Kade Anderson made it three-for-three in great starts in his latest outing with the Arkansas Travelers
The past year has been an eventful one for Seattle Mariners top pitching prospect Kade Anderson.
Just weeks after leading the LSU Tigers to an NCAA College World Series championship (and being named the Series' Most Outstanding Player), Anderson was selected third overall in the 2025 MLB Draft by the Mariners.
After an entire summer, fall and winter of work with Seattle's player development staff down at the team's facility in Peoria, Ariz., Anderson received a non-roster invite to major league camp in spring training.
After three Cactus League starts and an impressive overall showing in his first taste of pro ball, Anderson (No. 17 MLB Pipeline) was assigned to the Double-A Arkansas Travelers.
So far, Anderson's stint with the Travelers has gone nearly as well as it could. For both him and the Mariners.
Anderson made his third start for Arkansas on Friday in a 5-4 loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers' Double-A affiliate, the Tulsa Drillers.
Despite the loss, Anderson was nearly flawless against Tulsa. He struck out five batters, walked one and allowed one earned run on three hits in five innings pitched.
The run allowed by Anderson was his first this season.
In his trio of starts, Anderson fanned 22 batters in 14 innings pitched. He's allowed eight hits, only one of which has been for extra bases — a double.
Anderson has a 0.86 WHIP across his three starts and is allowing an opposing batting average of just .163. He's issued four free passes — all walks.
When Anderson was drafted, he was considered the most major league-ready pitcher available in the draft. Many analysts believed it wasn't out of the question for the former Tiger to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors, Paul Skenes (drafted 2022, debuted 2023) or Trey Yesavage (drafted 2024, debuted 2025), as quick-rising pitchers.
Both Seattle general manager Justin Hollander and president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto have said it's possible that Anderson could make his major league debut this season. It's simply a matter of where he would fit in the rotation.
The Mariners will likely have to make a tough decision when right-handed pitcher Bryce Miller is healthy. The fourth-year major leaguer has missed the entire season due to a left-oblique strain but is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Saturday.
Currently, Seattle's major league rotation is comprised of Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Emerson Hancock and Luis Castillo. Hancock is currently in the midst of the beginning of a career-best season (2.28 ERA, 25 strikeouts, 23.2 IP, four starts).
The Mariners might already have to consider a six-man rotation or make uncomfortable decisions when Miller returns. Barring an injury, it's hard to see where Anderson could fit in that even if he is ready to debut.
But these are good problems for Seattle to have. And if Anderson continues at his current pace, it will be simply be a matter of "when" Anderson pops up in the big leagues rather than "if."
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