Mariners Draft Profile: Kade Anderson is the dream at No. 3

On Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk this week, they let producer Lyle Goldstein take the reins for a daily Seattle Mariners draft profile segment.

M’s Draft Profiles: SS Arquette | LHP Arnold | SS Holliday | RHP Hernandez

Goldstein is also half of the Marine Layer podcast that covers the Mariners closely, and he’s had his eye on this MLB Draft for a while, especially since the M’s were lucky in the draft lottery and landed the No. 3 overall pick.

The draft starts with the first round at 3 p.m. Sunday on ESPN and MLB Network. Here’s Goldstein’s fifth and final profile breaking down left-handed pitcher Kade Anderson, who helped lead LSU to the 2025 NCAA championship.

Seattle Mariners Draft Candidate: Kade Anderson

The pros

• A 6-foot-2, 186-pound draft-eligible sophomore, Kade Anderson possesses a four-pitch mix (fastball, slider, curveball, changeup) that all grade out as quality offerings.

• Anderson’s fastball has true rise/carry to it, a trait that the Mariners really like. The fastball gets as high as 97 mph and sits in the mid-90s.

• His sweeper has some short and tight bite to it, with it profiling as a “baby sweeper.” The curveball has real tilt and drop that produces swing and miss, and the changeup serves as a reliable fourth pitch.

Absolutely WICKED curveball from LSU's Kade Anderson 😳

MLB's No. 3 Draft prospect fired 7 innings of 1-run ball on Saturday 😮‍💨 (🎥: @ESPN) pic.twitter.com/s0sAUX6RFY

— MLB (@MLB) June 16, 2025

• Anderson has a quick arm with his delivery and throws a lot of strikes. The fastball command can improve over time but overall he fills up the zone very well.

• With both a high floor and a fairly high ceiling, Anderson can be a front-line starter if everything works out and at the very least stick in a big league rotation.

• Anderson is expected to be a fast mover through the minor leagues who won’t need a ton of development time as a prospect.

• He is very poised on the mound with a calm and collected demeanor.

• Anderson has proven to thrive at the highest level, shining in the College World Series, with his most famous start being a complete game shutout with 10 strikeouts on 130 pitches in the CWS finals against Coastal Carolina.

The cons

• With a 3.18 ERA and 1.05 WHIP for the season with LSU, Anderson encountered adversity, though he dealt with it well. He allowed four home runs in a start to Mississippi State back in March, then responded with a complete game shutout with 14 strikeouts in his next start at Oklahoma. He gave up four home runs in another start against Alabama in April, and in his next start threw 7 1/3 innings of two run ball with 11 punchouts against Tennessee (a top-15 team in the country). And most notably, he got hit around for six runs in a super regional start against West Virginia, then responded with seven innings of one-run ball in his first start in Omaha against Arkansas (which preceded the complete game shutout in the CWS final).

• One area to proceed with caution is that dating back to high school, Anderson has really only had one full season over the last four years to judge. He had Tommy John surgery in his junior year of high school, and missed most of his junior year and all of his senior year as a result. He then threw only 38 1/3 innings as a freshman at LSU in 2024. Plus, there is always some risk associated with a pitcher that has already had Tommy John surgery.

The verdict

Ultimately, Kade Anderson could very well be the best fit for the Mariners in this draft, and there is every reason for the Mariners to really like his profile. The big question is if he will still be on the board at No.3, because he very well may have pitched himself into being the No. 1 overall pick. But if he is there when the Mariners are on the clock, don’t be surprised to see Seattle get Anderson into the fold.

More on the Seattle Mariners

• Mariners get a fifth All-Star as Randy Arozarena replaces Julio
• Brock & Salk: A word stands out in Julio’s All-Star decision
• Cal Raleigh thinks Andrés Muñoz tipped pitches in loss to Yankees
• Ranking the nine Seattle Mariners’ draft classes of the Dipoto era
• Two insiders name D-backs’ Naylor as ideal Seattle Mariners trade target

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