The Seattle Mariners have boasted arguably the best starting rotation in baseball over the last several seasons. Four-of-five hurlers on the rotation have made the All-Star game with the Mariners and four-of-five have been drafted and developed by the organization.

Seattle added another jewel to its embarrassment of riches when it selected left-handed starter Kade Anderson out of LSU with the third overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.

The former Tiger was coming off an All-American season in 2025. He led the NCAA Division I level with 180 strikeouts and was named the College World Series Most Outstanding Player.

Anderson was considered the most pro-ready pitcher in the draft and was an almost-instant top 100 prospect. He's currently ranked as the 21st-best prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline's top 100 and the organization's second-best prospect.

Anderson didn't throw a pitch in a professional game last year but was still a non-roster invitee to spring training. On Saturday, he took part in his first live bullpen sessions of spring training.

Anderson faced utility player Miles Mastrobuoni, outfielders Dominic Canzone and Randy Arozarena and catcher Cal Raleigh in the session.

Anderson showed the stuff that made him the top player on the Mariners draft board. He struck out Mastrobuoni, Canzone and Arozarena. He fell behind to Raleigh 3-0 in a count and forced a popout from the 2025 American League MVP finalist.

"You step in between those lines and you got a job to do," Anderson said in a news conference Friday at the Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Ariz. " ... Now that I'm at the next step and I'm a professional, I got a job. And I'm not gonna let someone else take my spot."

There's been speculation that Anderson could start his professional career as high as Double-A, and if his performance in the live bullpen is a sign of what could be the norm, then that projection could very well come to fruition.

There's also a chance, albeit a minor one, that Anderson could follow in the steps of other notable pitching prospects of the past, such as '23 draftee Paul Skenes and '24 pick Trey Yesavage, and make his major league debut in his first full season as a professional.

Reserve starting pitcher Logan Evans will be out the entire year due to elbow surgery and there's still a question whether the team will utilize Emerson Hancock as a starter or reliever.

If the team needs a pitcher to step in and Anderson impresses early on in Double-A, fans could get tta look at the top-three draft pick sooner rather than later.

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