Ryan Sloan's new Baseball America rank has echoes of Mariners icon Félix Hernández

Baseball America dropped their updated Top 100 MLB Prospects rankings during the week, with the Mariners doing particularly well with three representatives in the Top 10. And what really stood out was Ryan Sloan moving up to No. 7. Not only did this move him ahead of Kade Anderson at No. 9, but it also made him the highest-rated pitcher in the list.

Whether you're surprised or not, Baseball America is effusive in their praise of Sloan, claiming it's not even particularly close that he's the top pitching prospect in the game. They find it hard to poke holes in his game right now and think he could be in the big leagues this year:

Certainly, Sloan has been on an absolute tear of late, including going 6.0 perfect innings in his final start of May. The outing versus Double-A Frisco marked the first time he went 6.0 innings as a professional, with him also recording a career-high 11 strikeouts. The praise was -- while welcome --arguably a little over the top, but there's also some historical connotations to consider in all this.

Is Ryan Sloan on a Félix Hernández-esque trajectory?

Félix Hernández is considered by many M's fans to be the best pitcher in franchise history, and the expectations were real ahead of his Major League career. At his peak, Baseball America had him as the No. 2 prospect in baseball. Their scouting report indicated he would become the No. 1 starter in Seattle sooner than later, with their projections for his ceiling only difficult to make due to his ability seeming limitless.

It's fair to say this all aged well, with Hernández having a potential Hall of Fame-worthy career and arguably the best pitcher in the majors during his prime. However, what really jumps out is the comment about his ability seeming limitless. It takes us back to what The Athletic's Keith Law said about Sloan, back in February.

At the time Law had Sloan as the Mariners' second-best prospect behind Colt Emerson. He projected the righty as a potential staff ace and really got the collective imagination of the Mariners fanbase percolating, when he said: "If I have any concerns about Sloan, it’s just that he is so good, so soon."

Ryan Sloan better than the Mariners current rotation in at least one way

It's of course way too early to know how this is all going to play out for Sloan, but it's extremely encouraging nonetheless. Heck, as much as the Mariners rotation is routinely hailed as one of the best in the majors, neither Logan Gilbert nor George Kirby nor Bryan Woo nor Bryce Miller was ever the best pitching prospect in baseball.

Perhaps not ironic per se, but it's intriguing that Sloan's only real competition for "best since Felix" might be Anderson. However, even the southpaw hasn't gotten a universal benefit of the doubt as the best pitching prospect in the game, with the Pirates' Seth Hernandez routinely ranked ahead of him.

Regardless, if Sloan can go on to somehow have even close to the career "King Félix" did, then the Mariners rotation should continue to be in good shape for years to come. To paraphrase Bo Jackson's famous advertising campaign with Nike : "Dipoto knows pitchers."

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