Anderson earns nod as AL starter for Futures Game in Philly

ST. PETERSBURG -- Kade Anderson has received an assignment worthy of the best pitching prospect in baseball.

Anderson, the Mariners’ No. 1 prospect and the No. 5 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline, has been named the American League’s starting pitcher for this Sunday’s All-Star Futures Game presented by Nike. First pitch from inside Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia is scheduled for noon ET.

The left-handed Anderson has been utterly dominant in his first season as a pro after the Mariners selected him with the No. 3 pick in last year’s Draft. He has a 1.36 ERA over 72 2/3 innings (14 starts) with Double-A Arkansas. That ERA is the best among all qualified pitchers in a full-season league. He also leads that group in FIP (1.83), opponents’ batting average (.160), WHIP (0.69) and strikeout-minus-walk rate (37.5%). His 108 K’s are the second most among all Minor League pitchers, and he has walked just 10 hitters.

"It's super exciting," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said Saturday. "He has had a tremendous half and has thrown the ball extremely well. It being his first professional season, that's really impressive. Really exciting that he gets the ball tomorrow, and I think we'll be interested to see how it all goes for him."

Just one year ago, Anderson was the ace of the LSU Tigers’ pitching staff and closed out his college career with a 10-strikeout complete game in Game 1 of the Men’s College World Series. He went on to be named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

Now he’s performing like the best pitcher in the Minors, and a Major League callup may not be too far off in the distance for the southpaw who turned 22 years old on Monday.

Anderson is one of two Mariners prospects who are slated to take part in the Futures Game. He will be joined by the club’s No. 2 prospect (and No. 8 in MLB), right-handed pitcher Ryan Sloan.