Notebook: M’s top pick Anderson set for highly anticipated debut

Those in Peoria Stadium on Saturday afternoon will see a first as the Seattle Mariners’ top pick in the 2025 MLB Draft is set to make his professional debut.

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As the Mariners elected to shut down No. 3 overall pick Kade Anderson after signing him last summer due to a heavy college season workload, he has yet to throw in a pro game. The 21-year-old left-hander has, however, thrown live batting practice against teammates, with each outing garnering considerable buzz.

Today, he will face players in different uniforms, on a bigger stage. And while there is excitement, and rightly so, earlier in camp general manager Justin Hollander tempered that a bit with a reminder that, for better or worse, this is just one short outing with variables seen only in spring games.

That’s the case both for Anderson on Saturday against the San Diego Padres, and for highly touted right-handed pitching prospect Ryan Sloan, who is scheduled to pitch in Sunday’s game against the Texas Rangers.

“I don’t want to get too high or too low based on what happens in an Arizona spring training setting, either a game or a live BP or whatever,” Hollander said. “But what they’re doing is unique and we do think they’re ready for it. I’m not worried about them being ready to compete on that stage.”

Just as the results of a live batting practice on Field 1 mean little to nothing, results will not be the focus in the main stadium for Hollander.

“I think you just look to see how composed they are, whether they are executing pitches,” Hollander said. “You don’t ever want to make too much of an individual spring outing or a live BP setting. I think just watching them go execute pitch after pitch has been fun to see. They have great stuff, they have real plans and a diversity of weapons that makes them unique. But beyond that, not putting a ton of stock in anything that happens out there.”

Anderson is scheduled to throw 25-30 pitches.

Lineup!

Brendan Donovan, 3B
Cal Raleigh, C
Josh Naylor, DH
Randy Arozarena, LF
Luke Raley, CF
Dominic Canzone, RF
Patrick Wisdom, 1B
Ryan Bliss, 2B
Colt Emerson, SS

LHP Kade Anderson

Also scheduled to pitch: Emerson Hancock, Randy Dobnak, Blas Castaño, Tyler Cleveland.

Notes

• Cal Raleigh will be playing in his final tune-up before leaving for the World Baseball Classic. The original plan was to have him catch nine innings, but with temperatures expected to be in the 90s, that likely will not happen.

• J.P. Crawford, who has been sidelined by a shoulder issue, has not been participating in fielding drills but is expected to hit in the cages Saturday. Team officials are confident the issue is minor and he will be ready for the start of the season.

• As we reported yesterday, the Mariners would like reliever Jose Ferrer to use his secondary pitches a bit more, because they generate tremendous swing and miss, but they are not pushing him to do so at this point, as they want him comfortable and confident as he transitions to his new team. Knowing that, it was great to see him throw both his slider and changeup a total of eight times and the two-seamer just six times.

“We talk about his sinker because it’s a devastating pitch, but the offspeed, they are both really valuable weapons,” manager Dan Wilson said this morning. “He likes his changeup, but to have another one with the slider I think is important, and he threw some good ones last night. It’s a good pitch, so now just gaining more confidence in it, and the only way to do it is throw it, and it was good to see last night.”

• Friday night’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks drew a crowd of 9,992 fans, the largest crowd at Peoria Stadium (Padres and Mariners included) so far this spring.

More on the Seattle Mariners

• GM: Where Seattle Mariners stand on Logan Gilbert contract talks
• Why Morosi says George Kirby can put M’s over the top this year
• Jose Ferrer hopes to bring fun and ‘muchos ceros’ to Mariners’ bullpen
• Touted Mariners prospect Colt Emerson continues to shine at camp
• Why top two Seattle Mariners’ pitching prospects have Cal’s attention

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