Kade Anderson threw five no-hit innings and struck out 11 batters Friday night in his second Double-A start against Wichita, opening with three straight pitches for a strikeout and never letting the game settle. He walked two.
The Mariners prospect needed just four pitches to get through his first hitter, then spent the rest of the night missing bats and missing barrels. Five of his 11 strikeouts came on called third strikes, and his 14 whiffs ranked fifth in Double-A on Friday while his whiff rate ranked third at the level.
Anderson’s outing came a little more than a week after his April 3 Double-A debut, when he worked four scoreless innings and allowed five singles, struck out six and walked one. Two of those hits did not leave the infield, but Friday’s performance looked even cleaner. He sat 93-96 mph with his heater, recorded 69% strikes and showed the kind of command that has made him look ready for the level.
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The pitch mix and command were largely what was expected from a hyper-polished LSU product, even if he did not lean on his slider very often. That has not kept his starts from becoming must-see MiLB TV, and after two outings he has already made a case that the fast track is no accident.
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The next question is how long Double-A hitters can keep coming up empty. If Anderson keeps pairing strike-throwing with a fastball that sits in the mid-90s, the challenge for Seattle will not be whether he looks ready. It will be how soon it decides he is.
