Baseball: York pitcher Ryan Sloan picked by Seattle Mariners in MLB Draft’s second round

Ryan Sloan, a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher who led York to back-to-back state tournament appearances in 2023 and 2024, was selected on Sunday night by the Seattle Mariners in the second of the MLB Draft with the 55th pick.

“This is an absolute steal,” said MLBPipeline’s Jim Callis on the MLB Network after Sloan’s pick was announced.

As a senior Sloan posted a 2-3 record with a 0.30 earned run average and 90 strikeouts over 46 2/3 innings. He allowed just two earned runs all season and walked just five.

Sloan, with a fastball that has been clocked at 100 mph and regularly touches the high 90s, is committed to play collegiately at Wake Forest but was projected by multiple scouting services as a first-round draft pick. MLB.com rated the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Sloan as the No. 19 prospect in the 2024 MLB Draft.

As a junior Sloan posted a 4-1 record with a 0.91 ERA while striking out 88 over 46 innings. Sloan is the second Illinois pitcher drafted by the Mariners in the last three years. In 2022 Seattle drafted Oswego East right-handed pitcher Ashton Izzi.

“The thing that stands out first when you watch Ryan Sloan is the physicality,” Callis said on MLB Network. “I’m not going to say he’s going to be Gerrit Cole, but those are the comps he has. He has three-pitch potential. He has advanced feel for the changeup.”

This story will be updated.