The Chicago White Sox called up Tim Anderson, their No. 2 prospect, on Friday night. With his overall status as one of the top players in the minor league system, and the fact he was a first-round selection in 2013, the shortstop brings some high expectations to live up to.
Granted, Tim Anderson isn’t going to turn the tide of the White Sox overnight, as they’ve managed to lose what was at one point an eight-game lead in the AL Central and have been very inconsistent as a team since the end of April.
Anderson hit a double in his first plate appearance with the White Sox against the Kansas City Royals in his debut. He then scored his first run following a base hit by Jose Abreu in the third inning. Anderson finished 2-for-3 with one run.
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Getting to the majors has been a step-by-step, year-by-year process for the 22-year-old, beginning in 2013 when he played in low-A ball for the Kannapolis Intimidators, followed by a stop in the Arizona Fall League, then to Winston-Salem Dash (Single-A) and the Birmingham Barons (Double-A) before this season. Anderson landed with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights for a total of 55 games in ’16 before being called up to the White Sox.
In Triple-A this season, he batted .304 with a .325 on-base percentage and .409 slugging percentage. Also with the Knights this season, he’s hit four home runs, had two triples and 10 doubles in 256 plate appearances (247 at-bats). He did strike out 58 times in those at-bats and walked just eight times (11 stolen bases), so there is a need to become more patient while learning to play in the majors.
Anderson batted ninth in the order while playing shortstop in his debut, taking over for potential Hall of Famer Jimmy Rollins, who the White Sox designated for assignment before calling up Anderson. The 37-year-old Rollins batted .221 in 41 games with the White Sox. He totaled two home runs and had just eight RBIs.
Now for the big question; What can the White Sox expect from Anderson this season?
Cody Stavenhagen of MLB.com quoted White Sox General Manager Rich Hahn on Anderson:
"“He is not here to be some sort of savior,” Hahn said. “We do feel he has the ability to be a special player, but this is still a young player, and still a player who is developing.”"
There has to be a lot of patience with Anderson, as playing in the American League in a possible battle for the AL Central could be tough, but still patience will be the key with Anderson to get used to playing at the highest level of baseball around.
Anderson hasn’t let down the White Sox so far when playing in the minors, no matter the level, but besides his potential consistent bat he could eventually bring to the club, his defense at shortstop will be just as important as they are still looking to improve defensively as well, which could really help the pitching for the remainder of the season.
During his time in the minors, Anderson had an overall fielding percentage of .939, including a fielding percentage of .962 in ’16 as he was a part of 42 double plays. He did commit 10 errors with the Knights in 263 chances, and that too will have to be reduced in the majors.
Eventually, the White Sox can expect a very quality franchise-type player in Anderson, who will hit consistently at the major league level, but one who can play a quality shortstop spot too. Anderson should get the benefit of a doubt for the rest of this season as he learns this level of baseball, but he’ll need to produce enough to justify staying in the lineup. He might not be an everyday player right off the bat, but it should be expected of him to not just become, but stay, the everyday shortstop for the White Sox for the foreseeable future.
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All of that said, the word of the day is “patience,” and if the proper time is given to Anderson, he has the potential to become a very quality player for the White Sox, a player they groomed from the ground up the past three seasons to finally reach this point of his professional career.