White Sox Ready to Commence Anderson Era
White Sox Designate Jimmy Rollins for Assignment
The Tim Anderson Era is ready to commence. The White Sox 2013 First Round pick (17th overall) from East Central Community College in Mississippi is being called up from Charlotte. Their corresponding roster move was to designate Shortstop Jimmy Rollins for assignment.
Anderson’s play forced the White Sox to make the move. General Manager Rick Hahn was quoted on CSN Chicago as saying “So far (Anderson) has done his part to force up that time frame” He hit .304 with four homeruns, 20 RBI’s and 11 stolen bases for the AAA Charlotte Knights this season.
The White Sox prospect blog, Future Sox, says Anderson has exceptional athleticism and speed, a strong arm and quick hands at the plate. The outlook on his power is divisive. He hit 19 homeruns in 332 games in the minor leagues. His game has been compared to Rollins.
Anderson tweeted:
"Something I been working for my whole life and I couldn’t be more thankful, humble and excited for this opportunity. Thanks to man above"
After getting off to a good start, Rollins has hit just .194 since April 25. His defense was also subpar. Rollins ranked 21st among shortstops with -3 defensive runs saved according to fan graphs. His .985 fielding percentage would have put him seventh among qualified shortstops.
Rollins served as a mentor to Anderson in spring training. The move continued a busy two days for the White Sox. They designated Pitcher Mat Latos for assignment yesterday, called-up Pitcher Tyler Danish from AA Birmingham and signed 1B/DH Justin Morneau. Morneau was immediately put on the 15 day disabled list and isn’t expected until July.
Anderson’s defense was what kept him from earning a roster spot in spring training. He worked on his defense with Rollins in Arizona. White Sox assistant general manager Buddy Bell recently told The Chicago Sun-Times. “His feet are so quick sometimes he gets ahead of himself but has made vast improvements. He really gets the speed of the game fairly quick, at any level he’s been at.”
Anderson is the White Sox top prospect and one of the highest in baseball. He was ranked 19th by Baseball American earlier this year. His projects as a leadoff hitter. He will need to improve his eye at the plate to do so. Anderson has walked just eight times in 247 at-bats this year.
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Fans have been clamoring for the White Sox to recall Anderson. Most players require an adjustment period to major league pitching. Anderson cannot be expected to be the White Sox savior. He will improve the team’s athleticism and speed. Anderson still has options left if he doesn’t perform. He can always go back to Charlotte to improve. The goal is that he is obviously here to stay.