Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan met for the first time this winter. They pitched in the Mariners "Shove Camp" together in January and their lockers were next to each other in the Mariners' big-league clubhouse during spring training.
Now the new friends will get to share their first season together.
And it's not entirely out of the question that they could make their way to Seattle together by the end of the season.
In a bit of a surprise, the Mariners announced Monday that Anderson and Sloan, the club's top two pitching prospects, will open the season headlining the starting rotation at Class AA Arkansas.
Early on in spring training, the club had tentatively planned to have Anderson and Sloan begin the year in High-A Everett, as a way to ease them into the season.
Instead, both proved during spring training that they were ready for an advanced assignment.
The better weather conditions in Arkansas -- and throughout the Texas League -- were also factors for the Mariners when deciding where to assign their top pitching prospects.
Anderson, a 21-year-old left-hander, was the Mariners' No. 3 overall pick in the MLB draft last summer after he led LSU to the Men's College World...
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