Kade Anderson ties for MiLB K lead, sits atop Double-A in nearly every category
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By most measures, the season is still young. Some alternate identities have yet to be donned, All-Star Futures Game rosters have yet to be announced and there's a whole second half of the Minors campaign. Even with so much left in the balance, it might already be time to ask: Is Kade Anderson having one of the best Minor League seasons ... ever?
MLB's top-ranked left-handed pitching prospect put on another stellar performance at Double-A on Friday, allowing just one hit while striking out nine over five innings for the Arkansas Travelers. He shut down the home Corpus Christi Hooks to the tune of a 6-0 win at Whataburger Field.
Although it was just the 10th pro start for the Mariners’ 2025 first-round pick and No. 2 prospect, his dominance has already become routine. Anderson retired the first eight batters he faced before allowing a single to Jax Biggers (Astros) with two outs in the third. He responded by striking out the next batter looking, going back into cruise control for the remainder of his outing.
Anderson now has consecutive starts with nine strikeouts and no walks, having handed out just seven free passes all year. With this type of consistency, it’s no surprise that he leads the Texas League in virtually every pitching category: ERA (1.29), strikeouts (76), WHIP (0.69) and batting average against (.161). His 76 strikeouts are currently tied for the MiLB lead across all levels with fellow 2025 first-rounder Seth Hernandez (PIT No. 1/MLB No. 3).
So what’s next for Anderson? Looking back to the 2024 Draft, the first pitcher off the board was fellow SEC hurler and current Reds right-hander Chase Burns, who has emerged as a National League Cy Young Award candidate.
Burns' first pro season got off to a very similar start to Anderson's -- in fact, this time last year, he was putting up near-identical numbers for Double-A Chattanooga. Following his start June 7, he had a 1.29 ERA and .177 average-against. That also marked his last outing at the level. He promptly made the trek to Triple-A, which was also short-lived. Just over two weeks later, he made his big league debut.
That’s all to say, a meteoric rise for Anderson wouldn’t be unprecedented, even for a Mariners staff that has posted the second-best ERA (3.53) in the American League through play Friday.