Kade Anderson is already justifying Mariners' aggressive timeline at Double-A

Last year was a great one for Kade Anderson. He posted a 3.18 ERA over 119 innings and had an outstanding performance to help bring LSU another College World Series win.

Following the conclusion of his collegiate career, he was drafted third overall by the Seattle Mariners and scouts had plenty of positive things to say. He entered the year as the organization's No. 2 prospect and based on how his professional career has started, it's a well-deserved accolade.

Kade Anderson hasn't wasted any time dominating the minor leagues

Anderson started the year in Double-A Arkansas, but his performance in spring training and prospect pedigree led many to believe he could be in the majors as soon as this year if all went well. He has been incredible so far, pitching an absolute gem in his second outing in Double-A and maintaining a flawless ERA over his first nine professional innings.

As his inning count grows, his ridiculous numbers will gradually regress towards the mean. But as they stand, they're indicative of a pitcher destined for a step up in competition.

It's tempting to demand that he gets called up as soon as possible, but there are a few obstacles in his way. The organization likely wants to see a little more of him before they make any decisions. They'll need to see the good, bad, and the ugly to get a full picture of how he handles adversity on the mound.

Unfortunately, he is getting started with the team at time when all of their starting pitching spots are occupied by exceptional talent, particularly Emerson Hancock, who may force Seattle to deepen their rotation without even considering opening up a spot for Anderson.

If he doesn't get his big-league chance this year, it'll come soon. He's simply too good to languish in the minors for too long and although it might be tempting to trade away some of the Mariners' starting pitching depth, elite starters are so hard to come by that it's arguably too much of a risk for a playoff team to part with any of their arms.

If nothing else, Anderson has proven that Seattle was right to start him in the upper echelon of the minor leagues. He has quickly demonstrated that he belongs at this level and as soon as there's an open spot in the Mariners' rotation, they know who to call.

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