This member of the pen isn’t just mightier than the sword, he creates them.
In terms of any single pitch, the Mariners farm system may not have one better than the fastball of RHP Hunter Cranton. The 24year old reliever from the University of Kansas was Seattle’s third round pick in 2024, going 91st overall. The 2024 draft echoed the 2017 class in many ways, with the M’s picking in the middle of the pack in the first round and lacking any additional selections. They selected a college performer in the first, followed by a highly talented prep righty, and then a cost-saving reliever in the third round who was nonetheless likely to rise swiftly to the big league ranks.
Giving Cranton the Wyatt Mills designation is no knock, as the former M’s righty has played in a couple seasons in the majors and may make his way back there from injury rehab in 2025, however by both physicality and stuff, Cranton is poised to leap into Seattle’s bullpen plans much more swiftly and lastingly. The 6’3 righty slings the ball across the plate in the upper-90s, touching triple-digits at times after a massive velocity spike on campus. That, along with a deceptive delivery that utilizes lengthy, mildly anachronistic arm action in an era of short arm circles, uncorks devilish velocity with heavy ride and some run that overpowers opponents.
The pitch pairs with a slider that’s mostly vertical in movement right now, but comes out in the mid to upper 80s and is an effective bat-misser already. It would be ideal to see Cranton shape a bit more horizontal break into the pitch as well, however even with just these two options he’s a highly effective bullpen arm.
The distinctive long draw on his pitching motion has a potential drawback, namely that the longer a high-effort motion like Cranton’s takes to perform, the greater the range for potential error or desynchronization. Part of the reason you see so many pitchers with shorter arm action in their motions these days is to minimize the amount of movement the body needs to do as a whole. For Cranton, it’s a catch-22. The motion allows him to be explosive and deceptive at once, but his command is more broadside than pinpoint. Relievers tend to get away with more of that, as their stuff can be maximum effort for an inning or two, but this is a high-K, high-BB profile at the moment.
The M’s haven’t shied away from those sorts of players in recent years, and there’s a real chance Cranton is on the Prelander Berroa/Troy Taylor track up to the high minors and majors within the next year or two. The scope may be narrower, but Cranton has a great chance to be one of the next players on this list we’ll be seeing in Northwest Green.