White Sox: How Tim Anderson Can Improve This Upcoming Season
By Brian Draus
White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson had a stellar rookie season. Entering his second season, he will need to make adjustments to sustain success.
Even though Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson can call his 2016 rookie campaign a success, it is possible for him to reach even greater heights this season. In order for him to do so, there are some areas that he will need to improve upon. Here they are, in no particular order.
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Plate discipline
One key weakness of Anderson’s is that he struggles to understand the strike zone. That is obvious by his 117 strikeouts and 13 walks last year, in only 410 official at bats. To show you how horrible of a K/BB rate Anderson had in 2016, it is exactly 9 to 1, which is not acceptable for a major leaguer. Combine that with how few trips he took to the plate, Anderson fanned around one in 3.5 plate appearances. Those numbers must change if he wants to have a long big league career. Keep in mind scouts will have an entire offseason to watch tape on him, and if he doesn’t take more pitches his offensive production will take a massive plunge in 2017.
Fundamentals
While Anderson had a breakout rookie campaign in 2016, there are some finer points of his game he could work on. First of all, just knowing when to shorten his swing and move a runner along would be one, as he only had one sacrifice fly last season. Another area, and this may sound obvious but make sure to touch second base when turning the double play. Anderson sometimes made that play look a bit too cute at times, instead of just getting tapping the bag which cost the White Sox some outs in 2016.
Defense
No one doubt his range, but there are times when Anderson should just put the ball away on certain plays. That can get both him and the White Sox into trouble, as throws can get away allowing runners to advance leading to extra runs scoring. If he can learn when the proper time is to go for the out, both he and the White Sox will be better off, due to the fact his physical skill set is plus across the board.
All in all, Anderson gives the White Sox the potential for another talented shortstop in a long line of them. Considering the fact Yoan Moncada has come over in a trade from the Boston Red Sox, the White Sox have a future keystone combination of Moncada and Anderson for several years. Given a lot of that depends on if the two of them stay at their current positions, however it is an exciting proposition for White Sox fans.
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