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Sloan's 4.44 ERA at Double-A Arkansas is a tad bloated thanks to a couple clunkers, but he boasts a 58:12 K:BB over 46.2 innings in his 11 starts. The 20-year-old right-hander is in the Mariners' plans for later this summer, per Jude, but Seattle already has six viable starting pitchers at the major-league level, and fellow prospect Kade Anderson could also be ahead of Sloan in the pecking order.
Few prospects generated more rave reviews this spring than Sloan, whose already plus fastball jumped a couple ticks and now sits around 97 mph. Sloan, who could be the game's top pitching prospect in a couple months, only made three starts at High-A last year, so this is a big vote of confidence. Per the report, the initial plan was to assign Sloan to High-A Everett, but the calculus changed after he made such a strong impression this spring. The less volatile weather conditions in Arkansas compared to the Pacific Northwest in April also factored into the decision. What makes the assignment even more notable is that the Mariners have a track record of jumping their best pitching prospects from Double-A to the majors, bypassing the Pacific Coast League. Kade Anderson, the Mariners' other premium pitching prospect, is also opening the year at Double-A.
Sloan lived up to the hype in his spring debut -- the righty needed just 12 pitches to set down Texas in order while touching 99 mph with his fastball. The 20-year-old Sloan posted a 3.73 ERA with a 1.16 WHIP and an impressive 90:15 K:BB across 21 starts (82 innings) last year between Single-A and High-A, his first season as a professional. Sloan will look to establish himself as one of the game's premier pitching prospects in 2026.
Despite having yet to pitch above the High-A level, Sloan didn't look out of place while facing off against some of the Mariners' top hitters in Cal Raleigh, Randy Arozarena and Josh Naylor during the BP session. According to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, the 20-year-old righty sported a four-seamer that hit 99 miles per hour and a two-seamer that reached 98 mph. Sloan missed the final month of the 2025 campaign after undergoing a procedure on his eye, but he's seemingly free of restrictions heading into 2026 and could establish himself as one of the game's top pitching prospects if health prevails this season.
Recovery is expected to take only about 2-to-3 weeks, but it'll still be enough to bring Sloan's campaign to an early end. The 19-year-old has pitched well out of the rotation for Everett this season with a 3.44 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 77:15 K:BB over 70.2 frames in his first year of professional ball.