Arkansas Travelers Unveil 2026 Roster Featuring Mariners’ Untapped Pitching Phenoms Set to Shake Up the Game

Sloan is a bigger surprise. Sloan, who just turned 20 at the end of January, was drafted by the Mariners 55th overall out of his Chicago-area high school in 2024, with the Mariners buying him out of his college commitment to Wake Forest for $3M. After taking his draft year to learn the Mariners system and processes, Sloan started 2025 in Modesto, earning a promotion to High-A Everett by the end of the season. The Mariners invited Sloan to big-league camp this spring and he was impressive at every turn, capping off his spring with a dominant performance against the top-ranked Brewers farm in the Spring Breakout game. Sloan impressed the Mariners so much they’re being aggressive with him and sending him directly to Double-A to compete against much older and more seasoned competition. The move also keeps Sloan and Anderson, roommates and friends, together as they continue their big-league journeys.

Two other Top-1oo prospects will join Sloan and Anderson, as Michael Arroyo and Lazaro Montes will return to Arkansas after being promoted from Everett midseason last year. Both righty hitters suffered the “Dickey-Stephens Park” penalty last year, although Arroyo’s bat-to-ball skills helped prop him up even as his power decreased. Montes didn’t suffer quite the power penalty, still knocking 14 bombs, but he did regress as far as contact/strikeouts go, so that’s something for him to work on in a repeat tour of the level.

Here’s the complete roster:

There are a few other Top-30 prospects on this roster: Jared Sundstrom is one, returning to Arkansas after spending all of last year there. Another righty power-hitter, Sundstrom is another one suffering at the hands of the righty-power-suppressing park in Arkansas. Sundstrom got a lot of reps with the big-league club this spring, so expect his tenure to be shorter than last year.