The Seattle Mariners on Sunday selected left-handed starting pitcher Kade Anderson out of Louisiana State with the third pick of the 2025 MLB Draft.

“Kade Anderson is a polished college left-handed starter with a true four-pitch mix,” Mariners vice president of amateur scouting Scott Hunter said in a team statement. “His mid-90s fastball and three plus secondary offerings are something that jumps out, but his pure feel to attack the strike zone and command of his arsenal is what makes him special.

“We feel this type of physical talent, coupled with his winning pedigree, will fit perfectly in our pitching culture.”

Anderson, 21, pitched 119 innings and posted a 3.18 ERA as a draft-eligible sophomore this season. He struck out an NCAA-best 180 batters, walked 35 and held opponents to a .211 average. He was named the College World Series’ most outstanding player after going 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA and 17 strikeouts to help lead the Tigers to their second national championship in three years.

A notable Tiger was on that 2023 championship squad — Paul Skenes, who was picked at No. 1 by the Pittsburgh Pirates a month later, debuted in the majors in 2024, won Rookie of the Year and will next pitch in the All-Star Game on Tuesday as the National League starter.

Anderson, who is 6-foot-2, has a decent chance to follow Skenes’ quick path to a major-league mound. The Athletic’s Keith Law rated him the third-best prospect in the draft. In his most recent rankings, Law wrote that Anderson “is a very polished, competitive lefty who works with a true four-pitch mix, or five if you distinguish between the two fastballs, and he throws a ton of strikes with the whole arsenal. He’s 91-95, using four- and two-seamers, and leads with a plus changeup that has excellent deception and hard fading action, helping him attack hitters on both sides of the plate. His slider is the better breaking pitch of his two, as the curveball looks pretty but doesn’t generate as many whiffs and may be more of a show-me offering to keep hitters guessing.

“He repeats his delivery well and it looks like real command, not just control, especially of the fastball. … As long as he’s at full strength, he’s a mid-rotation starter, and looks like the kind of college pitcher who could get to the majors inside of 18 months.”

The slot value of the No. 3 pick is $9,504,400. The Mariners have a total bonus pool of $17,074,400 — the second-highest amount — for the first 10 rounds of the 20-round draft.

(Photo: Jay Biggerstaff / Getty Images)