Tim Anderson (Susan Walsh/AP)
On Monday the Miami Marlins designated shortstop Tim Anderson for assignment. That’s just the latest negative development in the freefall of Anderson’s career. On August 12, 2021, it could be argued that Tim Anderson was at baseball’s pinnacle. He had just a walk-off home run against the Yankees in baseball’s Field of Dreams game.
As the ball disappeared into a cornfield, some thought that Anderson was then the face of the game. His WAR for the 2021 season was 4.7. He was the 2019 AL batting champion, and he played the game with flair.
In 2022 Anderson hit .301, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. He had a really bad second half of the season. 2023 was a carryover to the last half of the 2022 season. And things have been even worse since then.
What happened?
Anderson had some off the field issues that may have impacted him, but it’s hard to know what led to his collapse. When things were going well, Anderson seemed to relish being the face of the Chicago White Sox. However, as his play started to decline, Anderson seemed joyless.
If off the field issues weren’t the problem, is it possible that Anderson was just cooked at the age of 30? It seems that way. It seems like his power just evaporated. Plus, his speed was measurably diminished.
Anderson’s defense has always been spotty, as has his control of the strike zone. Those elements of a player’s game don’t tend to age well.
Base stealing has been a strength of Anderson’s game. Until this season. Anderson has stolen four bases this season and also been caught stealing four times.
Anderson didn’t pass the eye test
In the offseason, Anderson was viewed by some as a bounce back candidate, but not by those who really watched him. He looked like a guy who was cooked and miserable. Which, if a guy is cooked at the age of 30, could make him miserable.
While he was with the White Sox, the team seemed to be having a hard time coming to grips with the idea that Anderson could be finished. There was speculation that Anderson would be traded at the trade deadline. The fact he wasn’t could very well have been due to the lack of interest on the part of other teams.
As it turns out, the Sox signing of Paul DeJong to play shortstop was a huge upgrade. And not picking up Anderson’s $14 million option proved to be a rare, good move on the White Sox’ part.
Actually, Anderson’s career arc mirrors the rise and fall of the White Sox. And the White Sox future is only marginally better than Tim’s.
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