Justin Slaten Stats & Scouting Report College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects
Track Record: After three seasons at New Mexico, including the final two in the rotation, Slaten was drafted by the Rangers in the third round in 2019. He signed for $575,000, then spent his first pro season between the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League and short-season Spokane. Slaten dealt with elbow fatigue in 2022, then reached Triple-A in 2023. The Mets chose Slaten in the 2023 Rule 5 draft, then traded him to the Red Sox for lefthander Ryan Ammons and cash.
Scouting Report: Following an excellent stint in the Arizona Fall League, Slaten was one of the buzziest names leading up to the Rule 5 draft. After a command-plagued season in 2022, Slaten straightened out his strike-throwing in 2023. He cut his walk rate from 19.5% in 2022 to 8.5% in 2023. The improved control resulted in much better results at Double-A Frisco and earned him a late-season promotion to Triple-A. Slaten is a pure reliever who mixes four pitches with plenty of power across his arsenal. His four-seamer sits between 95-97 mph with ride and at times cut. He pairs his four-seam primarily with a mid-80s sweeping slider that generates heavy rates of swings-and-misses in and out of the zone. His cutter is his third pitch but is an effective weapon as a bridge between his fastball and slider. His cutter sits 89-91 mph. He’ll also mix in a low-80s, two-plane curveball from time to time.
The Future: Slaten will get a chance in spring training to earn a spot the Red Sox’s bullpen. He has a ceiling as a solid middle reliever.
Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 30 | Slider: 60 | Cutter: 40 | Control: 45
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