Ryan

Sloan

Sloan got the call to work the fifth inning for the American League and managed to protect a one-run lead, needing just 17 pitches in the process. He got Josiah Hartshorn and Gavin Kilen to ground out harmlessly before coughing up a two-out double to power-hitting Dakota Jordan. He won a six-pitch battle with top prospect Jesús Made to escape the frame with a one-run lead intact. The 20-year-old possesses one of the most impressive arsenals in the minors and has a chance to reach Seattle later this summer, where he would make sense as a relief weapon heading into the postseason.

Anderson along with organization mate Ryan Sloan are both top ten prospects in all of baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, ranking fifth and eighth, respectively. They are the only teammates on the American League team both ranked inside the top 25 overall. They will be joined by Athletics SS Leo De Vries (MLB Pipeline’s number two prospect), Red Sox SS Franklin Arias (seventh-overall prospect), Rays outfielder Theo Gillen (ninth-ranked prospect), and many more. The 2026 Future Game will take place Sunday, July 12 at Noon ET on NBC.

There’s a lot to unpack here. According to Mariners general manager Justin Hollander, it was a unanimous decision by all six starters — Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Emerson Hancock, Bryce Miller and Luis Castillo — to move to a schedule where each pitcher will rotate through and have piggyback days. Ironically, the arrangement will begin with Castillo piggybacking out of the bullpen with Miller during Friday’s series opener against the Red Sox. The decision will have a significant fantasy impact simply by reducing the overall volume for each starter over the next few weeks. The unorthodox arrangement feels like a temporary stopgap solution until the arrival of top prospects Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan later this summer ultimately forces Seattle to move on from at least one of their veteran arms.

The Mariners not only have six starters working right now deserving of rotation nods, but also arguably the best left-handed and right-handed pitching prospects in baseball in Anderson and Sloan. Anderson has been particularly impressive with a 1.13 ERA and 82/6 K/BB ERA in Double-A, but Sloan is a 20-year-old with three pitches that can miss bats and has flashed brilliance in the same league. Jude does note that both have a chance to pitch for Seattle later this summer, but for now, Double-A hitters are going to have a bad time when they face Arkansas.