MLB: The most valued shortstops of 2019
By Bill Felber
10. Tim Anderson, Chicago White Sox, $5.713 million value; $1.4 million salary
Anderson enjoyed a definitional-level breakout season in 2019. At age 26 and in his fourth full MLB season, he won the batting title with a .335 average that was a career high by 50 percentage points. His on base and slugging numbers went up proportionately.
His 4.0 WAR only measured 11th best among shortstops, which may seem low for a battling titlist. But it did justify a $2.7 million salary that was nearly twice what Anderson actually earned in 2019.
Anderson’s performance in the field illustrates the folly of relying on just one fielding metric. At .951, he ranked 30th – that’s next to last – in fielding percentage. He made 26 errors in 532 chances.
You could, however, make the argument that Anderson made a lot of errors because his range gave him the opportunity to do so. At 4.34 chances per nine innings, he ranked second. So while his fielding average only equated to $963,000, his range added $1.09 million to his value.
At 1,050 innings, Anderson’s playing time was slightly subpar compared with the group average of 1,094.
His below average ratings in fielding average and playing time do some damage to Anderson’s final standing, although at $5.71 million worth of value the White Sox shouldn’t be too upset.
He’s already locked in to a deal that will pay him $4 million next year – almost certainly another bargain – increasing to a possible $14 million by 2024. Those numbers are written in pencil, subject to alteration by team options and/or free agency.