Seattle Mariners 2024 Draft Pick is Farm System's Hardest-Throwing Pitcher
The Seattle Mariners have been heralded for their pitching development for several years.
Four of the five starters in the Mariners major league rotation (Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller) were all home-grown. Even the team's No. 6 starter Emerson Hancock was drafted and developed by Seattle.
As much as the Mariners have received praise for their pitching development, they entered the 2024 draft with just a few prospects that project well as major league starters like LHP Brandyn Garcia and RHP Logan Evans.
Seattle re-tooled their minor league pitching depth by drafting hurlers with 15 of its 20 picks in the 2024 MLB Draft. Those players included switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje in the first round and strong-armed RHP Ryan Sloan out of high school in the second round.
According to an article from Baseball America, it was the Mariners third-round 2024 draft pick that seems to have the best arm among their minor league clubs. At least in terms of velocity.
Hunter Cranton, who was drafted out of Kansas, had the highest-average velocoty in Seattle's farm system at 97.2 miles an hour.
Cranton made nine appearances this season with the Mariners' Low-A affiliate the Modesto Nuts en route to the club's second-straight California League championship.
Cranton had a 3.24 ERA in those outings with three saves and struck out 14 batters in 8.1 innings pitched. Cranton's 14th fanned batters clinched the California League title for the Nuts.
Congrats to the Modesto Nuts! Back-to-back California League Champions! pic.twitter.com/ljU3Y3Jk0W
— Mariners Minors (@MiLBMariners) September 19, 2024
Cranton was named the Mariners' No. 30 prospect by MLB Pipeline at season's end.
Although Cranton had the highest velocity in the organization's farm system, he didn't have the fastest recorded pitch.
There were 90 prospects in all of baseball that threw over 100 miles an hour, according to Baseball America. One of them was Carlos Vargas, who plays for the team's Triple-A club the Tacoma Rainiers. He clocked in a throw at 100.3 MPH on a two-seam fastball. He had a 3.54 ERA in 55 appearances this season with 40 strikeouts in 53.1 innings pitched.
Seattle typically drafts well and based on the 2024 draft class alone, it looks like that trend is continuing.
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