Minnesota Twins May Have Found Another Diamond in the Rough Reliever in Jack Anderson

[Cody Schoenmann]

According to Wins Above Replacement at FanGraphs (fWAR), the best-performing qualified Minnesota Twins reliever in July are Kody Funderburk (0.2 fWAR), Taylor Rogers (0.2), Yoendrys Gómez (0.2), Travis Adams (0.2), Andrew Morris (0.2), and Tommy Nance (0.1). These six relievers have done an incredible job suppressing runs, tying New York (AL) and Baltimore for the seventh-best relief unit this month. However, these six relievers aren’t the sole contributors to the unit’s successful month.

 

If one were to remove the qualified filter on the FanGraphs leaderboards page and change the minimum to one inning pitched (I know; just bear with me here, please), however, they would notice that Jack Anderson has contributed toward the club’s favorable ranking this month, netting 0.2 fWAR over 4 1/3 innings pitched. Bouncing between Detroit’s, Boston’s, and Minnesota’s Triple-A affiliates since 2024, Anderson received his first major league opportunity with the Red Sox in mid-April, earning a 3.38 ERA and 3.99 FIP over eight innings pitched, including a three-inning relief appearance against the Twins on April 14, wherein he struck out four and gave up one run over 11 batters faced.

 

Designated for assignment by Boston on July 6, the club joined the right-handed reliever he excelled against less than three months ago on July 11. On July 21, the 26-year-old joined Minnesota’s bullpen a little over a week later, earning a one-inning save in only his second appearance with the club. Five days after earning his first career save, Twins decision-makers optioned him to Triple-A St. Paul before promoting him two days later when Cole Sands was placed on the 15-day IL with a right elbow strain.

 

Despite jumping between Triple-A and the parent club, Anderson has excelled with the Twins, netting a 0.00 ERA, 1.04 FIP, and 37.5% strikeout rate over 16 batters faced. The former Red Sock has heavily relied on his offspeed and breaking pitches since joining Minnesota, throwing his splitter and slider a combined 50% of the time, while throwing his sweeper 23.2%. The reason for this is that his splitter, slider, and sweeper are all firmly plus pitches, generating high whiff and chase rates. He hasn’t abandoned his four-seamer by any means, throwing it at a 26.8% rate. Still, with it sitting at 92.1 MPH while sporting a below-average movement profile, he has been wise to use his fastball far less than most right-handed relievers.

 

Functionally, Anderson has been what Twins decision-makers hoped Eric Orze would be. A soft-tossing righty who dominates hitters of either handedness with his splitter, while attacking righties with his slider and sweeper. Again, Anderson could be back in Triple-A by the end of the week or if/when Minnesota acquires a reliever (or relievers; plz jeremy zoll) during the August 3 trade deadline. Yet, given his dominant performance since joining Minnesota and the still unstable nature of Minnesota’s bullpen after Gómez, Morris, and Nance, Anderson could continue to find himself earning high-leverage appearances, joining Gómez as a diamond-in-the-rough reliever acquired on the margins.

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[Rufus]

Agreed I am impressed so far.  But he will probably get sent out when Minter joins the team

 

[Permanent Twins Fan]

2 minutes ago, Rufus said:

Agreed I am impressed so far.  But he will probably get sent out when Minter joins the team

Minter is a lefty so it might be Funderburk if they don't want to carry three lefties.

[Rufus]

4 minutes ago, Permanent Twins Fan said:

Minter is a lefty so it might be Funderburk if they don't want to carry three lefties.

Funderburk was in the dugout tonight.  I don't know if they have made a move yet.  Funderburk has been looking good too.  The whole pen has picked it up.  LaTroy seems to have done a good job. So has the whole coaching staff.  

[Fatbat]

Since our pitching depth has gotten deeper in the past 2 days, it shouldn’t matter short term who taxi’s to St. Paul. Guys will be coming and going for 2 more months.  This is turning into a long, fun filled season!!

[Rufus]

9 hours ago, Rufus said:

Funderburk was in the dugout tonight.  I don't know if they have made a move yet.  Funderburk has been looking good too.  The whole pen has picked it up.  LaTroy seems to have done a good job. So has the whole coaching staff.  

It will probably be Rojas that is optioned. 

[Brandon]

He just needs to pitch just a little better.  Giving up no runs since we acquired him is not good enough.

[Jacksson]

11 hours ago, Rufus said:

 The whole pen has picked it up.  LaTroy seems to have done a good job. So has the whole coaching staff.  BUT it has taken Hawkins 2/3 of the season to improve it.

 

[bean5302]

Anderson has pitched 4.1 innings for the Twins. Things have looked pretty good with him on the mound, but 4.1 innings is nothing.

He probably has THE worst fastball in all of MLB (excluding position players) so I'm not sure he can keep the results up. Let's give this some time before announcing the success of finding him.