Latest Mariners promotion hints at yet another Bryan Woo-style success story

The Seattle Mariners just can’t help themselves when it comes to turning raw arms into polished gems. After trading away four pitching prospects at the deadline, it looked like the farm system might be getting a little (wait for it…) short on arms. But then came Christian Little — see what we did there? Mariners fans know the drill by now: just when it seems like the depth might take a hit, another intriguing name rises to the surface.

Yes, the name practically begs for wordplay, but don’t let it fool you — there’s nothing small about Little or his upside. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound right-hander was recently promoted to High-A Everett after showing real signs of progress at Single-A Modesto, and his trajectory is already drawing comparisons to Bryan Woo.

Seattle’s pitching factory keeps rolling with Christian Little’s rise

Like Woo, Little came in with college numbers that didn’t exactly scream future rotation mainstay. But in this organization, it’s not about where you start, it’s about what you become.

Coming off a 4.21 ERA in Modesto, the surface stats might not turn heads, but context matters. Much of the damage came from a pair of outings on either side of a stint on the IL with a bone spur, and in between, Little showed enough to earn his ticket north.

Scouts describe Little as a classic fastball-curveball guy with a full five-pitch mix and flashes of real nastiness. His fastball averages 94–95 and has been clocked up to 99, paired with a sharp upper-70s curve that can be a real knee-buckler.

Little’s path to this point is winding but fascinating. Once considered one of the top high school pitchers in the country in 2021, he enrolled early at Vanderbilt, later transferred to LSU, and bounced between starting and bullpen roles across four college seasons. The Mets tried to snag him in the 19th round of the 2023 draft, but he bet on himself and returned to school. That gamble paid off when the Mariners grabbed him in the 11th round in 2024.

There’s still plenty of polish needed, and given his ongoing command issues and inconsistent results, Little may ultimately project better as a reliever. But that’s exactly what makes the Mariners such an ideal landing spot. This is the same organization that turned Bryan Woo’s 6.36 college ERA into one of the best pitching development stories in baseball. Don’t be surprised if Little follows a similar arc.