Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson formed a dynamic duo at Louisiana State in 2025. They finished first and third in NCAA Division I in strikeouts (180 for Anderson, 152 for Eyanson) and tied for third in victories (12 each), limiting Coastal Carolina to three runs in two games in the College World Series finals as the Tigers claimed their eighth national championship.
They went their separate ways after the 2025 Draft, in which Anderson went third overall to the Mariners and Eyanson got second-round money in the third round from the Red Sox. Now they're reunited in a way as two of the three finalists for the 2026 MiLB Pitching Prospect of the Year award, along with another 2025 Draftee, Orioles second-round pick Joseph Dzierwa.
More from MLB Pipeline:
• Top 100 prospects | Stats | Video | Podcast | Complete coverage
MLB Network will announce the winner during its fourth annual MiLB Awards Show Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. ET. Only Minor League performance was factored when MLB Pipeline staff determined the three finalists. A closer look at each:
Anderson's pro debut showed why he rated as the consensus best pitching prospect in the 2025 Draft and received the highest Draft bonus ever given to a left-hander ($8.8 million). At the time of his final Double-A start in mid-August, he led the Minors in ERA, strikeouts, opponent average, WHIP, strikeout rate (41 percent), strikeout minus walk rate (37 percent) and K/BB ratio (10.4). Getting promoted to the big leagues prevented him from having enough innings to officially qualify for the Minor League lead, but his 1.06 ERA was the lowest for any pitcher who worked at least as many as his 93 1/3 frames since 1971.
Anderson doesn't light up radar guns, sitting at a pedestrian 94 mph with his fastball, but he does everything else well. He exhibits quality carry and command with his heater, and he can pound the zone and miss bats with his entire arsenal, which also includes a mid-80s slider and changeup and a low-80s curveball. All of his pitches feature good horizontal action and the extension in his high-three-quarters delivery adds deception.
Joseph Dzierwa, LHP, Orioles (No. 3/MLB No. 86)
High-A: 5-1 W-L, 2.21 ERA, 8 G, 40.2 IP, 23 H, 2 HR, 10 BB, 50 K, .160 AVG, 0.81 WHIP
Double-A: 4-1 W-L, 2.29 ERA, 18 G, 90.1 IP, 65 H, 6 HR, 20 BB, 99 K, .197 AVG, 0.84 WHIP
Total: 9-2 W-L, 2.27 ERA, 26 G, 131 IP, 88 H, 8 HR, 30 BB, 149 K, .186 AVG, 0.90 WHIP
Dzierwa didn't win a College World Series in 2025 like the other two finalists, but he was the Big Ten Conference Pitcher of the Year and the highest-drafted Michigan State hurler since Mark Mulder went No. 2 in 1998. He stepped right into pro ball and dominated in his debut, leading the Minors in opponent average and WHIP while ranking second in ERA. He had twice as many scoreless starts (eight) as outings in which he allowed more than two earned runs (four).
Dzierwa's fastball operates at 91-94 mph and tops out at 96, though it plays up thanks to run and sink combined with an unusual release point for a 6-foot-8 southpaw. His heater pairs well with a low-80s changeup with fade and depth, though he doesn't have great feel for spinning his low-80s slider or upper-70s curveball.
Anthony Eyanson, RHP, Orioles (No. 2/MLB No. 46)
High-A: 0-0 W-L, 0.44 ERA, 5 G, 20.1 IP, 7 H, 1 HR, 3 BB, 34 K, .104 AVG, 0.49 WHIP
Double-A: 6-1 W-L, 1.82 ERA, 17 G, 79 IP, 53 H, 7 HR, 32 BB, 107 K, .192 AVG, 1.08 WHIP
Total: 6-1 W-L, 1.54 ERA, 22 G, 99.1 IP, 60 H, 8 HR, 35 BB, 141 K, .175 AVG, .096 WHIP
Eyanson broke into pro ball by allowing a total of five earned runs in his first 11 starts, and he surrendered more than two runs just once in 22 outings. The Red Sox shipped him to the Orioles as the headliner in the Adley Rutschman deal at the Trade Deadline, after which he teamed with Dzierwa at Double-A Chesapeake. Among Minor Leaguers who posted at least as many as Eyanson's 99 1/3 innings, he ranked first in ERA and strikeout rate (37 percent).
Eyanson's money pitch is a tight mid-80s slider that became even more devastating when his fastball parked in the mid-90s and reached 100 mph early in the spring. Though his heater settled in more at 92-95 mph by season's end, his performance didn't suffer. He also utilizes an upper-70s curveball and mid-80s splitter, and he dabbles with an upper-80s cutter.
Previous winners
2013: José Fernández, Marlins
2014: Tyler Glasnow, Pirates
2015: Blake Snell, Rays
2016: Tyler Glasnow, Pirates
2017: Jon Duplantier, Diamondbacks
2018: Dylan Cease, White Sox
2019: MacKenzie Gore, Padres
2020: None (COVID)
2021: Grayson Rodriguez, Orioles
2022: Andrew Painter, Phillies
2023: Drew Thorpe, Yankees
2024: Quinn Mathews, Cardinals
2025: Jonah Tong, Mets