Cranton selected by Seattle in third round of MLB Draft

Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas pitcher Hunter Cranton celebrates his victory after striking out the final batter to end the game against Houston on Saturday, May 11, 2024, at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence.

Former Kansas pitcher Hunter Cranton was selected in the third round of the MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday, becoming the first Jayhawk to be selected in five years.

He was ranked MLB.com’s No. 213 prospect but was taken 91st overall, with a pick estimated to be worth $812,900. That put Cranton in a tie for the second-highest selection in program history; Curtis Shaw went 42nd to the Oakland Athletics in 1990, and the Baltimore Orioles took Jim Walker at No. 91 three years later.

Cranton, a 6-foot-3 right-handed pitcher from Newport Beach, Calif., flourished after moving to the bullpen in his final year of eligibility for the 2024 season, capping a key stretch for the Jayhawks. He collected seven saves with a 2.16 ERA, striking out 38 batters and giving up just nine walks on the year.

He came to KU for head coach Dan Fitzgerald’s first season, following a year at San Diego State and two years at Saddleback College in California.

Cranton played 14 games for the Jayhawks in 2023, switching to relief pitching midway through the year. His ERA as a starter that season was more than five times the 2.38 he had as a reliever.

Cranton’s fastball impressed draft evaluators, with his MLB prospect profile listing him at 96-98 mph and describing him as “untouchable” due to the frequency with which batters hit and missed.

Before selecting Cranton, Seattle had selected ambidextrous pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje of Mississippi State in the first round and high school pitcher Ryan Sloan in the second round.

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Cranton selected by Seattle in third round of MLB Draft

Written by Hendrik Greenstein

Henry is the sports editor at the Lawrence Journal-World and KUsports.com, and serves as a KU reporter while managing the daily sports coverage. He previously worked as a sports reporter at The Bakersfield Californian and is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis (BA, linguistics) and Arizona State University (MA, sports journalism). Although he is originally from Los Angeles, he has often been told that he doesn’t give off “California vibes,” whatever that means.

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