Following in the footsteps of Paul Skenes, LSU product Kade Anderson has high expectations as he enters his big league career. Anderson was selected 3rd overall by the Seattle Mariners in the 2025 MLB Draft, and Tiger fans are eager to see what he can do at the next level?
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But as he prepares for his first season of professional baseball, there is no reason for the Mariners to rush Anderson's development in 2026.
Mariners can afford to be patient with Kade Anderson's development in his first professional season
Being a No. 3 overall draft pick usually means a quick route to the big leagues. That can still happen for Anderson, but it's imperative that the Mariners stay smart and don't rush his development in any way. In fact, that's something they've already shown in the early stages of his professional career.
Following last June's draft, Seattle opted to shut Anderson down for the rest of the 2025 season. The organization opted to have their prized draft pick skip the traditional route of playing in the Fall League. Instead, Seattle wanted the talented left-hander to focus on training and resting up in preparation for the spring.
Tremayne Person of Sodo Mojo states that Seattle made the right call. "Seattle already showed its hand by shutting Anderson down after the draft instead of forcing innings for the sake of optics," Person wrote at Sodo Mojo. "That’s not babying him. That’s the organization acting like it actually believes in long-term arm value. And MLB Pipeline listing him with an ETA of 2027 is basically a neon sign flashing the same message: there’s time."
It's also important that the Mariners take their time with Anderson when considering the fact that they don't have a desperate need for pitching right now. Seattle's star-studded pitching staff of Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, and Bryce Miller is arguably the best in baseball, which means there really is no reason to rush Anderson in any way.
Anderson was coming off an extended 2025 season that saw him lead LSU to its 8th National Championship and second in three years. He was dominant in the biggest moments, tossing seven innings of one-run ball against Arkansas in the first round before throwing a complete game shutout on 130 pitches in the first game of the championship series against Coastal Carolina. With that performance, he became just the third pitcher to throw a shutout in the finals since the best-of-three format began in 2003. For his efforts, he earned College World Series Most Outstanding Player honors.
It seems likely that Anderson works his way through the minor leagues throughout 2026, and while a back-end 2026 MLB debut is still certainly possible, MLB Pipeline has Anderson's expected big league debut slated for 2027. No matter when he makes his debut, Tiger fans are fired up to watch the latest top-5 draft pick out of LSU excel at the highest level.