15% CUP each. ECDs June 24 and July 29. Both pitchers were expected to open at High-A Everett. Both opened at Double-A Arkansas. Dipoto named Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo as the comp. In 2023, Miller and Woo went from Arkansas to the Seattle rotation by June. The model logged September as the base case. The Double-A jump makes earlier possible.
The model assigned both Sloan and Anderson a 15% CUP on March 20 with ECDs of June 24 and July 29 respectively via Pathway C. Both were flagged as PPI-High at run date. Both missed the April 9 PPI deadline, as neither was promoted to the major leagues. The draft pick incentive for each is now gone. What has changed meaningfully: both were assigned to Double-A Arkansas to open 2026, skipping High-A Everett entirely. The original plan was High-A. The calculus changed after their spring performances. That level jump compresses the timeline to Seattle.
Manager Jerry Dipoto compared their trajectory to Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo in 2023, who opened that season at Double-A Arkansas and were in the Seattle rotation by June when injuries hit. He explicitly did not rule out a 2026 MLB appearance for either pitcher.
Sloan was selected by Seattle in the second round of the 2024 draft, 55th overall, out of York Community High School in Elmhurst, Illinois. He is 20 years old. The Mariners bought him out of a Wake Forest commitment for $3 million, well above slot value. He made his professional debut in 2025, posting a 3.73 ERA with 90 strikeouts and 15 walks in 82 innings across 21 starts between Low-A Modesto and High-A Everett. His 1.16 WHIP was one of the lowest among starting pitchers his age in the minor leagues.
Sloan stands 6-foot-5 and throws a fastball that reaches 99 mph with cutting action at the top of the zone. In Seattle’s Spring Breakout game against the Brewers’ top-ranked farm system, he threw three perfect innings with three strikeouts on 39 pitches. Luke Stevenson, the Mariners catcher who caught both Sloan and Anderson in spring, described Sloan’s stuff as “electric” and “fuel, absolute fuel.” Pitching strategist Trent Blank noted Sloan’s fastball is “unique, you don’t see a lot of guys who cut a fastball like that at 96 to 99.” Blank identified the changeup as the pitch to develop: it shows good depth off the fastball but needs refinement to be a reliable third offering.
Anderson was selected by Seattle with the third overall pick in the 2025 draft out of Louisiana State University, where he led the Tigers to the College World Series championship and was named Most Outstanding Player. He is 21 years old. He received a $7.74 million signing bonus. He did not pitch in a professional game in 2025, using the remainder of the season to rest and prepare following his heavy college workload. His Double-A Arkansas assignment is his professional debut.
Anderson is a 6-foot-2 left-hander who sat 95 to 97 mph in his three Cactus League starts, touching 99, with a four-pitch mix including a changeup, curveball, and cutter. Scouts compare his delivery and polish to Blue Jays lefty Trey Yesavage, another college arm drafted in the first round who climbed quickly. Dipoto called Anderson’s competitive makeup exceptional, noting he pitched spring training backfield sessions “like he was pitching in Game 6 of the ALCS.” Anderson is ahead of Sloan on Seattle’s organizational depth chart based on his longer track record of professional-level workload, having logged 119 innings at LSU.
Both pitchers were originally expected to open at High-A Everett. The plan changed in late March after impressive spring showings. Dipoto cited the less volatile weather conditions in Arkansas compared to the Pacific Northwest in April as a contributing factor, but the primary reason was performance. Opening at Double-A typically reduces the time to a major league call-up by four to eight weeks for a pitcher who performs. For a pitcher who dominates Double-A, the Bryce Miller comparison is not theoretical. It is the stated organizational blueprint.
The model’s ECD for Sloan was June 24 and for Anderson was July 29. Both were set assuming a High-A starting point. The Double-A assignment makes the June window more realistic for Anderson and the July window more realistic for Sloan if they perform. Neither is a lock. Both are legitimate 2026 candidates if Seattle’s rotation needs them.