MLB Draft 2025: Mariners select LSU LHP Kade Anderson with No. 3 overall pick
The Mariners selected the LSU pitcher, who is fresh off his Men's College World Series championship run, with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft on Sunday night.
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Anderson was a favorite to go No. 1 overall, which would have made him the second LSU pitcher to go first in the draft in the past three years, following current Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes. Instead, the Washington Nationals took shortstop Eli Willits with the first pick.
The southpaw posted a 3.18 ERA across 18 starts for LSU last season, striking out an NCAA-best 180 batters in 119 innings while earning All-American honors and the Baseball America Pitcher of the Year award. He ended his season on a high note when he threw a shutout against Coastal Carolina in Game 1 of the MCWS final, the first shutout in a final since 2018.
Kade Anderson is one of the safest picks of the 2025 MLB Draft class
If you had to bet money on any player in this year's draft class having a lengthy MLB career, it should probably be on Anderson. The 21-year-old excelled in the SEC, one of the harshest environments for a player outside of affiliated ball, and presents a complete package of stuff, command and track record.
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He's so pro-ready that it's not inconceivable that he's playing for the Nationals' big-league squad around this time in 2026.
As Yahoo Sports' Jordan Shusterman broke down on his big board, Anderson's dominance comes from his four-pitch mix: a four-seamer that sits 93 mph but has been up to 97, an upper-80s slider, a tumbling, mid-80s changeup and a low-80s curveball. He can throw all four for strikes, and they all look usable in the majors.
Per Yahoo Sports' Jake Mintz, a common draft comp for Anderson is New York Yankees star Max Fried, another athletic lefty who commands a deep arsenal of pitches.
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... but he doesn't have the highest ceiling
Anderson has followed a path similar to Skenes, but it should be made clear that there are some major differences between Anderson and arguably the best pitching prospect in a decade.
Whereas Skenes was an overpowering right-hander with triple-digit velocity and an unhittable breaking ball, with Cy Young potential from the beginning, Anderson's ceiling is seen as more limited, given that he's a slight left-hander who sits in the low-to-mid-90s with a variety of established secondary offerings.
So much of drafting and developing pitchers is built on projectability. Scouts love big pitchers with big velocity like Skenes because of what they can become down the line. Skenes was obviously pro-ready, then got even better by adding his famous splinker to an unfair arsenal. Comparably, Anderson is more of a finished product, which is good for his path to the majors but means there isn't much more room for him to grow. He could be an ace, but he could also be a No. 4 starter at best.
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The other main knock is that Anderson underwent Tommy John surgery in high school. Pitchers nearly always recover back to 100 percent after their first Tommy John these days, but a second one is much trickier. Then again, the Nationals have never worried that much about injury concerns in the draft.
To summarize, the Mariners likely won't have to wait long for Anderson to become a major-league asset. He absolutely has the tools to be an All-Star, but perhaps profiles more as a mid-rotation starter than a frontline ace.
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