With their postseason hopes fading, the are turning to their top prospect. Left-hander , the No. 3 pick in last summer’s draft, will be called up to start Saturday’s game, reports . When he debuts, Anderson will be the first 2025 draft pick to reach the big leagues.
Coming into 2026, 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 opted for , 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.
Kade Anderson doesn’t allow a run for the 13th time in 18 starts. He was awesome tonight. Final line: 5.2IP, 2H, 0R, 1BB, 7K, 8 groundouts, 12 whiffs, 79 pitches, 53 strikes.
Right-hander was originally lined up to start Saturday. The Mariners have not yet announced their rotation plans, though it seems likely they will push everyone back a day and use Anderson’s start to give everyone in the rotation extra rest. Seattle used a six-man rotation at times earlier this year, before trading away at the deadline.
The timing of the call-up means Anderson will not accrue the 45 days of service time necessary to exhaust rookie status. He will go into 2026 as a rookie-eligible player and possibly the favorite to be named AL Rookie of the Year. If Anderson wins the award, the Mariners will net a Prospect Promotion Incentive draft pick.
Thursday afternoon’s loss () was Seattle’s ninth in its last 13 games. They’re 60-68 and 4 ½ games back in the AL West, and three games behind the third wild card spot with six teams ahead of them.
The Mariners will host the at T-Mobile Park for Anderson’s MLB debut on Saturday.
