The Next Wave: Kade promoted to MLB, Smith 9 HR in 30 days at Double-A
By Taylor Anderson ·
The Next Wave covers the last 7 days of action for the Mariners farm system.
Ryan Sloan: 11 K in Five Innings, Arkansas
Ryan Sloan (AA, RHP, Rank: 2) went five innings against Double-A hitters this week, allowing one hit, one earned run, zero walks, and eleven strikeouts on 69 pitches. That is a 65 percent strike rate on the night, with 19 whiffs generated out of 45 strikes thrown. It was an outing that fits neatly into what has been a genuinely strong four-start run at Arkansas: 19.1 innings pitched, 16 hits, 7 earned runs, 2 walks, and 28 strikeouts over the last 30 days, with a K% of 37.3 percent and a 0.93 WHIP. His season ERA sits at 3.63 through 86.2 innings across 19 starts, with 111 strikeouts and a walk rate of 4.0 percent. The efficiency is real, and the walk suppression has been one of his best traits since he got to Double-A.
The profile is a 55-grade fastball sitting 95-97 from a large frame, backed by a slider, curveball, and a changeup that is still behind the other three offerings. The command grades at 55 as well, and it shows up in the numbers: 13 walks in 86-plus innings is about as clean a control picture as you will find at this level from a 20-year-old. The home run rate is the one blemish, 11 allowed in 86.2 innings, which connects directly to the scouting note that his margin for error shrinks when the secondary pitches drift into hittable zones. The ceiling here is a solid No. 4 starter, and I would push toward that outcome given what he has done in the second half. With Kade Anderson now in Seattle, the conversation about Sloan being the rotation's next call-up from Arkansas becomes more relevant by the week.
Boston Smith's Double-A Power Numbers
Boston Smith (AA, C, Rank: 39) went 6-for-24 this week with two home runs, a triple, five walks, and 2 RBI in 24 plate appearances. The walks stand out as much as the power: five free passes in a week, giving him a 23.7 percent walk rate at Double-A for the season. Over the last 30 days, he is slashing .316/.432/.722 with nine home runs, three doubles, a triple, and 19 RBI across 95 plate appearances. Nine home runs in a month from a catcher at Double-A is not a number that should be easy to type. His combined season line across all levels sits at .293/.444/.623 with 30 home runs and 85 walks in 417 plate appearances, which puts his on-base percentage in a range that most middle-of-the-order bats would accept.
The profile grades him as a 60 power and 50 hit tool bat-first catcher, with the projection acknowledging that his defensive home behind the plate is not yet locked in. The swing rate of 36.9 percent is among the most selective in the system, and the contact rate of 63.8 percent creates a profile that lives and dies in counts: when he gets pitches to elevate, the damage is significant, but velocity up in the zone and quality spin can beat him. At 23 years old as a senior sign, the clock on his prospect clock is tighter than the production might suggest, but the numbers he is putting up at Double-A are not what a bench-catcher profile typically generates. If the receiving backs up to at least a fringe-average grade, the hit and power combination gives him a real argument for more than a backup role.
Quick Hits
Kade Anderson (MLB, LHP, Rank: 1) · was selected from Double-A Arkansas to Seattle this week, making his big league debut on August 22. He went 5.2 innings, allowing five runs on two walks and five strikeouts in his first MLB start. The promotion comes after a dominant minor league season in the organization: a 1.06 ERA across 93.1 innings at Arkansas with 135 strikeouts, 13 walks, and a 0.64 WHIP. The ERA in the debut is what it is, but the underlying rate work at Double-A made the call unavoidable. The system loses its top-ranked arm, but not before he made a thorough case for himself.
Ace Reese (A, 3B, Rank: 3) · went 6-for-24 with two doubles, a home run, four RBI, and six walks in his latest week at Inland Empire. He has nine strikeouts in 54 plate appearances to start his full-season career, and his season line sits at .439/.519/.683 through 12 games. A 60 hit tool and 70 power grade playing at Low-A is already looking like a mismatch. The 18.5 percent walk rate and 75.8 percent contact rate suggest his approach is translating cleanly against professional pitching, and the longer he posts this line, the sooner a High-A assignment becomes necessary.
Lazaro Montes (AAA, OF, Rank: 4) · drove in six runs on six hits, including two home runs and a double, with four walks against five strikeouts across 26 plate appearances. His 37th home run of the season pushed his combined line to .252/.369/.567 across 515 plate appearances between Arkansas and Tacoma. Over the last 30 days at Triple-A, he is slashing .305/.389/.642 with nine home runs in 108 plate appearances. The 45 hit tool and 60.7 percent contact rate remain the variables, but the power and patience have produced at every level this year.
Luis Suisbel (A+, 3B, Rank: 13) · had six hits, two home runs, and six RBI in 19 plate appearances this week. Over his last 30 days at Everett, he is slashing .289/.349/.605 with six home runs in 83 plate appearances, which is a sharp uptick from his season line of .238/.319/.449. The swing rate of 57.5 percent in recent games is aggressive, and the contact rate hovers around 71 percent, so the production is coming from a higher-swing, higher-contact stretch rather than a mechanical shift. The 23-year-old switch-hitter with a plus arm has a second-division projection if the contact holds, but inconsistency has been the story of his time in High-A.
Carlos Jimenez (A+, CF, Rank: 30) · went 7-for-26 with four home runs and six RBI, adding three walks against eight strikeouts in 26 plate appearances. His season home run total now sits at 19, which is a meaningful number for a profile graded with a 45 power tool. He has a 14.4 percent walk rate and 20.8 percent strikeout rate for the year, showing the discipline has been real. The power, though, is outpacing what the scouting grades would have suggested coming into the year, and I would take the over on the current 45 power grade given the production at High-A.
Luke Stevenson (A+, C, Rank: 10) · collected three hits, two home runs, and two RBI while drawing five walks against nine strikeouts in 23 plate appearances. His walk rate of 22.6 percent over the last 30 days is the standout number, and his season OBP of .407 at High-A shows that patience has been his most consistent tool all year. The 18 home runs in 420 plate appearances back up the 55 power grade, and the 60 arm grade behind the plate keeps the everyday catching projection alive even as the contact rate dips.
Korbyn Dickerson (A+, OF, Rank: 15) · put up six hits, a homer, and two RBI with three walks in 24 plate appearances. His season line across both levels reads .276/.383/.443 with 15 home runs and 34 stolen bases in 457 plate appearances, which is a productive profile for a center-field option. The 60 speed grade shows up in the stolen base numbers; the question on the hit side remains whether the 45 hit tool holds against better breaking stuff as he faces upper-level arms.
Robinson Ortiz (AAA, LHP, Rank: 35) · returned from the injured list on August 22 after missing nearly four weeks. He has thrown 1.1 innings since activation with a strikeout, a walk, and no runs allowed. His season ERA at Tacoma sits at 5.54 across 39 games and 39 innings, so he is returning to a year that has already been difficult. The nature of the injury was not disclosed.
Juan Rijo (RK, OF, Rank: 11) · went 4-for-14 with three RBI and two walks in 14 plate appearances in the DSL. Over his last 30 days, the 17-year-old is hitting .306/.419/.403 with four doubles and a triple across 74 plate appearances. The 55 hit tool projection is earning its grade early; the power will come later as he fills out, but the approach at his age is advanced.