- Full name Aaron Looper
- Born
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Organization Prospect Rankings
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When their pitchers hit a wall in their development, the Mariners often have them drop their arm angle to see if that will help. Switching to a very low three-quarters delivery in 2002 did wonders for Looper, who shared the organization's minor league pitcher of the year award that season and reached the majors last year. He no longer is known mainly for being the son of Seattle vice president Benny Looper and the cousin of big leaguer Braden Looper. Looper's new approach added a lot of sink and cost him just 1-2 mph in velocity on his fastball, which he now throws at 88-92 mph. It took him longer to adapt his slider, but he made it into a long, sweeping pitch that he throws at a crossfire angle that's tough on righthanders. They hit just .193 against him in Triple-A last year. Lefties batted .328 because he's still refining his changeup. He'll try to backdoor his slider against lefties, but an improved change would work better. Looper has a rubber arm and wants the ball every day. He handles pressure well and is a groundball machine against righties. He acquitted himself well in his first exposure to the majors last year and should get another opportunity in 2004. -
His main claim to fame entering the 2002 season was that he's the son of Mariners farm director Benny Looper, but he ended it as the system's co-minor league pitcher of the year. He earned the save in the final game of the Texas League playoffs by throwing two shutout innings. After the TL all-star break (including the postseason), he allowed just four earned runs in 58 innings for a 0.62 ERA. Unlike Aaron Taylor and Allan Simpson, his fellow pitchers of the year in the system, Looper can't just throw the ball by hitters. He relies instead on an 89-92 mph fastball with consistent plus sink, and an improved slider. When he moves to Triple-A this year, he'll work on improving his changeup.