Kade Anderson simply received a Faculty World Sequence, did so in an period the place he might receives a commission to play school baseball, and is now taking the subsequent step on a path that may seemingly lead to him incomes hundreds of thousands of {dollars} extra over the subsequent a number of years.
But, I am unable to assist however really feel slightly unhealthy for the scenario he is in, by no fault of his personal. The comparisons between Anderson and Paul Skenes appear apparent at first look. They each starred at LSU and pitched the Tigers to a title in Omaha, and Anderson could very nicely be picked No. 1 total tonight similar to Skenes was two years in the past and be fast-tracked to the most important leagues amid loads of hype. If I had been a betting man, I’d put my whole financial savings on a pundit evaluating Anderson to Skenes on one in every of tonight’s draft broadcasts.
However Skenes’ success within the large leagues so far is an impossibly excessive commonplace for any younger pitcher to dwell as much as. The Pirates ace is about to start out his second All-Star Sport simply over a yr into his profession. Final yr, he received Nationwide League Rookie of the 12 months, completed third in NL Cy Younger voting and even obtained MVP votes. This season, he at present leads the majors in ERA.
Anderson, by comparability, profiles as somebody who might have a protracted profession as a dependable mid-rotation arm if every part goes nicely in accordance with our Keith Legislation. Nothing to sneeze at, however not precisely Skenes like.
Plus, Skenes is hulking 6-foot-6 right-hander with maybe the most effective fastball in your entire sport of baseball proper now. Anderson is a lanky 6-foot-2 lefty with way more finesse to his recreation. Anderson is a basically totally different pitcher, regardless of the plain similarities — this is to hoping he is handled like one.
