Kade Anderson’s Lucky No. 13 Coincidences Add to a Wild Mariners Jersey History

The number 13 is usually associated with being unlucky. In Seattle, it’s still kind of complicated. Omar Vizquel made it look cool. Jeff Fassero gave it credibility. Dustin Ackley brought enormous expectations that never actually worked out. Bobby Ayala was pretty volatile. And Abraham Toro’s connection to it comes with one of the strangest and most controversial trades of the Jerry Dipoto era.

Now the Mariners are handing the No. 13 off to Kade Anderson, and the number suddenly feels more like destiny. It sounds dramatic, and maybe we shouldn’t get too far ahead of ourselves. But let’s pile up the evidence.

Kade Anderson Arrives in Seattle With a Bizarre Collection of 13s

The connections are sitting right in front of us:

The Mariners drafted Anderson on July 13, 2025.
He finished his first professional season with exactly 13 walks.
He held opponents scoreless in 13 of his 18 Double-A starts.
His 135 strikeouts over 93 1/3 innings, a 13.02 K/9.
He will make his Mariners debut wearing No. 13.

Tell us that’s not a suspicious amount of symmetry for one pitcher. The stats are the part that matters, of course. Anderson went 10–1 with a 1.06 ERA, 135 strikeouts and only 13 walks for Double-A Arkansas. Opponents hit .147 against him and he allowed four home runs all season.

Mariners fans are allowed to enjoy this. Baseball turns otherwise rational people into numerologists. We track hitting streaks, uniform numbers, dates, milestones and advanced metrics that require a glossary. When the organization’s top pitching prospect arrives with this many 13s attached to his name, we are going to notice.

Anderson will become the 19th Mariners player to wear the number. There are 35 entries that represent player-seasons, so Vizquel and Ackley appear five times apiece. There have actually been 18 individual Mariners in No. 13 before Anderson.

He will become the sixth pitcher in the group. In another ridiculous coincidence, exactly 13 of the previous 18 wearers were position players. The number apparently enjoys committing to the bit.

Mariners No. 13 Has More Baggage Than Glory

This number doesn’t have the greatest lineage in Mariners history. The best baseball player associated with Seattle’s No. 13 is Vizquel, who wore it from 1989 through 1993. His Seattle tenure peaked with his first Gold Glove in 1993.

Vizquel became a much bigger name after Seattle traded him to Cleveland. That’s an unfortunate theme here. No. 13 has produced recognizable Mariners, but nobody who became a lasting Seattle icon while wearing it.

Fassero owns the standard for pitchers. The lefty went 16–9 with a 3.61 ERA and 189 strikeouts in 1997. He threw 234 1/3 innings, started on Opening Day and delivered eight innings in Seattle’s only victory of that year’s ALDS. Anderson will be the first left-handed Mariners starter to wear No. 13 since Fassero’s final Seattle season in 1999.

The rest of this gets messy.

Ayala is a name that will make the OGs groan. He started off fine. He posted a 2.86 ERA with 18 saves in 1994. But his ERA climbed to 4.44 in 1995 and 5.88 in 1996, his final season wearing No. 13.

Then there is Ackley, a reasonable comparison due to being a high draft pick. The Mariners selected Ackley second overall in 2009. He arrived with the reputation of being one of the best college hitters in the country and looked like a future franchise cornerstone during a strong rookie season. He slashed .273/.348/.417 in his first 90 games. Then, the book was out on him, and he never really adjusted in return. He spent five seasons wearing No. 13, moved around the field and was eventually traded to the Yankees.

Anderson was the No. 3 pick in 2025, making Ackley the cleanest comparison when it comes to draft status and anticipation.

Toro was the most recent Mariner to wear No. 13, doing so in 2021 and 2022. He arrived from Houston in the deadline deal that sent Kendall Graveman and Rafael Montero to the Astros. The trade angered a clubhouse trying to chase a playoff spot and confused a fan base that had just watched Graveman become one of baseball’s best relievers. Toro had his moments, including a grand slam off Graveman. But he never became enough of a player to make the trade feel any less strange.

The rest of the No. 13 list includes Dick Pole, Iván Calderón, Ben Davis, Casey Kotchman, Nate Karns and Jacob Nottingham. Decent seasons splashed in, but many can call them cameos.

That leaves Anderson with an opportunity. He doesn’t have to live up to a sacred number. There is no towering legacy hanging over him. This is open real estate.

But really, who cares what he’s supposed to live up to? The Mariners just need him to become the first Kade Anderson, and perhaps the first player to make No. 13 feel like it truly belongs to someone in Seattle.

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