Mariners LHP Kade Anderson recorded nine strikeouts over 5 1/3 shutout innings on Friday for Double-A Arkansas.
Anderson’s dominant start to his professional career continued with another scoreless outing, lowering his ERA to a remarkable 1.43 across 44 innings through nine starts. He’s also compiled an eye-popping 67/7 K/BB ratio over that span. Pirates phenom Seth Hernandez may be the most intriguing long-term pitching prospect in the minors, but Anderson is several steps closer to the majors and could emerge as a meaningful fantasy contributor later this season. There’s even a scenario where Seattle deems him ready and promotes him directly to the big leagues, bypassing Triple-A Tacoma altogether, though that feels unlikely right now. Even so, he’s worth stashing in fantasy leagues given how quickly he could force the issue.