Grading Tim Anderson's 2023 Chicago White Sox season

The Chicago White Sox were a horrific team in 2023. Part of that was the players. Few people get more blame when it comes to players than Tim Anderson. There are some things that took place that don't have to do with baseball but this grade is specifically for his impact on the Chicago White Sox.

Anderson was off to a decent start but then he had to hit the IL. Later on, when he came back, it was apparent that something was wrong. Anderson just looked like a shell of himself despite not being old or even far removed from being elite.

By June, it was clear that Anderson was in trouble. It ended up being the worst year of Major League career by far. It is a big reason that the White Sox were a horrific baseball team. They usually go where he goes.

Of course, Anderson is not a bad player just because he had a bad year. There is a world where he returns to the diamond and becomes elite again.

The Chicago White Sox have not seen a lot of growth from Tim Anderson.

Anderson was so bad this year that his final WAR came out to -2.0. He slashed .245/.286/.296 with an OPS of .582. Those numbers are about as bad as you can get as an everyday player. He also only hit one home run and had just 25 RBIs with 52 runs scored.

The one home run didn't come until August and that was it for him. Anderson was never really a power hitter but his career high in home runs is 20 so we know he can be much better than that.

Defensively, he was a disaster. He seemed to be improving in that area as he wasn't a great defensive shortstop when he first came up but he went back downhill again this year. Everything was bad.

2023 Player Grade: F

Tim Anderson might have the most resounding F of any player on the team. This guy is supposed to be the franchise's best player and face so this season was a disaster for him. Nothing came good of this year for Anderson or the White Sox so the only possible grade he could deserve is an F.

Failure doesn't mean a lack of lessons learned. Maybe the White Sox players thought they were better than they are so they didn't need to work hard. Well, whatever it was, this season was not good for Tim Anderson.

2024 Outlook:

The White Sox have to decide whether or not they are bringing Anderson back. He was once a player that seemed like he was going to be paid a lot. Right now, who would do that after 2023? He has to, no matter what team he plays for, come to spring training ready for a big year.