Will LSU Baseball's Kade Anderson Go No. 1 Overall to Nationals in 2025 MLB Draft?

LSU left-handed pitcher Kade Anderson remains atop recent 2025 MLB Draft rankings as the No. 1 prospect.

Anderson, a native of Madisonville is coming off of one of the top pitching seasons in LSU history where he turned in a pair of sensational College World Series.

The 6-foot-2 southpaw was named the Most Outstanding Player as LSU captured its eighth baseball national championship.

“Growing up, I always wanted to be an LSU guy,” Anderson said. “I’ve been wearing LSU clothes since I was a baby. It meant so much to me to be in that scenario to be able to represent LSU in the World Series.”

For the year, the left-hander recorded a 12-1 record with a 3.18 ERA and 180 strikeouts (No. 1 in the nation) in 119 innings (tops in the SEC). Opponents hit just .211 against him and he walked just 35 batters.

“He’s the best player in the country,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “There’s nobody closer to the major leagues than that right now.”

The First Team All-SEC selection started LSU’s opening game at the World Series and tossed seven innings of three-hit ball, allowing just one run and striking out seven as the Tigers took down No. 3 Arkansas, 4-1.

"In the first game of the championship series against Coastal Carolina, which came in with a 26-game winning streak, he then turned in one of the best games of his career at the most crucial time as he threw a complete-game shutout, allowing just three hits and striking out 10 in a 1-0 victory which put LSU in the driver’s seat for the championship," LSU Baseball wrote.

“As a pitcher, our job is to get zeroes,” Anderson said when asked about the pressure of a 1-0 College Word Series game. “I had to do what I usually do.

"I put trust in my teammates and coaches, sometimes baseball is like that, it’s a funny game, you never know what’s going to happen so I always just believe in my guys; I wouldn’t have been there without them.”

Now, the Washington Nationals are on the clock with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft with multiple analysts believing Anderson will be the selection.