Black MLB Players #16: SS Tim Anderson, Chicago White Sox

A 2x All-Star with a batting title and a Silver Slugger, Tim Anderson didn't begin playing baseball until he was in the eleventh grade

Background + Path to Professional Baseball

Tim Anderson is a 29-year-old shortstop from Tuscaloosa, Alabama who plays for the Chicago White Sox. He didn’t begin playing baseball until the 11th grade due to multiple lower leg injuries while participating in other sports. Prior to the injury, he was one of the best high school basketball players in his class in Alabama.

He showed flashes of talent in his two years playing high school baseball, mostly playing left field and second base. He accepted a scholarship to East Central Community College in Decatur, Mississippi. In his two years at ECCC, Anderson performed at a level that drew the attention of Division I coaches and MLB scouts.

The Chicago White Sox selected Anderson in the first round of the 2013 MLB Draft. His professional career began with Chicago’s Low-A affiliate during the 2013 MiLB season. He went .277/.348/.363 in 301 plate appearances with 10 doubles, five triples, and a single home run. In 2014 he would play only 83 games due to injury, playing five games at the Rookie level, 68 games at High-A, and 10 games at Double-A. Anderson went .301/.327/.481 in 362 total plate appearances across three levels with 21 doubles, seven triples, and nine home runs.

Anderson played 125 games during the 2015 MiLB season, making 550 plate appearances with Chicago’s Double-A affiliate in Birmingham, Alabama. He recorded another season with a batting average over .300, going .312/.350/.429 with 21 doubles, 12 triples, and five home runs.

He began the 2016 season in Triple-A, playing 55 games and going .304/.326/.409 in 256 plate appearances. On June 10th, 2016, Anderson made his MLB debut versus the Kansas City Royals. He recorded two hits in the contest and scored a run. In his first 99 games in MLB, the 23-year-old went .283/.306/.432, hitting 22 doubles, six triples, and nine home runs.

During his first two full seasons in MLB, Anderson struggled but showed that he had a long-term future in MLB. While he only batted .249/.279/.404 with an 82 wRC+ from 2017-2018, he accrued 54 doubles, 37 home runs, and 41 steals in 50 total attempts. His defense was more than competent, showing a sure glove at one of baseball’s most important defensive positions. During 2018 he accomplished a 20 home run/20 stolen base season.

Anderson’s breakout season came in 2019 when he led MLB in batting average, going .335/.357/.508 with 35 doubles and 18 home runs. His average exit velocity and batting average on balls put in play took a huge leap forward, which shows his ability to learn and adapt to the top-tier competition. During the shortened 2020 season he went .322.357.529 in 49 games played. He was a huge reason why the White Sox reached the playoffs, ending a 12-year playoff drought.

Anderson was voted to his first All-Star team during the 2021 MLB season. Slashing .309/.338/.469 in 123 games, he stepped up as the leader of a young White Sox core with a ton of talent. He only played 79 games during the 2022 MLB season due to injury, but still performed when he was on the field. He played 65 games prior to the All-Star Break but only made 14 appearances after. He recorded his fourth straight season with a .300 batting average and cut his strikeout rate down to the mid-teens. He also made his second All-Star team, once again representing the Chicago White Sox for the AL’s squad.

Contract

Anderson signed a 7-year contract in 2017 worth $37.5 million dollars with a player option for the 2024 season worth $14 million dollars. He has openly expressed his desire to sign another long-term extension with the White Sox multiple times on record, but looking at the team’s track record of forking over big money, the outlook looks dim. Free agency is looming, and it wouldn't be surprising if Jerry Reinsdorf & Co. let Tim Anderson walk.

Player Profile

Tim Anderson is 6’1’’, and weighs 185 pounds. He has the prototypical frame for a mid-sized infielder and is very athletic. His frame is maxed out with muscle although he is still slim and mobile, retaining his athleticism.

Hitting

Anderon bats right-handed. He stands in the batter’s box with a slight crouch and his hands held near his head. He waggles the bat a bit as he moves his hands into position while waiting for the pitch. He has an extremely aggressive approach that focuses on spraying hits all over the field. Since entering the league in 2016, his 55% swing percentage ranks in the top 25 out of over 400 qualified batters per FanGraphs.

During his first few years in MLB, Anderson struggled offensively but made an adjustment in his approach. Instead of focusing on pulling the ball, he transitioned to an all-fields approach. His ability to make contact on pitches outside of the strike zone has notably improved over his career, allowing him to foul off more pitches to stay alive during plate appearances.

Anderson’s approach and flat swing path often lead to ground balls and line drives. He had the highest BABIP in the majors from 2020-2022, a testament to his effectiveness using the slash-and-dash approach and his ability to accrue hits. He has average raw power but is able to accrue extra base hits due to his tendency to frequently put line drives in play.

Fielding

Anderson is an above-average defender at shortstop, which is a feat in itself considering he never picked up a glove until he was around 16 years old. To put that in perspective, MiLB and MLB players from Latin America and the Caribbean regularly begin their professional baseball careers at the same age.

He has great range, solid hands, and a dependable throwing arm. While sometimes he will make a gaffe that shows his relative lack of experience, it isn’t problematic by any means. Since his MLB debut in 2016, Anderson ranks 16th in DRS, 21st in UZR, and 11th in OAA when compared to other qualified shortstops.

Baserunning

Anderson is an elite baserunner, routinely taking extra bases and scoring runs at an above-average pace. Per FanGraphs, he is ranked 33rd in BsR since the 2016 season out of 424 qualified MLB players. He has stolen 109 bases in his career while only being caught 25 times. He recorded at least 10 swiped bags in all five of the full seasons he has played, peaking at 26.

Conclusion

Tim Anderson is one of baseball’s best and most expressive personalities. He has willingly stepped into a role to bring more attention to the sport of baseball, expressing himself on the field very openly when things are going well or bad. As the three true outcomes dominate modern baseball, he brings a retro style centered around swinging the bat for any type of hit he can get. Whenever I think about the Chicago White Sox middle infielder, I always wind up marveling at the fact that he is going to have a 10-year MLB career after he started playing baseball at 16-17 years old.