LSU Ace Kade Anderson Taken As 3rd Pick Of MLB Draft By Seattle

GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor

LSU pitcher Kade Anderson was not expected to fall past the third pick of the first round of the Major League Baseball draft on Sunday, and that’s exactly what happened.

The Seattle Mariners took college baseball’s ace left-hander who led the nation with 180 strikeouts and was the College World Series MVP for the national champion Tigers with the third pick.

MLB Draft – aka the LSU Job Fair – starts tonight:https://t.co/Rp2zUA51i4

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The Washington Nationals and interim general manager Mike DeBartolo took shortstop Eli Willits, 17, of Fort Cobb-Broxton High in Broxton, Oklahoma, with the first overall pick after a front office upheaval just a week ago. One theory why the Nats passed on Anderson for Willits – the youngest first pick in MLB draft history – was for a less expensive contract.

“Still doesn’t really feel real,” Anderson said in a Zoom press conference. “When I heard my name, obviously, it’s what you dream about. Just super grateful to be selected by an organization that I really got to meet and take in. I think everything happens for a reason, and for me to be selected by the Mariners truly means a lot.”

In the second round, LSU redshirt sophomore pitcher Chase Shores went as the 47th pick overall to the Los Angeles Angels. Shores went 30 spots over his projection as the No. 77 pick. LSU junior pitcher Anthony Eyanson then went in the third round as the 87th overall pick to the Boston Red Sox. And designated hitter/outfielder Ethan Frey went in the third round to the Houston Astros as the 95th pick.

The Angels took UC-Santa Barbara junior right-handed pitcher Tyler Bremner with the second pick just before Anderson. Shortstop Ethan Holliday of Stillwater High in Stillwater, Oklahoma, was projected as the No. 1 overall pick as was Anderson, but Holliday went as the fourth pick to the Colorado Rockies. The St. Louis Cardinals took Tennessee left-hander Liam Doyle with the fifth pick.

Bremner (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) was 5-4 with a 3.49 ERA for UC-Santa Barbara last season with 111 strikeouts and 19 walks in only 77 and a third innings. Anderson (6-2, 186) was 12-1 with a 3.18 ERA and 180 strikeouts with 35 walks in 119 innings as a sophomore. Because of an early birthday on July 6 when he turned 21, Anderson was eligible for this draft as a sophomore.

“To have that opportunity to pitch in the SEC and pitch in the World Series kind of prepares you for the next step,” Anderson said. “When you pitch in the SEC, I think it’s just a stepping stone. Really looking forward to the next chapter.”

In the end, MLB scouts and front offices at Washington and the Los Angeles Angels did not feel Anderson projected as well as, for example, former LSU pitcher Paul Skenes, who had a taller and thicker build at 6-6 and 247 pounds when he was the first pick of the MLB Draft in 2023 by Pittsburgh.

Anderson, a Madisonville native, also had the Tommy John elbow surgery while in high school at St. Paul’s in Covington. Should he have to have that surgery again, which often happens when pitchers have that first surgery as youths, the second tends to be harder from which to recover.

Anderson’s ceiling was not seen as high as the two players taken before him, but we shall see as Anderson is coming off an extremely overachieving season. He struggled throughout his freshman season at LSU in 2024 before exploding this past season.

“I want to leave an impact and impression on the Seattle Mariners and give them a reason why I’m here today,” Anderson said. “Just like how I was at LSU, I want to win a World Series. I think it’s as simple as that. You come here to win, and that’s what I’ve already done. It’s nothing new, and I know what it takes.”

Other LSU juniors expected to be drafted in rounds 4 through 20 on Monday (MLB.com live stream, 10:30 a.m.) are pitchers Zac Cowan, Jacob Mayers, Conner Ware and Gavin Guidry, and outfielder Chris Stanfield. Depending on where they are picked and their offers, some of those could remain at LSU. Senior catcher Luis Hernandez is also expected to be drafted.