With days left until the 2025 MLB Draft, LSU baseball pitcher Kade Anderson climbed to the top of the latest mock draft from ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel.
McDaniel has the Washington Nationals selecting Anderson with the first overall pick in Sunday’s draft. The left-hander was considered a lock for the first round throughout the 2025 season, but his playoff performance elevated his stock.
“There is a lot of uncertainty at this pick after the firing of GM Mike Rizzo. The effect, if you believe the buzz in the industry, is that Anderson is now a little more likely to be the pick. I think it stands at about a 55% chance it will be Anderson, 35% for Ethan Holliday and 10% for Eli Willits/others,” McDaniel said.
Should the Nationals not take Anderson, it seems likely that the Los Angeles Angels will use their second overall selection to grab him. McDaniel has the Angels taking fellow southpaw Liam Doyle out of Tennessee.
Anderson finished his second season at LSU as a national champion. He claimed the Friday starting role and finished with a 3.18 ERA and 180 strikeouts over 119 innings. In the final game of his collegiate career, Anderson used 130 pitches and got 10 strikeouts in a complete-game shutout over Coastal Carolina in the College World Series finals.
LSU right-handed pitchers Anthony Eyanson and Chase Shores also earned spots on McDaniels’ mock draft. Eyanson is slotted at No. 42 overall to the Tampa Bay Rays and Shores is at No. 59 to the Milwaukee Brewers.
