What will Mariners 2025 first-round pick Kade Anderson's blueprint be for this year?
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As many of the Seattle Mariners' top prospects are preparing to make the jump to the Majors in 2026, the youngest pup in the litter may not be far behind them. 19-year-old lefthander Kade Anderson has yet to throw a pitch in professional baseball, but he'already consdered his team's top pitching prospect.
The young left-hander notched a 12-1 record, with a 3.18 ERA, 180 strikeouts, and 35 walks for the Louisiana State Tigers, as he led them to a College World Series victory, earning the Most Outstanding Player award along the way. The Bayou Bengal was also named the collegiate Pitcher of the Year byBaseball America.
Anderson was selected as the third overall pick in the 2025 Major League Baseball draft. However, instead of following the traditional route of sending him to the Fall League to prepare him for his first pro season, the Mariners decided to shut him down. It wasn't due to lack of ability, but rather more of a 'workload management' situation. Anderson had a long season coming off the College World Series. So, theMariners' preferred that he take the time to focus on rest and conditioning before toeing the slab for the first time as a pro.
Prevalent voices are already calling Anderson an ace
Major League Baseball analysts are optimistic about Kade Anderson’s outlook for 2026. MLB.com projects him as the Mariners' top prospect by the end of the season, noting his polished skills and the team's patient development strategy.
"Seattle already showed its hand by shutting Anderson down after the draft instead of forcing innings for the sake of optics," Tremayne Person wrote at Sodo Mojo. "That’s not babying him. That’s the organization acting like it actually believes in long-term arm value. And MLB Pipeline listing him with an ETA of 2027 is basically a neon sign flashing the same message: there’s time. "
The Mariners haven't made any public comments about bringing Anderson along slowly in 2026. However, with Seattle's solid rotation depth, it means there’s no rush to push him to the Majors immediately, so it’s expected that they’ll take measured steps and a long-term perspective on his progression. For now, expect his MLB arrival to come in late 2027.
