3 Mariners draft picks from 2024 who already look like huge steals

Signing expensive free agents is fun and all, but nothing beats watching homegrown talent rise the ranks of the minor leagues before debuting with the team that drafted them.

The Seattle Mariners have been blessed with a core of players who have only ever known one place to be home: Julio Rodríguez, Logan Gilbert, Cal Raleigh, and George Kirby, just to name a few. Now that these names have graduated from their prospect status, more young talent has taken its place and with the help of a few 2024 selections in particular, Seattle's future looks as bright as ever.

Here are three draft picks from 2024 who already look like potential steals for the Mariners, complete with their organizational ranks according to MLB Pipeline.

Potential 2024 Draft Steal: C Josh Caron (4th Round, No. 121)

MLB Pipeline Rank: 21

Caron was selected in the fourth round of the draft out of the University of Nebraska, where he averaged a .838 OPS over his three seasons. Scouts have described him as a well-rounded prospect with a particularly strong arm and ability to limit traffic on the basepaths. He was already solid during his short time in Single-A Modesto after being drafted, and he's started 2025 in High-A Everett.

Across 55 plate appearances, he has a .275 average with two homers and seven RBI, a good start to his first full season of professional baseball. There's some concern about his plate discipline with a 32.7 strikeout percentage with just a 3.6 walk percentage but it's something that he can continue to work on throughout the year.

The path to the big leagues won't be easy, especially with Raleigh's big extension and how he has been playing recently. But like fellow top catching prospect Harry Ford, if he keeps up the good work, he could end up netting the team help for positions with less depth in the form of a trade.

Potential 2024 Draft Steal: RHP Ryan Sloan (2nd Round, No. 55)

MLB Pipeline Rank: 8

Sloan was the Mariners' second-round pick out of York Community high school. His 6-foot-5 frame gives him an excellent knack for velocity. At just 19 years old, his fastball is already sitting in the mid-90s and topping out at 99 mph. Even more impressive is his ability to modify the shape of fastball, making it cut or sink depending on whether he's facing left- or right-handed batters.

So far, much of the praise from scouts has carried over into his professional career. He has started the year in Single-A Modesto and has already posted some eye-popping numbers. Over his first 8.1 innings pitched, he has a 34.3 strikeout rate with an ERA of 3.24 and a FIP of 3.04.

As with many young pitchers who have incredible velocity, Sloan's command could use some improvement as he has walked 11.4 percent of batters. But for someone so young, he's already quite a few steps ahead of other prospects with similar physical gifts. As he continues to work on his secondary pitches and controlling his power, he'll continue to rise the ranks of the minor leagues. He has already broken into several top prospect lists and it doesn't look like he's slowing down any time soon.

Potential 2024 Draft Steal: RHP/LHP Jurrangelo Cijntje (1st Round, No. 15)

MLB Pipeline Rank: 9

The sport of baseball has seen quite a few things. Switch-hitters have become so common that people don't even bat an eye. A two-way player is the biggest superstar in the sport and has been for the past few years now. We've even see a switch pitcher whose unique debut prompted a rule change.

However, we have never seen a switch pitcher with the stuff that Jurrangelo Cijntje possesses.

From the right side, he's able to dial up the fastball to the high-90s with a mid-80s slider. From the left side, he adopts a lower release point to get a low-80s sweeper and low-90s fastball. Just explaining his arsenal requires twice the work of a typical pitcher so one can only imagine how tough it is for opposing teams to prepare to face him.

Six appearances into his first professional season with High-A Everett, there's quite a bit to be excited about. His 29.3 strikeout percentage and opposing batting average of just .167 give us a glimpse into how dominant he can be when he's at his best.

Unfortunately, Cijntje has quite a few kinks to work out. His cumulative ERA of 4.67 is mostly dragged down by two relief appearances where he gave up a combined five earned runs in just 1.2 innings of work. Additionally, his walk rate of 17.3 is far too high and is one of the main reasons for his FIP of 6.00.

He is struggling to be as productive as a southpaw as he is as an orthodox pitcher, which was a concern before he was even drafted. Many assumed that whatever organization ended up signing him would just limit him to his strong side, cutting his ambidextrous ambitions short.

Fortunately, Cijntje ended up with one of the most progressive pitching programs in baseball. The Mariners have been learning how to handle his unique skill set as they go but are trying to give him as much free reign as possible. If he's able to use both sides effectively, it will be incredible. If not, he still has what it takes to be an impactful big league starter in the future.