The Seattle Mariners got the player they wanted when LSU left-hander Kade Anderson fell to them with third pick in the MLB Draft.
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Anderson, who was named Most Outstanding Player at the College World Series during LSU’s national title run, was a potential No. 1 pick who many draft experts had coming off the board in the first two selections. Instead, a pair of draft-day surprises by the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels with picks one and two left the southpaw on the board.
Here are three things we learned about Anderson on Sunday.
Don’t expect to see him in minors this summer
Anderson, ranked as the draft’s No. 2 prospect by MLB Pipeline, threw 119 innings while posting a 3.18 and 180 strikeouts during a standout campaign for LSU, which included a 130-pitch complete game during the College World series final.
With a heavy workload in college, the Mariners do not plan to have Anderson report to a minor league affiliate this summer.
“He’s not going to touch a baseball this year,” vice president of amateur scouting Scott Hunter said Sunday. “I would venture to guess that next year, just like any pitching prospect, he’ll be on a certain pitch count for the year, a certain innings limit. But with how efficient he is, how advanced he is, I think it’s probably going to be a natural progression to get him built up. So, I don’t know if it’s next year or 2027, but he’ll be ready to help us out here in Seattle.”
How M’s stood out during scouting
Anderson received an in-home visit from Mariners assistant general manager Andy McKay within two weeks of the draft. The left-hander on Sunday told media the Mariners were the only team to pay him an in-home visit.
“Funny enough, he was the only guy that came to my house, which is very – I’m not sure if that’s ironic or that’s just how things go. But we had some really good conversations,” Anderson said. “Funny enough, he reminds me a lot of (LSU pitching) coach (Nate) Yeskie in a lot of ways. And a lot of the guys, their mentality, through the Mariners remind me of (Yeskie).”
M’s see shades of Gilbert and Kirby
Seattle has had plenty of success drafting college arms under Hunter and president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto.
It all started in 2018 when the M’s took right-hander Logan Gilbert with their first round pick. The next year they selected right-hander George Kirby in the first round. Both have developed into All-Stars since.
Hunter said the Mariners see a little bit of each pitcher in Anderson.
“He’s got the combination of, like, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert,” Hunter said. “He wants to learn, wants to develop his pitches like Logan. And he’s kind of stoic like George is – just that silent competitor that may not say a whole lot, but when you talk to him, he says the right things. … He’s not really a guy that’s all about fluff to be honest with you. He’s serious.”
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