Feb 12, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; A detailed view of Spring Training Hat at Seattle Mariners workouts in Peoria, Arizona. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images

Top Mariners Pitching Prospect Dazzles Early in Spring Training

Originally posted on Minor League Baseball on SI
By Justin Binkowski | Last updated Feb 16, 2026 8:54 AM ET

The Seattle Mariners are already known for having one of the best starting pitching staffs in professional baseball heading into the 2026 season. But that rotation could get even more dangerous relatively soon, at least based on some early spring training videos of the team's top pitching prospect.

Kade Anderson, Seattle's No. 2 prospect in 2025 and MLB Pipeline's No. 21 overall prospect for 2026, put on a show on Saturday with an eye-opening performance in some spring training live at-bats. The 21-year-old recorded strikeouts of Randy Arozarena, Dominic Canzone, and Miles Mastrobuoni, as seen in videos shared by the Seattle Times' Ryan Divish. Anderson also faced Cal Raleigh and got him to pop up a 3-0 fastball, according to Divish, though no video of that at-bat was posted.

Anderson was the third-overall pick in the 2025 MLB draft and has yet to pitch in the minors. And while these videos are just early spring training at-bats, footage like this will likely have Seattle fans dreaming of a quick ascension through the ranks for the southpaw, despite the Mariners not necessarily needing another starter right now.

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What will Kade Anderson's path to the pros look like?

With no minor league action on his résumé yet, it's extremely ambitious to expect Anderson to make it to the big leagues in 2026. The Mariners also have a starting rotation featuring Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, George Kirby, and Luis Castillo, so they most likely won't be in the biggest rush to get Anderson to Seattle. But with a perfect storm of enough injuries happening and the 2025 first-round pick doing well in the minors, it's technically not totally out of the question.

Last year, Anderson threw 119 innings for Louisiana State University, posting a 12-1 record with a 3.18 ERA and 180 strikeouts en route to a national championship. That's at least somewhat comparable to another recent first-round pick from LSU, Paul Skenes. In 2023, Skenes had a 13-2 record with a 1.69 ERA and 209 strikeouts in over 122 innings, also helping LSU win a national championship before being the first overall draft pick.

Even Skenes, the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year and 2025 Cy Young Award winner, made 12 starts in the minors before getting called up by the Pittsburgh Pirates. So, for now, Seattle fans may need to pump the brakes on any hasty expectations for Anderson. But that doesn't mean they can't enjoy watching their top pitching prospect in his first professional spring training.

More MiLB: Red Sox's Top Pitching Prospect Shares Hilarious Quote on Trying to Make MLB Roster

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

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