White Sox: Tim Anderson Having Strong Start to August
White Sox shortstop having a solid start to month of August. The young infielder has hit five home runs this month, beginning to turn season around.
Chicago White Sox Tim Anderson has had a tough second season in the majors. From struggling to begin the 2017 season, to losing his best friend to gun violence, Anderson has endured a lot thus far this year. After a rough first half, Anderson is putting together a nice month of August at the plate.
Anderson led off the Sox 6-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday with a solo home run off starting pitcher Alex Wood. The home run was Anderson’s 14th of the season and fifth in August. Anderson has been more productive on offense for the Sox this month as he’s hitting .286/.298/.661 with a .959 OPS through 56 at-bats.
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The Sox signed Anderson to a six-year $25 million extension before the start of this season in a move that signaled he was the team’s shortstop of the future. After a horrendous start to 2017, Anderson would see his batting average dip to .204 at the end of April. The month of May was good for Anderson as he hit .319/.333/.500 with four home runs. However, June and July would be tough for the 23-year-old shortstop.
Anderson hit just .198/.207/.296 in July with two home runs and two doubles. In June, Anderson had 30 strikeouts at the plate, the most he’s had in any month this season. While there were Sox fans who wanted to see Anderson demoted to Triple-A to work on his struggles, the team kept its faith in the 2013 first round pick and it’s starting to pay off.
After losing his best friend Branden Moss to gun violence on May 7, Anderson recently opened up about the difficulties he had on the field this season while coping with his loss. According to Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago, Anderson had trouble sleeping and was worn down during a series against the Kansas City Royals and was given two days off by the Sox.
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Anderson began speaking with a counselor according to Hayes and after a few sessions began to sleep better. He also mentioned he started to feel more alert on the field. Anderson’s progress over the past few weeks has been good to see for many Sox fans. Although he’s hitting .242/.262/.392, Anderson is starting to resemble the player he was last season for the Sox. With the Sox rebuilding, Anderson’s development will be crucial for the Sox success in the future.