Why Kade Anderson Is A PERFECT FIT For the #Mariners w/MLB Draft Expert Joe Doyle | #SeattleSports

Why Kade Anderson Is A PERFECT FIT For the #Mariners w/MLB Draft Expert Joe Doyle | #SeattleSports

Joe Doyle of the Overslab podcast joining us now on the Emerald Queen Casino Sportsbook Hotline. Joe, you’re in Atlanta, correct, for the Draft and All-Star festivities. Uh, how’s it out there? Yeah, it was a good day. It was a good day yesterday at the draft. Uh, Major League Baseball does, uh, they do a good job setting up a big event and, uh, the All-Star festivities, you know, I’ve been to, this is the seventh or eighth big league ballpark that I’ve been to to take in some sort of event. And I gotta say, I think Truis Park and the Battery at Atlanta is is the coolest social setting I’ve ever been to. It’s it’s a really cool community down here. Now, you said it was a good day. It was a good day, especially for you because, as it was pointed out by friend of the show, uh, Jordan Schustman. You had the most correct first round picks of of anybody that that’s prognosticating this stuff. So, take your victory lap. You you canulations. Yeah. Take your curtain call here. You can you can tout yourself a little bit. You know, Jordan’s a Jordan’s a friend of mine. I tell him every year, I’m like, “We’re obligated as as MLB draft writers, as prospect writers to put out those mock drafts.” And you do as much research as you can, but you know, it’s it’s a crapshoot most years. And I tell Jordan every year, I’m like, if if you don’t want to do that draft mockdraft report card this year, I don’t think anyone would hold it against you. But he’s still, you know, Jordan just he has to put out that uh that fodder. So, yeah. Heavy as heavy as the crown, guys. Heavy as the as heavy as the We’ll have to edit this when we get Jordan on and be like, “You wouldn’t believe what Joe said.” And we’ll chop it up to where it’s like, you know, I tell Jordan, “You shouldn’t do your mock.” Yeah. Just just sit this one out, buddy. Don’t bother. Yeah. Hey, Leia, pass on the message, please. All right. Well, um just as surprised as I’m sure the Mariners and everyone else was to even see the Mariners get that uh third overall spot, I was also surprised to see Kate Anderson. I know it wasn’t this like universal absolutely he’s the number one pick but um I he still was not the most commonly named I saw mock to Seattle. How surprised were you to see him available before we dive into the pick itself? Yeah, I mean I definitely didn’t think that he was going to be available and I I don’t think Seattle was expecting him to be available either. I had heard that the team was, you know, in between Seth Hernandez and and Tyler Brener, uh, you know, the night before negotiating, trying to figure out what their priority was going to be, what the best move for the organization was going to be. So to see Brener go to after nobody, including myself, had had Brener, you know, inside of the top 10 picks, uh, coming into the weekend was was certainly stunning. And I I think this is a huge huge get for Seattle. There really wasn’t another arm in this class, at least at the top, that had the blend of, you know, pitches, strikes, projection, performance, uh, and just the general pitch mix that Seattle has done very, very well over the last handful of years transforming into, you know, big league ready stuff. So, uh, it’s a it’s a perfect fit for the organization and, uh, it’s it’s a fit that, you know, I look back at the George Kirby when he went to the high performance camp and they just got George Kirby stronger and shredded and like transformed him from what he was at Elon. I think that’s what we could see here with Cade. You put 10 pounds on that kid and um, it could be a left-handed starter that sits 94 to 95 touching 98. So, really exciting get for the Mariners. Joe, the Mariners farm system has already, you know, grabbed headlines this season for uh just the depth of it. Where would you slot Kate Anderson in if you were doing a top 10 ranking of this farm system uh after yesterday? Yeah, it’s it’s a coin toss for me. I mean, it’s really close between him and Colt Emerson. I I think they’re both probably at about the same level. I think uh I think Colt Emerson is right on the verge of being able to make that jump to double A possibly by the end of the season. And I think Kate Anderson could could strike out and perform at a high level at the at the high A level uh right away and he could pitch in doubleA at the start of 2026 as well. So I have both of them actually as top 25 prospects in the sport. I have Kate Anderson at 25. I have Colt Emerson at 23. So for now Emerson has a slight nod on the top 10 Mariners prospect list but it is close. Oh god. Not a bad spot to be in for the Mariners. Um, I wanted to stick with Anderson a little bit longer. One of the things that I kept hearing was, um, there’s such a clear floor for who he’s going to be. Like, you you kind of know what the the strengths are. Um, but maybe the upside for some other guys uh is what ultimately prompted uh, you know, maybe the Nats or whoever to go, you know what, we’re going to go in this direction. What is your own read on Anderson? kind of what you see is uh kind of not just how he profiles, but maybe even the potential. Do you think some people might get the ceiling wrong? I you know, the the thing is when you’re in scouting and you’re watching these guys play and pitch and you’re looking at more than just what the pitch mix is. And I think the biggest knock on Kate Anderson is it is a pretty slight frame. It is a pretty lean frame. It’s just not a it’s not a physique that looks like it wants to put on a whole lot of weight, a whole lot of strength. And so because of that, you kind of say, you know, is he capable of making that velocity jump to where he’s got ace stuff? For me, I I do agree with most people who say, you know, this is probably a number two starter, uh, a low number two starter at the next level. The comps that I’ve had on him are are guys like John Lester, uh, to a lesser extent. I think Cole Hamills is is a potential, uh, outcome, but, you know, you’d need to see the stuff blossom a little bit more. But, you know, I I’ve told everyone this, like if you’re getting a number, even if you’re getting a number three starter, uh, at the number three pick in any draft, you are absolutely thrilled. And Seattle has this reputation of turning like the number 14 or 18 or 19 pick into an ace, which is a such a high bar to climb. Uh, Kate Anderson, if you get a number three starter who, you know, can win you 13 to 15 games a year when you’re when you’re really clicking, uh, you’ve done a very, very good job. So, yeah, those are the names that I’ve attached to them. uh John Lester, uh I guess to a certain extent Cole Hamills, but you’re looking at those crafty strikethrowing lefties that uh pitch long innings. One of the knocks about Anderson was having already had Tommy John surgery uh prior to his time at LSU. Is that something teams can get scared off by or is that just kind of the nature of pitching in 2025? Guys are are maybe just destined to have it at some point in their career. Yeah, I think the answer is yes to both. I think teams are just okay. I think some teams are just okay with the fact that some of these guys are going to have had Tommy John surgery in the past. I mean, you look at uh the 2024 draft. One of the greatest pitching seasons we’ve ever seen was Hagen Smith at Arkansas in 2024. He goes very very high uh to the White Socks last year. And this is going to be the case with with Kate Anderson as well. I mean, it’s just kind of a fact of life with how hard guys are throwing and and how much intent uh pitchers are throwing. I I think the thing that’s interesting from like a Mariners’s pitching perspective with Kate Anderson is he had Tommy John as a high school junior. He barely pitched as a high school senior. He pitched just 38 innings as a college freshman as they built him back up. And and this was the first year where, you know, he threw 80 through 80 innings. He really got to showcase his stuff. I would actually make the argument in one respect he’s pretty green. like, yeah, he’s he’s had Tommy John surgery, and that’s something to keep in mind, but this isn’t a guy who’s had a whole ton of runway to refine and elevate his stuff. He doesn’t have, you know, the innings that uh some of the other guys in the in the draft do. So, I’m interested from that perspective, like how much more is in the tank because he just hasn’t had the time to develop. So to answer your question, I guess a little bit more succinctly, yes, some teams are going to be scared off by it, but I think the large majority of teams are just okay with the fact that this is, you know, Tommy John is a fact of life right now. Joe, the Mariners also took a catcher, Luke Stevenson at 35 overall. I think it’s natural as fans, especially with your eye on the trade deadline and your eye on prospects already here to go, okay, what does it mean for Harry Ford? Does it mean they’re going to trade him? Is this anything? But as you know with baseball, sometimes that’s not what it means. um tell us a bit about Luke and then um if anything if there is something that kind of caught your eye about the position itself being drafted there. Yeah, I think that’s your immediate reaction is look that the Mariners are taking a a college catcher in what is essentially the first round. Uh I mean with the Harry Ford trade rumors and and trade speculation that’s floating around, it’s natural to to go that direction. I’ve talked to four different people inside of the organization since that pick was made and every single one of them insists that this is the top player on their board and they’re always going to take the top player on their board. They’re always going to go for the most value. Uh they had Luke Stevenson ranked way above the 35th pick and they were surprised that he was there. The thing that blows me away about Stevenson and I got the opportunity to interview him for about 15 minutes. Uh the interview’s up there on YouTube if anybody wants to get to know him, but just an incredibly polished kid. um a secondyear kid like Kate Anderson only has two years in in college baseball. So still pretty green, still pretty young. And the thing that stands out is is this is such an advanced mind, such an advanced IQ, uh that he was he started every game behind the plate for North Carolina as a true freshman, which is unheard of. So um just an incredibly advanced human being, a very very mature, polished catcher. He’s definitely going to catch. There’s absolutely I I mean you’ve heard the the rumors with Harry Ford like should we move him to third base? Should we move him to left field? Luke Stevenson is as catcher as it gets and and to combine with that it’s enormous raw power. So a very fun prospect that uh should contribute to this team even even if it’s in a backup or a platoon role with Cal Rley’s uh stay in the in the organization expected to be you know years on end. Joe Joe in the fourth round yesterday the Mariners or third round I should say they drafted what Griffin is it Hugus out of Miami and his profile I mean the the raw numbers kind of look like what we saw out of like Brian Woo and Logan Evans out of college they aren’t you know spectacular or anything but what can you tell us about maybe what the Mariners see in him and and how he profiles yeah I I had Hugus ranked at number 122 on my board and let Let me tell you, this is the Seattle Mariners starting pitcher, Clay, like to the tea. He’s up to 96. It’s huge life at the top of the zone. It’s a fast ball that really hops. Um, he spins the ball very, very well. Above average to plus fast ball. Um, 83 to 85 slider, bullet, short, sharp, uh, and a big curve ball. Like these are all, you know, kitschy scout words, but what I’m trying to kind of convey here is you’re kind of right. Like what Brian Woo was doing at Calpali, what some of these other uh pitchers that Seattle has developed well uh were doing in college, like they can really spin the fast ball. They can really shape the fast ball. They can command it at the top of the zone. Uh Griffin Hugus was a guy that kind of slowed down and it it seemed to me fatigued toward the end of the season, but there were there were talks in February and March and early April when when he was just getting going uh that Hugus was going to be like a second rounder this year. So um 6’2 190 uh big stuff and I think again a very very good value here at pick 91 and a guy that I think with that high performance camp could could really see his stuff explode. All right, Joe, taking a step back look at the farm system here and leaning on your expertise for that. Um, one of the, I guess, questions, big picture questions for the season that a lot of Mariners fans will be asking themselves, as you know, is not just who might be dealt, but what what’ll ultimately be the cost? And, um, I think that, uh, it’s probably a little more painful, not just for people in the organization, but for people like you who are like, “No, I’ve spent countless years. I know I know all of these guys and I know their potential. So, we’ll uh we’ll now have a a couple questions here just kind of looking at the farm system with the trade deadline looming kind of take. Uh I’ll start with are there any prospects within the system that you go, man, I don’t know many people that would make me budge on this guy. Like I really hope that they could not touch him. Yeah. I mean, I think the guy for me that stands out is Johnny Farmelo. And the reason is you have five games or 15 games of Johnny Carmelo at HA. I really want to see what Johnny Carmemelllo looks like with an extended amount of time in the minor leagues because he’s he’s the guy that when you trade him, you’re trading something that you don’t know what you have. You don’t know if you have a star center fielder. You don’t know if you have uh like a porcelain, you know, prospect that is just going to be hurt all the time. So, I think trading Johnny Farmelo would be one year too early if they did want to do that. Some of the other guys, you know, if the deal was right, if if the Ronald Dunia Jr. type of player is out there, I’m open to trading just about anybody in the organization. But the the two that do stand out would be Formelo and the other one is Ryan Sloan. I from what I’ve seen from him in Modesto, just the way he moves from a scouting lens, that guy could be something pretty special if you continue to let him develop inside of this organization. So, huge fan of Ryan Sloan, huge fan of Johnny Carmelo. I just think you’d be shipping them off a little bit too soon before you know what you got. Joe, you you always watch the game with a scout’s eye. So, I want to know from you, what have you seen from Julio with the bat this year uh that just feels different uh than what we’ve seen in years past? I mean, he had a great series against Detroit for sure. Great way to finish off the first half, but I think a lot of people look at at Julio’s first half and it’s kind of leaving people wanting more. Yeah, I think, you know, I I personally think it’s an identity problem. I I don’t know if it’s necessar certainly there’s mechanical things and operational things that that come into play and and I don’t want to get too far into the weeds um because Julio changes his swing every two weeks and um he’s still tinkering and and figuring out how to be most productive. But for me, I think part of it is just he’s trying to figure out what kind of player he is. like is this going to be a player that strikes out 19% of the time and just puts the ball in play on the ground a lot and hits singles and tries to steal bases and that’s what we saw you know a lot in in the month of June and and early July or is this going to be a player who sacrifices a little bit of bat to ball and maybe doesn’t have a 285 average but is capable of hitting 30 to 35 home runs and I think if you look at what Julio was from 2021 to 2023 and to a lesser extent 2024 he was a guy that wanted to impact the game, impact the baseball, hit the ball hard, um, you know, produce runs. I think with, and this isn’t a knock on Edgar Martinez, but I think with Edgar coming into the organization and the messaging changing a little bit to put the ball in play, uh, hunt your pitch, uh, put the game in motion, I I think maybe Julio is struggling a little bit and finding himself in between identities. Um, so you know what my goal for Julio would be over the final three months of the season, two months of the season would be just pick a lane. You know, are you going to be a guy that puts the ball in play hard early in counts and and tries to run a little bit on the base paths or are you going to be a guy who strikes out a little bit more and is capable of hitting the home run? So this this middle ground that he’s living in uh is I I in my opinion it’s it’s hurting the team because I don’t think he’s the type of player at this stage of his career that you can have the best of both worlds. I think you just need to uh kind of lean into one if you will. Joe, before we let you go, there are going to be many Mariners fans listening now that are going, “Oh, wait. The Mariners are making more picks and I need to know what Joe thinks.” Or, “Wait, I want to know what he thinks of the draft as a whole.” Tell people where they can find more of your analysis. Yeah, you can find I mean all my analysis kind of live is at on Twitter at Joe DoyleMBB. But um so far I I haven’t missed a player inside of the top four rounds. So if you want a scouting report on anybody that’s been drafted so far, you can head over head over to futureestarseries.com and see my uh tops uh top 615 prospects for the draft and more information about him. He’s batting a thousand knows this stuff, guys. Joe Doyle, very kind to join us on a busy day. Thanks so much, Joe. All right, guys. Let’s get to four down territory.

Stacy Rost & Curtis Rogers are joined by Joe Doyle (host of the Over-Slot podcast) to discuss the Mariners 2025 MLB draft selections, ‘untouchable’ prospects, and Julio’s 2025 first-half.

—-

0:00 – Kade Anderson Scouting Reports
8:00 – Luke Stevenson
10:00 – Griffin Hugus
11:35 – Untouchable Mariners Prospects
13:45 – Julio’s Up and down season

—-
Listen to The Bump & Stacy Show weekdays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. live on Seattle Sports 710 AM and the Seattle Sports App (📲 bit.ly/710apps), or on-demand wherever you listen to podcasts.
—-

🎧: More info on The Bump & Stacy Show here:
https://sports.mynorthwest.com/category/bump-and-stacy/

📰: More Seattle Mariners coverage from SeattleSports.com:
https://sports.mynorthwest.com/category/mariners/