Minor League Baseball

Here's How ESPN Prospect Guru Ranks Seattle Mariners Top-10 After Drafting Kade Anderson

The M's drafted the LSU hurler with the No. 3 pick in the MLB Draft on Sunday, and Kiley McDaniel is very high on him right at the outset.
Brady Farkas|
LSU Tigers starting pitcher Kade Anderson (32) and catcher Luis Hernandez (23) walk to the dugout before the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Charles Schwab Field on June 14, 2025.
LSU Tigers starting pitcher Kade Anderson (32) and catcher Luis Hernandez (23) walk to the dugout before the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Charles Schwab Field on June 14, 2025. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

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Seattle Mariners

By all accounts, the Seattle Mariners hit a stroke of massive luck on Sunday night when LSU left-handed pitcher Kade Anderson fell to them with the No. 3 pick in the MLB Draft.

Anderson, who helped lead the Tigers to the College World Series title, led the nation in strikeouts this season (180), going 12-1 along the way. He threw a complete game shutout in an LSU win over Coastal Carolina in the CWS championship series.

According to Mariners' scouting executive Scott Hunter, Anderson may not be far off from making the major leagues, though he won't pitch for the rest of this season.

While new rankings from Baseball America and MLB Pipeline have yet to drop post-draft, ESPN's Kiley McDaniel already has Anderson ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the team's system. Only Colt Emerson is listed ahead of the lefty.

That's high praise for Anderson, considering the Mariners have one of the best farm systems in baseball. They have eight Top-100 prospects right now, according to MLB Pipeline, and Anderson could slot in as a ninth.

At the big-league level, the Mariners enter play on Friday night at 51-45 and in second place in the American League West. They will start the second half with a big test against the Houston Astros, who lead the division by five games and are slated to get back Yordan Alvarez and Jeremy Pena in the second half.

The M's have a 1.5-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the wild card race.

Related Stories on Seattle Mariners

NEW PODCAST IS HERE: Brady is back on Tuesday, talking about Cal Raleigh's win in the Home Run Derby and what it means for fans, new and old. Then, he talks about the M's three-game winning streak heading into the break, Julio Rodriguez's resurgence and much more, including what the M's draft may signal about their trade deadline plans. Then, we're joined by Mariners bullpen catcher Justin Novak, who tells us his crazy story, and we talk with our own Teren Kowatsch, who covered the M's draft extensively. CLICK HERE:

WHAT DOES IT MEAN? The Mariners selected Kade Anderson of LSU at No. 3 overall in the MLB Draft, so what does it mean for the rotation moving forward? CLICK HERE:

CAL REWRITES HISTORY: Cal Raleigh won the Home Run Derby on Monday night, and with that, he re-wrote the history books. CLICK HERE:

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is the senior writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and the host of “The Payoff Pitch’’ podcast, which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. Follow Brady on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.

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