Up Goes Anderson: Why the Beleagured White Sox Star is Primed to Bounce Back

[Hans Birkeland]

Tim Anderson is pretty talented and has had an excellent career thus far. Outside of 2023, that is, when he played a role that mixed a little Charlie Brown, Frank Grimes, and Cory & Trevor into one godawful baseball experience. The Twins are set in the middle infield, but if they are looking for value, Anderson is it.

Image courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The White Sox just had one of the crummiest seasons you'll ever see. Given the results and future outlook, they may have still had a better year than the Angels, but we’re splitting hairs in that case. The Sox thought themselves contenders, and signed Mike Clevinger and Andrew Benintendi to decent-sized contracts. In fact, Benintendi’s was the largest free agent contract given out by the franchise in its history.

Like the Twins going into 2023, the Sox figured that poor injury luck and underperforming their talent level in 2022 would course-correct into a contending season. Despite being less injured than the prior year, nothing went right from a performance, cohesion and soft skills standpoint. They lost 101 games, their PBO, GM and allegedly the entire clubhouse.

They also lost Tim Anderson in more ways than one. He was their All-Star shortstop who up until this year played a decent shortstop while hitting .300 in his sleep. But in trying to play through an injury, his defense slipped and his hitting cratered, with only a single home run hit. He did manage to post 523 plate appearances. Speaking to MLB.com reporter Scott Merkin, Anderson offered the following assessment of 2023:

Quote

“Obviously, injuries. I had an MCL injury,” Anderson said of a left knee sprain sustained during a defensive rundown in a game at Target Field on April 10. “My front leg, so that kind of messed with me hitting. I kind of was not really hitting up against anything on the front side.

“I’m really not trying to make that excuse. This year has been a lot of searching. The body is working a lot differently, especially coming off injury. I just could never grab hold to what I was searching for.

“Some days, I feel good. I’d have a good series. It kind of really was all over the place with trying to grab that consistency and that feel. The body felt different every day.”

A hitter's front leg is crucial to generating any sort of power. It's the same idea for golfers: the front leg acts as a brace so that the player can deliver the most force at the fullest extension without losing balance.

So with an unstable lead leg, Anderson’s power dried up. His career average is 18 home runs per 162 games. We all know what happens to hitters that pitchers know can’t drive the ball. They bust them inside until they make a pitcher pay, which Anderson never really did. That is the easiest explanation as to Anderson’s fall off.

The White Sox cut him a few weeks ago, declining a 14M option on his contract for 2024.

I don’t know about you, but when I see the White Sox make a decision on something borderline, I make the assumption that they’re wrong. Anderson is a proud player, and Chicago is so dysfunctional that they turned that into a weakness. He played through an injury that everyone could tell was limiting him, and yet when the team was asked who their leaders were, all prominent players lowered their heads and pleaded the fifth.

He got slapped by Yasmani Grandal when he criticized the catcher for skipping meetings.

He then got punched out in front of the whole world by Jose Ramirez for daring to pull a Kent Hrbek on a young Guardians player the night before. He took the shot like a champ, and yet, the whole world renewed its adoration for Ramirez afterwards.
 

Which struck me as weird, because Ramirez was the hostile actor in this case. He (or perhaps the entire Guardians clubhouse) is the one who took exception to the play the night before. He is the one who started jawing after a light tag on the butt from Anderson as he slid into second base. He was looking for some action, and although unbridled macho-ism is on the decline in baseball, it certainly reared its ugly head here. There was a thousand times more breathless coverage of Tom Hamilton’s radio call of the incident, than the fact that the face of the White Sox had been assaulted for the crime of trying to make some plays for a talented team that needed a big-time spark or seven. Anderson even got a longer suspension than Ramirez!

(Also why are we in love with Ramirez when he's a hot head, chews tobacco, and left about 100M on the table to sign an extension with Cleveland. The MLBPA should hate this guy!)

So let’s review:

• Anderson got hurt, and played through the injury. When that goes well, we call those players ‘warriors.”
• The clubhouse culture was clearly a problem. Anderson called out one of the worst perpetrators and got slapped. Rather than be lionized for his attempts to restore some order in Chicagoland, everyone just shrugged.
• He got punched and everyone took Jose Ramirez’s side. Anderson gave the White Sox 123 games despite being hurt, playing for a sorry team, and getting no support from seemingly anyone in the game.
• He could have lashed out. At the media, at the White Sox, at Ramirez. But he mostly stayed silent. Anderson has always been a head-down, focused and passionate player. If anyone stands a higher percent chance to rebound from the conditions they played in in 2023, it's Anderson (provided his knee is healthy next year).

It would seem likely that Anderson will sign for a one year, 10M deal, or something similar. Perhaps he might want to join a division favorite with a shortstop used to being maligned by Twitter while he plays through an injury for almost an entire year. Maybe he might want to join a hard working clubhouse that would actually listen when he had something to say.

The fit is not obvious in Minnesota. It would require the Twins to trade from their infield depth, although that is something they have indicated they will do. But beyond fit, it would seem to me that Anderson stands an excellent chance of getting to qualifying offer territory next year if he joins a team with a good, or at least a neutral, culture.

He’s also right-handed with a palatable strikeout rate, and has offered to convert to second base. Any late inning heroics from him at Progressive Field will hit like a playoff win. What do you think? Should the Twins take a flier on their old rival? Sound off in the comments.

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[4twinsJA]

Don't try to catch a falling knife, may be a dead cat bounce rather than a bounce back. Maybe I am bias since he was a White Sox, but I would say no. I would rather keep Farmer and Castro. Anderson may be a difficult fit for clubhouse.

[CRF]

No way!

[mnfireman]

Let him find his game elsewhere, the Twins already have enough (too many?) middle infield options.

[Dman]

I ma pretty sure he will rebound but his defense is horrible at least at short and I don't know how well he fits into a club house.  Like the article said he just isn't a good fit for the Twins, but I think the team that takes a chance will get rewarded.

[tony&rodney]

Tim Anderson totally fell apart last season and that is curious. He was always a guy who hustled and played hard. Hans, you do a good job of explaining his nightmare of a season. Our guy, Jose Miranda, hurt his shoulder and never could manage a decent swing the entire year and Miranda is relatively inexperienced. Anderson doesn't seem past his physical prime. He should be an interesting guy to watch this season. Seattle should sign him for second base. Unless the Twins unload a couple of second basemen, there really isn't any room on the team.

[Cory Engelhardt]

I like the outside-the-box thinking here. I actually would be even more open to this idea IF he would be open to grabbing an outfielder's glove, and/or would be open to moving around to 2b and 3b as a utility type defender. IF he could handle LF/2B/3B, I think his bat COULD help for a 1 year deal.

I'd imagine he would prefer to play SS for one year to hopefully get a new contract next offseason, so if that is the case I don't see him here. 

[TopGunn#22]

I could very much see him sign with Seattle to play 2B (if we don't trade them Polanco) or with the Dodgers to play SS or 2B depending on where the Dodgers want to play Lux.  Anderson WILL bounce back with the bat in 2024.

Two other interesting trade targets with the White Sox would be:  Michael Kopech--Great arm with a negative 3.6 value.  I'd trade Nick Gordon even up just for the chance to work with that arm !!  Eloy Jimenez 27 years old, good hitter, LF/DH type of middle of the order bat Negative 7.3 value. 

We don't need to ask who the Twins leaders are.  They're Correa and Lewis (Buxton if he can play).  I'll bet Chicago might even pay for a bit of Eloy's $13 million contract in 2024.  There are club options for $16 million in 2025 and $18 million in 2026 but depending on how quickly Emmanuel Rodriguez develops you could spin Jimenez in a trade at the deadline of just decline the option. 

[ValleySpringsFan]

Thank you for a really interesting take on a guy I had only negative impressions of, based mostly on the Ramirez incident. This is a case where I'd really like to know what other MLB players think of Anderson, both on the field and in the clubhouse. If he's flexible about what position he plays, then the possibilities are intriguing.

[MMMordabito]

Jackie Robinson wouldn't have cratered like that.

He peaked when he hit the walk-off in Dyersville. (Yes, it was awesome.)

No thanks.

Next.

[Jocko87]

While I don’t have much faith in the White Sox organization for just about anything at this point, they have given us a tremendous amount of evidence who they think were negative clubhouse presence with his release.  That counts for a lot.  It will be interesting to see how well he gets along with his new team, if it’s not a strong culture he’ll likely be a problem again. 

Then again, when he eventually gets a bit role in Atlanta or Houston he’ll look really good again. 

[jmlease1]

Yeah...no. Maybe he's misunderstood, but he also might be just kind of a jackass, who got away with stuff when he was playing well and now people are like "Eff this guy". (You can be an innocent bystander only so many times...) he certainly doesn't fit in anywhere for the twins, who a) would have to reshuffle contracts and playing time to accommodate a player coming off a bad season, and b) have been working towards a "no jackasses" clubhouse. 

to fit Anderson on the Twins you would have to move Farmer and Polanco, both of whom played a LOT better than Anderson last year, and are well-liked by their teammates. Swapping Polanco for Anderson doesn't make you better and doesn't save you money, and now you've dumped a long-time veteran with positive relationships and a track record of being a good teammate for a guy who needs a big rebound and has a checkered history (even if it not might be totally fair).

This is the sort of move the twins might have tried before signing Correa, desperately searching for a SS. Now? Hard pass. 

[Nine of twelve]

My impression is that he is an (caudal terminus of the gastro-intestinal tract). Even if we needed another infielder he would not be on my list.

[BK432]

You make a solid argument, but I'm not sure I'm buying that his bad season was entirely because of an injury. And there's really no fit with MN. I'm passing.

[Doctor Gast]

What we learned from Polanco who'd played hurt for an extended time, you can't just heal over the off season & be 100%. I don't expect Anderson to be 100% for most of this coming season, so I wouldn't make a spot for him.

[Aerodeliria]

Thanks but no thanks. Someone else can put up with his God complex and brick glove...

[tony&rodney]

13 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

What we learned from Polanco who'd played hurt for an extended time, you can't just heal over the off season & be 100%. I don't expect Anderson to be 100% for most of this coming season, so I wouldn't make a spot for him.

This is a good reason to pass on Anderson. I'm not trusting of the "bad guy" talk about Anderson. He was picked for the World Baseball Classic team and asked if he could play second base. Why would he be asked to join a volunteer team if he was a malignant cancer to clubhouses. I prefer to not judge people i don't know. He plays hard from my vantage point. The little dust-up with Ramirez was explained nicely by Hans. Doctor Gast set forth a reason why Tim Anderson may not be fully ready to play right away in 2024. Otherwise, unless their is definitive proof to be wary of Anderson, I wish him well. Baseball is a tough game to play - so much failure to accept.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

My hunch  is, and it is just a hunch, that Anderson was one of the main reasons  the Pale Hose were dysfunctional.  

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Hopefully the Cleveland team will sign him to play SS, next to his buddy, Jose at 3B.

[PatPfund]

I started as a "No! Too many...", but you make a good case. I suspect Julien will be the number one ask if the Twins go looking for a frontline starter, and if that happened, and Farmer and Polanco also get shipped, Anderson would be an intriguing stopgap for Lee, etc., but I'm guessing someone with a more immediate fit will jump on Anderson before the Twins would make all of those moves.

[Doctor Wu]

15 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Tim Anderson totally fell apart last season and that is curious. He was always a guy who hustled and played hard. Hans, you do a good job of explaining his nightmare of a season. Our guy, Jose Miranda, hurt his shoulder and never could manage a decent swing the entire year and Miranda is relatively inexperienced. Anderson doesn't seem past his physical prime. He should be an interesting guy to watch this season. Seattle should sign him for second base. Unless the Twins unload a couple of second basemen, there really isn't any room on the team.

Yeah, I also expect Anderson to bounce back this coming season, but the Twins just don't have any need for him with the glut of infielders that we already have, not to mention his potential to be a disruption. 

[old nurse]

Anderson played a 123 games on a dreadful team that was long out of the playoff race. If Anderson was injured and affecting his play there was absolutely no reason to play him. As far as the injury bug goes, Anderson came down with a case of the loser blues would have been a fine answer what ailed him last year. It is also why to avoid him.

[Rod Carews Birthday]

“I don’t know about you, but when I see the White Sox make a decision on something borderline, I make the assumption that they’re wrong”

THIS. It should be hard to take a franchise with some solid talent and decent payroll into the crapper, and yet the White Sox have managed.  

[Trov]

I think he could be due for an offensive bounce back, but he should be relegated to DH at this point in his career.  He has always been a bad defender and not sure a move to 3rd, or 2nd, or corner OF will help.  I have always thought Anderson was a good hitter, but his defense has cost his team a lot of games. I have no interest in him myself, because he has also been known to be a tough teammate to get along with too. 

[HrbieFan]

Can he play CF? 

[farmerguychris]

I absolutely think he will bounce back, just elsewhere.  We have enough IF depth already.

[Hans Birkeland]

1 hour ago, Trov said:

I think he could be due for an offensive bounce back, but he should be relegated to DH at this point in his career.  He has always been a bad defender and not sure a move to 3rd, or 2nd, or corner OF will help.  I have always thought Anderson was a good hitter, but his defense has cost his team a lot of games. I have no interest in him myself, because he has also been known to be a tough teammate to get along with too. 

He was considered a fairly average shortstop prior to this year. Probably better than Polanco as a shortstop (more range, better arm, a few more mistakes), and Polanco now has the reputation of being a solid 2B.

He also volunteered to move to 2B to make room for White Sox SS prospect Colson Montgomery. That's pretty mature and self-aware and also pretty sad that they cut him anyway.

[theBOMisthebomb]

I would seriously consider rescinding my Twins fandom if they signed Tim Anderson.

l also don't quite understand the OP's reasoning on the fight with Ramirez. Anderson squared up like an olde tyme bare knuckle boxer and started the fight. Ramirez wasn't innocent up to that point, that I agree with. Anderson initiated the fisticuffs, got knocked out, and looked like a chump. The OP sounds like the president of the Tim Anderson fan club or a relative. 

[h2oface]

Yuk. And not the funny Yuk.

[tony&rodney]

I don't know Tim Anderson. I'm not thinking Anderson is a fit for the Twins at any price unless the Twins unload 3-4 middle infielders (not happening).

Still, I just don't understand any of the vitriol towards Tim Anderson, unless you personally know him or are very close to someone who has stated specifics that back your position. Granted that "stuff" gets published that identifies people as problems: domestic abuse, violence, and other actions that directly harm others. I plead guilty to not knowing that information about Anderson.

Whenever I watched him play for the Dirty Sox, he played hard and tried to fire his team up. It must have brutal for him to play for Tony La Russa and then to try to play through an injury for the implosion in Chicago last season. Seattle should sign him.