Left-handed starting pitcher Kade Anderson was very clear on his feelings on potentially competing in the Futures game
There's a legitimate argument to be had that the Seattle Mariners top pitching prospect, left-hander Kade Anderson, is the best starting pitcher in the minor leagues this season.
In his first year of minor league ball, Anderson (No. 6 MLB Pipeline top 100) has a 1.29 ERA and has struck out 76 batters in 49 innings pitched across 10 starts with the Double-A Arkansas Travelers. He's held opposing hitters to a .161 batting average and has a 0.69 WHIP.
The 21-year-old southpaw ranks first in the Texas League in ERA, strikeouts, WHIP and opposing batting average allowed. He leads all Double-A leagues in strikeouts and is second in ERA.
Anderson, who was selected with the third overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, seems to already be major league-ready less than a year after being drafted and seems to be a lock on the MLB All-Star Futures Game during the All-Star break, which will take place July 12 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
However, based on a recent interview with a local television station in Little Rock, Ark., the former NCAA College World Series Most Outstanding Player isn't focused on the prospect exhibition and is instead focused on a greater goal.
"It's a patience thing. I try not to look ahead at that stuff," Anderson said in an interview with Jack Allen of KATV. "Like I said, when that time comes, it'll come. If I'm in it, I'm in it. If I'm not — but that's not my end goal, by any means. I don't want to be in the Futures games, I want to be in the show. So at the end of the day, that's what matters."
There's an argument to be had that if the Mariners didn't have their quality of pitching depth, Anderson would already be in the majors.
Seattle is currently opting for a six-man rotation comprised of Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Emerson Hancock, Bryan Woo, Luis Castillo and Bryce Miller. Miller began the year on the injured list and piggybacked with Castillo for multiple turns through the order and Hancock is in the midst of a career-best season.
"That's a huge credit to the whole organization," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said before a game against the New York Mets on June 2. "You look at the scouting department and the talent that they bring in, the player development group that develops the talent that's brought in, from top to bottom — the people that we have in this organization are what set it apart. In some ways, it is kind of a luxury to have this kind of talent. There are guys waiting in the wings to have their turn."
Time will tell whether Seattle finds a spot for Anderson to contribute on the major league roster this season. But considering the talent he's displayed in his brief but notable time in Double-A, he won't have to wait long to show what he can do at the major league level.
Anderson's next start will be against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals at 5:05 p.m. PT on Friday at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock, Ark.
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