The pair of Seattle Mariners top 100 prospects' work ethic was recently praised by manager Dan Wilson.
SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners are looking to even a series against their American League West rivals, the Texas Rangers at 1:10 p.m. PT on Wednesday at T-Mobile Park.
The Mariners top prospect, Kade Anderson, will be on the hill for his fourth start of the season.
It's been a rough start for Anderson in his first three starts in the majors. After dominating the college level and Double-A with the Arkansas Travelers, the former NCAA Most Outstanding Player has posted a 5.40 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 15 innings pitched across his trio of starts in the majors.
It's been a learning process for Anderson in the majors, as it is for most major league pitchers, but his manager remains confident in the adjustments the 22-year-old is making.
"Like we've seen with a lot of our younger guys, (Anderson has an ability to) not let things get too heavy for him," Seattle manager Dan Wilson said in a pregame interview Wednesday. "Particularly when he's out there competing. He is a competitor. ... Obviously we see the great stuff, but (today's) a chance for him to use all his weapons and use them effectively. I think there's a little bit of a learning curve there between he and the catchers, but I think, for the most part, that has gone pretty smoothly."
Anderson's three games in the major leagues is arguably the most he's struggles in a stretch since before his championship-winning 2025 season with the LSU Tigers, but Wilson isn't worried about his rookie southpaw's performance thus far.
"As dominant as he was, I'm sure there were outings where he understood what stress pitches and stress innings were about," Wilson said. "It's different here. No question he's getting some opportunities to face that. ... It's all a part of the learning process and I think he's doing a good job of it."
Another top 100 prospect currently up with the Mariners who's making his own adjustments, to historic effect, is outfielder/designated hitter Lazaro Montes.
The 21-year-old wasn't listed in the lineup for Wednesday, but is coming off a performance where he made T-Mobile Park history.
Montes hit a 474-foot home run to dead-center field in Seattle's 10-5 loss to Texas on Tuesday. It was the longest homer hit at T-Mobile Park in the Statcast era.
Montes' homer came in his second at-bat of the game. His first, which ended in a strikeout, was a nine-pitch plate appearance.
Following his strikeout, Montes sought coaching in the dugout from his hitting coaches, which helped him be on time for the fastball that he ultimately sent out of the park.
"He's coming in as a smart hitter to begin with and knows himself, knows his swing," Wilson said. "I think we were all very impressed with the adjustments he made yesterday. I think a lot of it is just understanding the pitchers here. ... I think the more information (Montes) takes in and understands when he goes up there, the better. And I think he did a really good job of taking all that in and then going right up there and using it."
It's still not yet clear if either player will be able to show what they can do in a postseason setting due to the M's still being out of a playoff spot. However, both Montes and Anderson factor into the present and immediate future of the franchise. The adjustments and improvements they make during their time up in the big leagues this month, playoffs or no, will be a central piece of their continued development.
