Double-A batters have 99 problems and Kade Anderson is certainly one
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Every Friday night (and one Saturday because of rain) has been an occasion in the Double-A Texas League in 2026. Somewhere on the circuit, the Arkansas Travelers fill out the lineup card with one name in the starting pitcher slot:
The third overall pick from the 2025 Draft opened his pro career not only in the upper Minors as a 21-year-old, but on a hitter-friendly circuit. None of that has mattered. Anderson continued his buzzsaw through Double-A batters on Friday, striking out nine over five frames of two-run ball for Arkansas in its 7-4 win over San Antonio at Dickey-Stephens Park.
MLB’s No. 6 prospect entered the night with a 27 2/3-inning scoreless streak, going over a month without allowing a run. That quickly dissipated after a first-inning two-out RBI triple off the bat of Jake Cunningham (Padres), but Anderson finished the frame with his third punchout, a precursor of things to come.
What has made Anderson such a mesmerizingly difficult hurler to square up is that he operates with four pitches that all grade out as at least above-average. In the first inning alone, he used his changeup, curveball and fastball to finish off at-bats, and he finished with breaking balls being responsible for five of his nine K’s, including each of the last four.
The Mariners’ No. 2 prospect has logged at least eight punchouts in eight of his 13 starts to open his pro career. All told, he has amassed 99 K’s, the second-most in all of the Minors, just one off the pace of Seth Hernandez (PIT No. 1/MLB No. 3), the only pitcher ranked ahead of him on the Top 100 Prospects list.
Both runs that came across to score against the southpaw Friday reached base via the walk, which has been an event almost as rare as a full moon this season. Through 13 starts, Anderson has an almost unfathomable 99/10 K/BB ratio. That clears the competition across the Minors by a considerable sum and is on pace to be the best mark -- 9.9 -- at the Double-A level in at least the past two decades. For context, just four pitchers have posted a higher single-season mark in big league history: Phil Hughes (2014, 11.6), Bret Saberhagen (1994, 11.0), Cliff Lee (2010, 10.3) and Jim Whitney (1884, 10.0).
Maybe it's not a surprise with all this talk of strikeouts and limited baserunners, but Anderson also leads the Minors with a 1.22 ERA this season. His two runs allowed Friday were just the second time he’s given up that many in a start -- if you were to toss out his four-inning, five-run clunker vs. Northwest Arkansas back on May 15, he would have an 0.57 ERA.
Just how ludicrous has Anderson’s run prevention been? Dating back to 2006, the lowest ERA any hurler has posted over a minimum of 100 Minor League innings was Jimmy Nelson, who worked to the tune of a 1.46 mark in 2014 for Triple-A Nashville. He spent the next three and a half seasons as a consistent member of a big league starting rotation.
Since Anderson arrived at Spring Training earlier this year, the club hasn’t been shy about how quickly they think the former LSU ace could move through the Minors. Triple-A Tacoma plays in an even more daunting hitter’s paradise and the Mariners’ rotation isn’t exactly wanting for innings, currently operating with a six-man group.
But after spending last summer as the top pitching prospect in his Draft class, Anderson has graduated to spending this summer as the most dominant hurler at any level.