Kade Anderson’s last Double-A start came in mid-August, and it left a hard number behind: a 1.06 ERA over 93 1/3 innings before Seattle moved the left-hander to the majors. That run has put the Mariners’ top prospect alongside former LSU rotation mate Anthony Eyanson and Orioles left-hander Joseph Dzierwa as the three finalists for the 2026 MiLB Pitching Prospect of the Year award.
The result
The winner will be revealed Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. ET during MLB Network’s fourth annual MiLB Awards Show. The selection reflects Minor League work only, and the three candidates brought very different paths to the same ballot.
Anderson and Eyanson had already shared a big stage at LSU in 2025. Anderson struck out 180 hitters, most in Division I, while Eyanson’s 152 ranked third. Both won 12 games, tying for third nationally, and the pair held Coastal Carolina to three runs over two games in the College World Series championship series as LSU collected its eighth national title.
That Tigers tandem split up in the 2025 Draft. Seattle selected Anderson third overall and signed him for an $8.8 million bonus, the largest ever given to a drafted left-hander. Boston took Eyanson in the third round, paying him at a second-round level. Dzierwa, a Michigan State product and the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, went to Baltimore in the second round.
| Finalist | Organization | Minor League record | ERA | Innings | Strikeouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kade Anderson, LHP | Mariners | 10-1 | 1.06 | 93 1/3 | 135 |
| Joseph Dzierwa, LHP | Orioles | 9-2 | 2.27 | 131 | 149 |
| Anthony Eyanson, RHP | Orioles | 6-1 | 1.54 | 99 1/3 | 141 |
Anderson’s Double-A run
Anderson, Seattle’s No. 1 prospect and No. 5 overall prospect, went 10-1 in 18 Double-A appearances. He allowed 47 hits and four homers, walked 13 and held opponents to a .147 average. His 0.64 WHIP was as striking as the 135 strikeouts.
When he made that final Double-A start, Anderson was the Minor League leader in ERA, strikeouts, opponent average, WHIP, strikeout rate at 41 percent, strikeout-minus-walk rate at 37 percent, and a 10.4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His promotion kept him short of the innings threshold for official league leadership, but no pitcher with at least 93 1/3 Minor League innings had posted a lower ERA since 1971.
His fastball generally sits around 94 mph rather than overwhelming hitters with raw velocity. It has carry and command, however, and the rest of the package gives him several ways to finish an at-bat: a mid-80s slider, a changeup in the same range and a low-80s curveball. His high three-quarters release, plus strong extension and horizontal movement throughout the arsenal, adds another layer of discomfort for hitters.
Dzierwa carries the workload
Dzierwa, Baltimore’s No. 3 prospect and No. 86 overall, supplied the largest innings total among the finalists. The 6-foot-8 left-hander opened at High-A, where he went 5-1 with a 2.21 ERA in eight starts. In 40 2/3 innings, he gave up 23 hits, two home runs and 10 walks while punching out 50.
His move to Double-A did not slow him. Dzierwa went 4-1 with a 2.29 ERA in 18 outings, logging 90 1/3 innings with 65 hits allowed, six homers, 20 walks and 99 strikeouts. Across both stops, hitters batted .186 against him and he finished with a 0.90 WHIP.
He led the Minors in opponent average and WHIP while placing second in ERA. Eight of his starts were scoreless, twice the number of appearances in which he yielded more than two earned runs. His fastball works at 91-94 mph and can touch 96, with sink and running action playing off an uncommon release point for such a tall southpaw. A low-80s changeup with depth is his principal companion pitch, while his low-80s slider and upper-70s curveball remain less consistent.
Dzierwa entered pro ball after becoming Michigan State’s highest-selected pitcher since Mark Mulder went second overall in 1998. He did not share the College World Series title run of Anderson and Eyanson, but he quickly made his own case over 131 innings.
Eyanson changes uniforms, not results
Eyanson, now Baltimore’s No. 2 prospect and No. 46 overall, began the season in Boston’s system and was dealt to the Orioles at the Trade Deadline as the centerpiece of the Adley Rutschman trade. He subsequently joined Dzierwa at Double-A Chesapeake.
He was nearly untouchable at High-A, allowing one earned run in 20 1/3 innings over five starts. Eyanson surrendered seven hits, one homer and three walks while striking out 34, producing a 0.44 ERA, a .104 opponent average and a 0.49 WHIP.
At Double-A, he went 6-1 with a 1.82 ERA over 79 innings. He permitted 53 hits and seven home runs, issued 32 walks and struck out 107. For the full season, Eyanson allowed only five earned runs in his first 11 starts and gave up more than two runs in just one of 22 appearances. His combined line included a .175 opponent average and a listed 0.096 WHIP.
Among Minor Leaguers with at least his 99 1/3 innings, Eyanson finished first in ERA and strikeout rate, at 37 percent. The right-hander’s featured weapon is a tight mid-80s slider. Early in the year, his fastball reached 100 mph and operated in the mid-90s, giving that breaking ball an even sharper contrast. Even after the heater settled into a 92-95 mph range later in the season, the production stayed in place. He also uses an upper-70s curveball, a mid-80s splitter and an occasional upper-80s cutter.
A familiar award company
The award’s recent list of winners includes several arms who have since reached the major league game. José Fernández won in 2013, followed by Tyler Glasnow in 2014 and 2016, Blake Snell in 2015, Jon Duplantier in 2017, Dylan Cease in 2018, MacKenzie Gore in 2019, Grayson Rodriguez in 2021, Andrew Painter in 2022, Drew Thorpe in 2023, Quinn Mathews in 2024 and Jonah Tong in 2025. No award was presented in 2020 because of the COVID-19 shutdown.
For Anderson, Dzierwa and Eyanson, the Sept. 28 announcement will settle a season-long race built on command, strikeouts and the steady work of starters who made difficult innings look brief.
