Latest gem from MLB's top pitching prospect has even his coach at a loss for words

The number of adjectives that can properly describe Kade Anderson's dominance in his first pro season is dwindling faster than his WHIP.

The Mariners' top-ranked prospect continued his mastery on the mound with seven strikeouts over five perfect frames to spearhead Double-A Arkansas' 8-0 blanking of Tulsa at Dickey-Stephens Park on Friday night. The shutout victory marks the Travelers' Minor League-leading 12th of the year.

Even the club's pitching coach, Cameron Ming, is running out of ideas on how to describe it.

"He likes to be coached, he likes to be challenged. You know, any great competitor like that is never really satisfied with where their craft is at," Ming said. "But after a performance like that, I'm at a loss on what I'll have to teach on my end.

"Someone's gonna to have to help me figure out what we're gonna have to work on this week."

Anderson paces all Minor League hurlers with a 1.27 ERA, an 0.64 WHIP and a .151 average against. His 115 punchouts (over 77 2/3 innings) also pace Double-A. The 22-year-old has thrown at least four innings in each of his 15 starts this year with Arkansas, and he's posted 10 scoreless outings and allowed one run or fewer 12 times. Friday marked Anderson's second hitless start of at least five frames this season.

"His execution of his changeup against righties has really come along and been a neutralizer for him," Ming explained of Anderson's biggest development this season. "He's now able to throw it down and away and locate it well enough that right-handed hitters aren't able to pick it up, especially off of his four-seamer. And against lefties, he's able to move his fastball around to the different quadrants to get passive hitters looking down and away for it."

MLB's No. 5 overall prospect had everything working against a talented Drillers lineup as he needed just nine pitches to navigate the opening frame and six to get through the second. Anderson never threw more than 10 pitches in any of the first four innings and completed his outing by striking out the side in the fifth. He exited after 56 pitches -- 43 for strikes. His only three-ball count came to the final batter he faced, whom he whiffed two pitches later.

"He knew he was facing a very talented and aggressive lineup and he came right at these guys," Ming said. "He wanted to be more aggressive than they were and he flooded the strike zone and executed all of his pitches."

Right-handers Lucas Kelly (SEA No. 16) and Ty Cummings came in relief of Anderson and carried the perfecto into the ninth for the Travelers. But with two outs in the final frame, Sam Mongelli (Dodgers) sent a screamer down the line at third that Josh Hood made a sensational diving grab on, but Hood sailed the throw to first that allowed Mongelli to advance to second, thus breaking up the perfect game and no-hitter.

Cummings rebounded to strike out Kendall George (LAD No. 13) to seal the shutout.

MLB's No. 60 prospect Jonny Farmelo (SEA No. 6) led the Travelers' offense with four RBIs, including his first Double-A home run.

Leading up to the 2025 Draft, Anderson led LSU to a title and earned Most Outstanding Player honors at the Men's College World Series. After topping all Division I arms with 180 strikeouts in 119 innings and finishing third with 12 wins, he was in conversations to go No. 1 overall before being selected by Seattle with the No. 3 pick and signing for $8.8 million.

The 6-foot-2 southpaw is athletic on the mound and repeats his delivery well with a quick arm and has shown a knack for filling up the strike zone. The Mariners have showcased a very good track record of teasing out more velocity with their pitching prospects and Anderson is lining up to be the next example of this. He has already set himself up to move quickly thanks to his advanced pitchability, and if he remains on this trajectory, he could earn a spot near the front of Seattle's already stacked rotation.