Tim Anderson is one of the Chicago White Sox’s best young players, but he can still improve a lot in 2017.
At this time last year, Tim Anderson was the most coveted and talked about prospect in the Chicago White Sox organization. Now, trying to predict when Yoan Moncada will make his White Sox debut or when pitchers Reynaldo Lopez and Lucas Giolito will join the staff is the hot topic.
The love fest for Anderson shouldn’t completely disappear, though. He’s still one of the most promising young shortstops in the game. Chicago showed its faith by signing him to an extension last week worth a record $25 million. It’s the biggest extension ever for a player with less than a year of experience, and means he could stay in Chicago through 2024.
Anderson won’t hit leadoff to start the season, according to CBS Sports, as Rick Renteria expects him to hit second in the lineup. That still means a lot of at-bats for the young shortstop.
Either way, he’s their unquestioned shortstop and will start as many games as possible for the White Sox. He will see a lot of at-bats and chances in the field, so Chicago is expecting him to develop even more after hitting .283/.306/.432 with nine home runs in 99 games last season.
After finishing seventh in Rookie of the Year voting, here are three areas the White Sox hope Anderson can improve in during 2017.