Mariners may be destined for an electric college lefty with No. 3 MLB Draft pick

With the 2025 MLB Draft quickly approaching on July 13th, speculation is continuing to grow about who the Seattle Mariners could take with the No. 3 overall selection.

Seattle is increasingly being projected to draft a collegiate pitcher at No. 3 overall, suggesting that draft insiders might have the scoop about who Jerry Dipoto and company prefer. The intriguing question about this year's draft is that there is not one, but two top-end left-handed pitching prospects, and both have recently been mocked to the Mariners.

The Mariners could have as many as three college lefties to choose from with the No. 3 pick

Let's start with Kade Anderson, the 20-year-old ace for the LSU Tigers. In 2025, Anderson holds a 3.44 ERA and 1.073 WHIP. He's been racking up the punchouts, with 170 in just 110 innings. He has been a big reason why the No. 6 seed Tigers are still around in the College World Series.

The 6-foot-2, 179-pound hurler has become a strikeout artist, showing he is capable of dominating at the highest level of college baseball. Jim Callis of MLB.com speaks highly of Anderson, writing in his recent mock: "Anderson has established himself as the best college arm available."

The possibility of adding the top collegiate arm in the draft is certainly an exciting notion for Mariners fans, and a recent mock draft from The Athletic is projecting them to do so. Callis, however, disagrees. He has the Angels selecting Anderson at No. 2 overall, and has the Mariners going with a different college southpaw.

"If Anderson is gone, the Mariners will look at the other two college left-handers in [Jamie] Arnold and [Liam] Doyle," wrote Callis.

He projects the Mariners will draft Jamie Arnold, a 6-foot-1, 198-pound lefty out of Florida State University. Arnold boasts an 8-2 record, with a 2.98 ERA and 1.063 WHIP. He has thrown fewer innings than Anderson (84.2), but still holds an impressive resume. The 21-year-old posted an identical 2.98 ERA in 2024, while tossing 105.2 innings and striking out 159.

While Arnold's Seminoles have been eliminated in the College World Series, it's hard to blame him. He tossed 6.2 innings of one-run ball in Game 2 against the Oregon State Beavers, helping the team to a 3-1 win. Unfortunately for him, the 'Noles lost the first and third games, falling 2-1.

With three years of college under his belt, Arnold is among the most MLB-ready prospects in the draft, which could make him more enticing for a team that currently lacks a left-handed arm in the rotation.

Also in the mix could be Tennessee left-hander Liam Doyle. The 21-year-old stands at 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, and like Anderson, he has dominated the SEC this year. Doyle owns a 3.20 ERA and 10-4 record, with 164 strikeouts in 95.2 innings.

The concern with Doyle is that he has been inconsistent. In 2024, with Ole Miss, Doyle finished with a 5.73 ERA and 1.255 WHIP. However, his turnaround in 2025 has boosted his draft pedigree. Keith Law of The Athletic has him going No. 2 overall to the Angels.

No matter which of the three it is, it does increasingly look like the Mariners are leaning towards drafting a college starting pitcher. And with the top hurlers this year all being left-handed, it only works in the M's favor. The team has not had a regular left-handed starting pitcher since Robbie Ray in 2022.