After selecting Kade Anderson with the third overall pick in last year’s draft, the Mariners undoubtedly secured the best lefthander in all of college baseball and broke something of a trend with their heavy emphasis on right-handed pitchers. With an opportunity to yet again secure the best left hander amongst the college ranks this season, Arizona State’s Cole Carlon looks like a highly appealing option for the M’s with the 24th selection and potentially grants them yet another arm that could figure
into their big league roster construction rather quickly.
Carlon is one of the most physically developed pitchers in this entire class. With a strong 6’5 230lb frame, the southpaw possesses one of the the most electrifying one-two punches in the entire 2026 class. Launching the ball from a high slot, Carlon’s fastball sits in the mid-90’s and has touched as high as 101 this year, though the underlying shape underneath the premium velocity isn’t all that inspiring. More critically for Carlon, however, is his devastating slider. Given his incredibly high release point, the bullet spin on the ball causes immense problems for hitters and leads to a substantial amount of swing and miss. From a production standpoint, it was one of the best breaking balls in the country, and it could be argued it’s the primary pitch in his arsenal. He’s tossed in some changeups and curveballs as “show me” offerings, but his bread and butter is undoubtedly the fastball-slider tandem.
Despite being on the larger side, Carlon’s mechanics are incredibly fluid and repeatable. There isn’t an overwhelming amount of effort in his delivery and it’s all but assured he’ll be a starter as a professional given his track record to this point. It’s average strike throwing, above average stuff, and a premium frame from a 21 year old arm that’s produced for multiple years in the Big 12 conference; though the “projection” aspect of his profile isn’t overwhelming, it’s hard to argue what he currently possesses isn’t enough to succeed at the next level.
Carlon is a candidate to ascend through the minors rapidly, with many evaluators thinking he could find his way into a big league bullpen as early as next year. Triple digit fuel from the left side is far from common, and finding a starter that’s able to hold velocity deep into starts is even more of a rarity. Even if his extension/movement profiles are more mundane than other first round candidates in this class, it’s tough to ignore everything Carlon can do with no development necessary. Should the esteemed pitching lab in the PNW see an angle to extract some additional talent out of Carlon, they could yet again land an uber-talented lefthander to add to their farm system and ultimately give them a trio of minor leaguers that could contribute to the Major League roster by 2027.
