The Cubs unlucky trend with top prospect call-ups to continue this weekend with Kade Anderson next

The Chicago Cubs have been on the wrong end of several top MLB prospect call-ups this season, and that unfortunate trend is set to continue this weekend. According to Jeff Passan, the Seattle Mariners are calling up left-handed pitching prospect Kade Anderson, who is expected to make his MLB debut against the Cubs on Saturday, August 22.

BREAKING: The Seattle Mariners plan to call up left-hander Kade Anderson, the top pitching prospect in baseball, to start Saturday, sources tell ESPN. Anderson, the third pick in the 2025 draft, has a 1.06 ERA over 93.1 innings with 135 strikeouts, 13 walks and 47 hits allowed.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 20, 2026

Assuming Anderson debuts on Saturday as expected, he will be the first player out of the 2025 MLB Draft to do so. In facing him, Cubs batters won’t be blown away by velocity, as he sits 92-94 MPH. However he has a sinking changeup that has a 48 percent miss rate in the minor leagues this year, while also throwing in a slider and curveball.

Time will tell how Chicago fares against the Mariners’ No. 1 prospect, but the Cubs have already faced a similar challenge this month. On August 12, Chicago squared off against Washington Nationals left-handed pitching prospect Jackson Kent, who entered the game ranked as their No. 9 prospect. The Cubs managed to push three runs across against Kent in four innings, while also drawing five walks.

Beyond facing two of the game’s top left-handed pitching prospects, the Cubs have also had the unusual misfortune of facing two other highly touted prospects during their MLB debuts.

The Chicago Cubs keep getting unlucky with top prospect call-ups, and Kade Anderson is next

Outside of Kent, the Cubs have also faced a pair of highly touted position player prospects in their MLB debuts this season. Back in June, the Colorado Rockies called up center fielder Cole Carrigg, who made his major league debut against Chicago. Carrigg went 1-for-3 in his first game, recording a triple and a walk as he began his MLB career against the Cubs.

More recently, the St. Louis Cardinals promoted Joshua Baez, who made MLB history against Matthew Boyd. He homered in each of his first three at-bats off Boyd, including the first pitch he saw in the majors. Chicago lost that game by 8-4, in which Baez was responsible for five of St. Louis’s runs scored.

Ahead of Anderson’s MLB Debut this weekend, all this is a remainder of the unusual trend Chicago has faced this season. Now, the Cubs will have to contend with yet another highly touted prospect making his first appearance at the big league level, and against a Mariners team fighting for a playoff spot.

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