For the first time all season, Mariners' top pitching prospects Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan toed the rubber on the same night. Anderson was making his highly anticipated MLB debut, but that didn't stop Sloan from grabbing his own slice of the spotlight.
The 20-year-old right-hander rattled off 11 punchouts, allowing just one run on one knock across five frames for Double-A Arkansas in its suspended contest vs. Springfield at Dickey-Stephens Park on Saturday. The start tied Sloan's hitless six-inning gem on May 30 for his career high in strikeouts and lowered his ERA to 3.63 on the season. MLB's No. 8 prospect landed 50 of 69 pitches for strikes, producing 21 whiffs.
From the outset, Sloan had his entire arsenal working. He struck out Tai Peete (STL No. 17) and Jesús Báez (STL No. 15) on a pair of breaking balls to open the contest before shifting to his heater to fan Ryan Campos and finish off the side.
In the second, the Mariners' No. 2 prospect served another helping of K's -- two with his mid-90s four-seamer and one with his 60-grade changeup. Two frames in, Sloan not only had struck out all six batters, but they were all on swings-and-misses.
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The streak ended in the third when Zach Levenson tagged Sloan for a solo homer. The 2024 second-rounder responded by retiring the final nine batters of his outing, facing just one over the minimum across five innings.
While Anderson -- who traversed 5 2/3 strong frames for the Mariners in his MLB debut -- has had one of the most impressive Minor League seasons in recent memory, Sloan's second pro campaign has been noteworthy in its own right. The Mariners aggressively assigned him to Double-A, where he is over four years younger than his average opponent, and he has responded well. Following his latest gem, the Illinois native has allowed two runs or fewer in eight of his past nine starts, sporting a 2.35 ERA over the stretch. Across his last 10 2/3 innings specifically, he has racked up 20 strikeouts.
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An influx of young talent has hit the level in recent weeks, but Sloan is one of just five prospects 20 years old or younger with 10 or more starts at Double-A this season. His 111 strikeouts trail only the Nationals' Alex Clemmey (113) for the most in that group, while his 11.5 K/9 is the seventh-highest among qualified arms at the circuit.
Anderson may no longer be flummoxing Texas League hitters, but Sloan's latest gem is evidence that he's more than ready to take up the mantle.