| W | L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | SO | WHIP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | 3.24 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 8.1 | 14 | 1.32 |
| Career Minors | 1 | 1 | 3.24 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 8.1 | 14 | 1.32 |
| G | W-L | ERA | IP | SO | WHIP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 9 | 1-1 | 3.24 | 8.1 | 14 | 1.32 |
| Career Minors | 9 | 1-1 | 3.24 | 8.1 | 14 | 1.32 |
| Season | Tm | LG | L | W | L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Modesto Nuts | CAL | A | 1 | 1 | 3.24 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 8.1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 1.32 |
| Modesto Nuts | CAL | A | 1 | 1 | 3.24 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 8.1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 1.32 | |
| Career Minors | Modesto Nuts | CAL | 1 | 1 | 3.24 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 8.1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 1.32 |
Scouting grades: Fastball: 70 | Slider: 55 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40
The MVP of the 2019 Boras Classic as a California high school senior, Cranton sat out the 2020 season at Saddleback (Calif.) JC following shoulder surgery. He pitched sparingly in the next two years at Saddleback and San Diego State before transferring to Kansas, where he struggled as a starter in early 2023 before finding his niche as a reliever. He'll turn 24 three months after the Draft but interests clubs because his fastball has been untouchable this spring.
After working in the low 90s at the outset of his Jayhawks career, Cranton now operates with a 96-98 mph fastball that touches 100 with impressive carry. His heater ranked in the top 1 percent among college pitchers this spring in terms of chase rate (32 percent), swing-and-miss rate (38 percent) and in-zone swing-and-miss rate (30 percent). His slider parks at 86-88 mph and peaks at 91, playing as a plus pitch with depth at its best, though it can flatten out and get pounded at times.
While Cranton has a long arm action and a lot going on in his delivery, he has improved his control as a redshirt senior. He has a ceiling of a late-inning reliever and will need to improve his slider and his command to get there. He's one of the oldest players in the Draft but is equipped to move quickly in pro ball.
Scouting grades: Fastball: 70 | Slider: 55 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40
Cranton has taken a circuitous route to pro ball. He missed his first season at Saddleback Junior College in California in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season following shoulder surgery. He didn’t pitch much there in 2021 and appeared in just six games after transferring to San Diego State in 2022. After not gaining much traction with a move to Kansas in 2023, he finally found some success as a redshirt senior reliever this past spring, leading the Mariners to take him as a talented money-saver in the third round, signing him for just $50,000.
Now pitching in only shorter stints, Cranton can crank his fastball up to 97-98 mph consistently and showed he can touch triple digits with the pitch. He gets hitters to whiff and chase at the offering thanks to outstanding carry. He couples it with an upper-80s gyro-like slider that can often be a plus pitch, though he got into trouble at Kansas when it flattened out and got hit.
Despite using a long arm action and a lot of moving parts in his delivery, Cranton improved his control in his final year with the Jayhawks. While he was one of the oldest players in the Draft, close to 24, he has the ceiling of a late-inning reliever if the breaking ball continues to be more consistently plus and he can keep finding the zone.
| Team | Date | Transaction |
|---|---|---|
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08/06/2024 | RHP Hunter Cranton assigned to Modesto Nuts. |
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07/23/2024 | Seattle Mariners signed RHP Hunter Cranton. |
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02/22/2024 | College Workout activated RHP Hunter Cranton. |
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02/22/2024 | RHP Hunter Cranton assigned to Kansas Jayhawks. |
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03/15/2023 | RHP Hunter Cranton assigned to Kansas Jayhawks. |
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02/15/2022 | RHP Hunter Cranton and assigned to San Diego State Aztecs. |
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07/05/2021 | RHP Hunter Cranton and assigned to College Workout. |
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07/05/2021 | RHP Hunter Cranton assigned to College Workout. |
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04/30/2017 | RHP Hunter Cranton assigned to Mater Dei HS Monarchs. |
