SEATTLE MARINERS

3 under-the-radar Mariners prospects to watch this spring

Feb 4, 2025, 4:34 PM | Updated: 4:48 pm

Spring training is set to provide plenty of chances to see some of the Seattle Mariners’ top prospects in action.

Dipoto Speaks: What we learned about Seattle Mariners’ offseason

Among the 31 non-roster invitees this spring are several touted farmhands from the M’s highly regarded system. Cole Young, Colt Emerson, Harry Ford, Lazaro Montes and Michael Arroyo – players who have commonly shown up in the numerous top-100 prospect rankings released over the past few weeks – will all be a part of Seattle’s major league spring training.

But those won’t be the only Mariners prospects to keep an eye on in Arizona. During a conversation with Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Tuesday, assistant general manager Andy McKay shared three more players fans should be monitoring throughout spring training.

Only one of the players McKay highlighted will actually be a part of the big league camp: third baseman Ben Williamson.

Williamson, a second-round pick in 2023, hasn’t received nearly as much attention as the players listed above. However, the William & Mary product has one of the better chances to make an impact on the Mariners’ big league roster at some point in 2025.

A 24-year-old right-handed bat, Williamson reached Double-A Arkansas during his first full pro season in 2024. In 29 games with High-A Everett to start the year, he hit .315 with an .867 OPS. In 95 games with Arkansas after, he hit .272 with a .739 OPS, 23 doubles, two triples and three home runs.

Williamson, the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year in his final college season, hasn’t shown the power that’s typically associated with third base. He has just four home runs (one was inside the park) in 585 minor league plate appearance. However, his defense is considered to be among the best – if not the best – of any infield prospect across baseball.

“Our coaches love this player to death. Our analysts love this player. Our scouts love this player,” McKay said. “And recently he graded out in one of the industry sources … as arguably the best defensive infielder in Minor League Baseball. And whether he is or isn’t, he’s definitely in that conversation. High baseball IQ, tremendous competitor. He was a part of that championship team in Arkansas last year and is just a true professional.”

Two pitching prospects to watch

McKay also pointed to top 2024 draft picks Jurrangelo Cijntje and Ryan Sloan, a pair of pitchers who went in the first and second rounds, respectively. Cijntje and Sloan will take part in minor league spring training and play on the back fields at Cactus League sites.

McKay dubbed the 21-year-old Cijntje the “most unique” prospect in the team’s farm system. It’s pretty easy to tell why. The Mississippi State product is a switch-pitcher who can reach the upper-90s with his fastball right-handed and the low-90s left-handed (and he also speaks five languages).

The Mariners plan to give Cijntje the chance to prove he can continue being a switch-pitcher as he works his way through the minors.

“Really we’re just going to let it play a little bit, and ultimately he’s gonna tell us what it’s gonna do. It’s either gonna work or it’s not,” McKay said. “… We’ve gotta give it a real opportunity to figure out what it is, and it’s very different (pitching) in a pro environment every five days and (having) more starts as opposed to a seven-day rotation in college. So there’s gonna be some trial and error here.”

As for Sloan, he possesses an imposing 6-foot-5, 220-pound frame at just 19 years old. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and touches 99 mph.

In a recent MLB.com article, Sloan was named as one of 10 players who just missed MLB Pipeline’s top-100 prospects list.

McKay said when he met Sloan during a pre-draft visit that he “immediately knew this kid needs to be a Mariner.”

“Those two will be great,” McKay said. “They haven’t thrown a pitch for us yet and this is their first spring training.”

Hear the full conversation with Seattle Mariners assistant general manager Andy McKay at this link or in the audio player in this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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