There were two former LSU Tigers pitchers included in the finalists for this year's Minor League Baseball Awards, competing for major honors.
The LSU Tigers have had two former pitchers break out in their professional debut years, and now they are both up for major Awards as the season winds down.
MLB's Jonathan Mayo recently released the finalists for the MiLB Awards Show, which takes place in a few days, at the end of September. There were two former Tigers included in the same two awards.
Seattle Mariners lefty Kade Anderson and new Baltimore Orioles prospect Anthony Eyanson are both in the running for Minor League Pitching Prospect of the Year and Minor League Debut of the Year. An incredible honor that shows just how special their first seasons in the professional leagues were.
Anderson has already climbed up to the Mariners' big-league rotation. They drafted him third overall in the last draft because of how pro-ready his skill set seemed, but even they didn't fully expect him to be called up to the show at this point. He's maintained a respectable 4.18 ERA over his first six MLB starts.
Seattle really had no choice, though, because of how he dominated the minors immediately. Over 18 starts at the Double-A level, he had a 1.06 ERA with 135 strikeouts over 93.1 innings of work.
It became clear almost immediately that he was too good to be pitching at that level, but because of the fact that the Mariners' Triple-A team is in the Pacific Coast League, they didn't want to send him there. The ballparks and elevations make it a nightmare to pitch.
They also had a loaded big-league staff, so they had to wait until they had space after the trade deadline. That led to a year of him dominating lower competition.
Eyanson has been similarly dominant, but has had a very different journey. The Boston Red Sox drafted him in the third round in 2025. At the deadline, though, he was traded to the Orioles in a massive deal. Eyanson was traded along with a couple of other standout prospects in exchange for former No. 1 overall selection Adley Rutschman.
The pitcher is now the No. 2 player in the Baltimore farm system and has a chance to be their future ace. He has made 22 minor league appearances, including 21 starts this year, with a 1.54 ERA and 141 strikeouts over 99.1 innings.
Eyanson was great in college and felt like a steal in the third round. That has only been proven to be true so far this year.
No matter who wins what award, the future is bright for both of these young pitchers.
