Tigers starting pitcher Kade Anderson 32 on the mound as LSU Tigers take on Alabama Baseball in Baton Rouge, LA. Thursday, April 17, 2025. SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Seattle Mariners Projected to Land Talented LSU Pitcher in Latest Mock Draft

Originally posted on Minor League Baseball on SI
By Brady Farkas | Last updated May 7, 2025 5:16 PM ET

The Seattle Mariners have an excellent opportunity to add more talent to their farm system this summer, as they own the No. 3 pick in the upcoming MLB Draft. Furthermore, the Mariners have the most bonus money available in the draft, meaning they can afford to take some chances on high-upside high school players or college underclassmen.

It's the first time that the Mariners have drafted in the Top 10 since 2020, when they took Emerson Hancock out of Georgia.

Jim Callis of MLB.com put out his latest mock draft on Tuesday, and he had the Mariners taking left-handed pitcher Kade Anderson out of LSU.

The best college sophomore available, Anderson has a more traditional delivery than (Liam) Doyle and a quality four-pitch mix that has him challenging for the D-I strikeout lead in his first season as a weekend starter.

Mock season begins!

Jim Callis predicts all 27 first-round Draft picks: https://t.co/ah9Tks8CVr pic.twitter.com/EbYZMmEKm8
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 7, 2025

Anderson is currently 6-1 for LSU with a 3.57 ERA. He's struck out 114 batters in 70.2 innings for the SEC power. At No. 3, the Mariners certainly have options in front of them, but it wouldn't be a shock to see them take a pitcher. After all, the Mariners at one point, took Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo, focusing on pitching. As that pitching developed, the M's moved to the position player side, taking Harry Ford, Cole Young, Colt Emerson and Jonny Farmelo.

As that hitting gets closer and closer to making a big-league impact, the cycle could be reversing again. They Mariners took Jurrangelo Cijtnje (Mississippi State) and Ryan Sloan (HS) in the top two rounds last year, so the pitching rebuild has already begun, but neither pitcher is especially close to Seattle.

Seattle doesn't have much in the way of depth at the upper-level minors, especially with Hancock and Logan Evans currently holding major league rotation spots currently, so they could use as many developed arms as they can find, which Anderson is.

This article first appeared on Minor League Baseball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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