Player comparisons are encouraging signs for Mariners' newest first-round pick

The Mariners have been one of the best organizations when it comes to all aspects of player development. Their farm system has produced many of the top players on the current roster and is slated to do so once again. The most recent class of international free agents is equally encouraging and the draft results haven't been too shabby either.

Now that more scouting data has come out about the 2025 draft selections, it seems more and more like Seattle has picked yet another winner.

Kade Anderson has impressed scouts and is slated to be one of the league's best left-handed pitchers

MLB Pipeline has recently been releasing their updated lists of top prospects, and has been doing deeper dives into the top 10 names for each position. Anderson is ranked as the third-best left-handed pitching prospect, and is the highest-ranked among those taken in his draft class.

The expectations are already lofty, especially given his unassuming profile. Scouts report that his velocity sits in the low-90s with the ability to top out at 97 mph. However, they also pointed out that he makes it work because of the shapes of his pitches.

"While Anderson might not light up the radar gun as much as some, sitting in the 92-94 mph range and topping out at 97 mph with his fastball, the pitch plays up because of its excellent carry up in the zone..."

MLB Pipeline

Jay Johnson, head coach of LSU's baseball program, likened Anderson to Max Fried which, based on the scouting report, seems apt. We don't quite have the same level of data on Anderson as we do Fried, but based on the qualitative report, it makes sense. In fact, there are quite a few other big league southpaws that may also make good comparisons based on 2025 numbers.

All three of these starters were effective last year despite average or below average fastball velocity. They also share secondary pitches similar to what Anderson likes to throw. Some also rely on fastball variants like cutters and sinkers, but the core breaking offerings line up with what Anderson will bring to the table.

Induced vertical break is what gives fastballs perceived "rise" when thrown to opposing hitters and is quickly becoming a more important pitch characteristic than velocity. If what scouts are saying about Anderson's fastball ability to carry in the zone is true, it could be what separates him from the rest of the pack.

In 2025, the MLB average IVB on four-seam fastball was 15.8 inches, right around where Fried, Abbott, and Boyd were. It's not an exceptional amount of carry but because they were able to command these fastballs up in the zone, it allowed them to be effective. On the other hand, if his carry on his fastball is the result of IVB in the range of 17-18 inches, he'd be in the same realm as Shota Imanaga and Tarik Skubal.

Much of this is conjecture, as Anderson has yet to pitch a single professional inning, the result of the Mariners exercising extra caution and that conservative practice is likely to continue. Nonetheless, Seattle wouldn't have taken him if they didn't have plans for him to take over the rotation one day. Time will tell if he ends up being as good as people are hoping, but overall sentiment behind him seems promising, and for good reason.