Kade Anderson proved to be mortal in his start last week. On Friday night, he proved to be something far more important: resilient.
Coming off the worst start of his pro career, Seattle's No. 2 prospect was back in total command, striking out seven over 4 2/3 innings to lead Double-A Arkansas past Springfield, 14-0, at Dickey-Stephens Park.
The start also carried some added intrigue with Springfield starter and fellow 2025 first-round Draft pick Liam Doyle (STL No. 1/MLB No. 23) opposing Anderson. Doyle went four innings and struck out seven, but six walks and three hits contributed to him allowing four runs.
Two of the most dominant left-handers on the college scene last year, Doyle (Tennessee) and Anderson (LSU) were SEC rivals before finding common ground as first-rounders selected in the top 5 picks. The duo faced off on April 25, 2025, with Doyle allowing one hit over 6 2/3 scoreless innings. Anderson was up to the task as well, striking out 11 and surrendering two runs over 7 1/3 frames.
Just over a year later, Anderson convincingly took Round 1 of their matchups in pro ball.
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An uneven first inning cost him pitches and ultimately led to an earlier-than-expected departure, but Anderson still turned in his fifth scoreless effort of 2026. More importantly, he put to rest any notion that his rough outing last Friday was anything more than a blip on what is becoming a weekly show of dominance.
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To be fair, the early signs were not encouraging for MLB's No. 7 prospect. After surrendering season highs in runs (five) and hits (six) against Northwest Arkansas, Springfield greeted Anderson with consecutive singles to start the game. A strikeout, a caught-stealing and a groundout ultimately helped him escape the frame unscathed, but a walk also contributed heavily to a 25-pitch inning.
It would also be the last sign of any sort of struggle for the southpaw, who locked in over his final 3 2/3 innings. Beginning with the final out of the first, Anderson retired 10 consecutive batters -- striking out the side in the second -- before the streak was broken with a free pass leading off the fifth. A strikeout and a flyout had the 21-year-old on the precipice of completing five frames, but a two-out single ended his night after 75 pitches (51 strikes).
Anderson ultimately yielded five baserunners -- three singles and two walks -- but just two over his final 3 2/3 frames, during which he threw 35 of his final 50 pitches for strikes.
Despite seeing his ERA spike from a ridiculous 0.60 to a still-miniscule 1.85 after his previous start, Anderson lowered it to 1.63, tops among qualified pitchers in the Texas League and ninth-lowest in the Minors. That figure is no mirage considering his 0.80 WHIP and 58/7 K/BB ratio in 38 2/3 innings across eight starts.