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Ashton Izzi off to strong start

Izzi got his seaso started late, but he's making up for lost time.

Seattle selected right-hander Ashton Izzi in Round 4 back in 2022 — right between Walter Ford and Reid VanScoter, two rounds behind Tyler Locklear. Cole Young was the club’s first-round pick that year.

Young and Locklear are in Triple-A — Locklear has already made his big-league debut, as has 12th-round pick Troy Taylor — but Izzi may be the Mariners’ next-best shot at value from that draft class.

Izzi, who had a decent 2024 season — 2.85 ERA, consistent innings, made every start, and missed a few bats — but found himself in hitter’s counts a bit too often and walked 12.2% of the batters he faced. He then suffered an oblique injury that delayed his 2025 debut. Thursday, he went five innings for the first time this season and issued but one base on balls.

Izzi also punched out five batters and has 17 in 14 innings of work through his first four outings.

The 6-foot-3 right-hander is listed at 165 pounds, but has added strength to fill out his lanky frame. He’s athletic and has improved his fastball value each year in the system. He also throws a slider and changeup, the former of which he’ll use versus both lefties and righties.

You can check out where Izzi ranked in my May rankings update right here.

Here’s Izzi from his strong Thursday start. Note the differing depth on his breaking ball.

Izzi, 21, remains a project, but one with upside and he has a real chance to start long-term.