With their postseason hopes fading, the Seattle Mariners are turning to their top prospect. Left-hander Kade Anderson, the No. 3 pick in last summer's draft, will be called up to start Saturday's game, reports ESPN. When he debuts, Anderson will be the first 2025 draft pick to reach the big leagues.
Coming into 2026, we ranked Anderson as the 22nd-best prospect in baseball and the fifth-best pitching prospect. Five months into the season, he is widely considered the best pitching prospect in the game. Here's our preseason scouting report: Anderson appeared to be in the running for the No. 1 pick until late in the draft cycle.
He slipped to No. 3 after the Angels opted for Tyler Bremner, which looks like a stroke of luck for the Mariners. Anderson has four above-average offerings and he survived a thorough SEC vetting. There's every reason to expect him to zip through the minors, perhaps even debuting late this season.
Long term, Anderson should grow into a No. 2 or 3 starter under the Mariners' guidance. Anderson, 22, has been simply sensational in the minors this season. He's pitched to a 1.06 ERA while striking out 135 and walking only 13 in 93 ⅓ innings, all at Double-A.
That 1.05 ERA is the lowest in the minors among the 479 pitchers with at least 70 innings. Anderson's 10.4 K/BB ratio is tops among those 479 pitchers by more than three points. The Mariners are skipping Anderson over Triple-A, which is not an uncommon move these days.
That is especially true with pitchers. The Triple-A Pacific Coast League is very hitter-friendly. It is not a great environment for a young pitcher, so teams have taken to skipping their best young arms over Triple-A altogether.
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