he can ride and run it at the top of the zone, cut it in on left-handers or sink it for ground balls. He has a more advanced changeup than most prepsters, throwing hitters off balance with a mid-80s cambio that fades and sinks. His low-80s slider is nearly as good, featuring two-plane depth and some horizontal action as well.
Six-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Sloan has a strong lower half and is built to eat innings.
He has been committed to Wake Forest but the Mariners will try to buy him out of that commitment.
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