White Sox: Tim Anderson’s Swagger Is Good for MLB

White Sox shortstop gets plunked after his celebrating his earlier home run. He would be ejected but his swagger is certainly needed for MLB.

The Chicago White Sox were defeated by the Kansas City Royals 4-3 in extra innings on Wednesday afternoon. The biggest story from the game, however, was Tim Anderson and Rick Renteria‘s ejection in the sixth inning.

After Anderson had an exuberant bat flip after hitting a two-run home run in the fourth inning to put the White Sox ahead 2-0, he would later get plunked by Royals starting pitcher Brad Keller. Both the Royals and White Sox benches would empty and there would be a total of four ejections. Including Anderson and Renteria, Keller and Royals bench coach Dale Sveum would also be ejected.

The unwritten rule of not celebrating a home run is extremely outdated in my opinion. Baseball needs excitement from younger players. MLB needs stars to market to many different demographics, including young African-Americans. A sport that has a serious problem in marketing its best player in Mike Trout certainly could benefit from Anderson’s swagger.

Skeptics will say Anderson didn’t need to celebrate his go-ahead home run so emphatically. But why not? This team has already been doubted by many people including their fans on having a winning record this season. Anderson has been a part of nothing but losing seasons since his arrival to MLB in 2016.

Why shouldn’t he celebrate the best start to any season of his career and pump up his teammates? The Sox were attempting to sweep an American League Central division opponent in the Royals and get closer to .500. They entered the game winners of three of their last four games and had won two consecutive series.

Anderson should be allowed to celebrate a home run and wave goodbye to these silly unwritten rules. He’s aware of the kind of fun bat flips bring to the game and was focused on providing White Sox fans with a good time on Wednesday.

“Our fans, they pay their hard-earned money to come to the ballpark to see a show, so why don’t I give them one?” Tim Anderson

Sox fans needed a hero like Anderson for this season, and it appears he’s willing to put on a show this year. It’s much needed for a franchise that continues to struggle to remain relevant. If pitchers can celebrate an important strikeout on the mound, why can’t a batter celebrate a home run? At this point of the season, Anderson is doing his best to stay true to the player he’s always been.

If pitchers around the league have an issue with Anderson’s celebrations, they can make sure he doesn’t celebrate again by not allowing him to hit a home run. It doesn’t mean they have to put him on base by hitting him with a pitch. This certainly won’t be the last time that Anderson ‘pimps’ a home run. And it shouldn’t be. MLB needs his swagger more than people may think.