Comments on: Anderson’s Step Forward

By: BronxOrioleFan

BronxOrioleFan — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:51:37 +0000

I’m having a keeper dilemma regarding Anderson and Adam Jones. Any thoughts? I tend to think Anderson has a better chance at being a once-in-a-generation elite talent at pitcher than Jones has as an outfielder, given his plate discipline, ground ball rate, and injury issues. In a 12-team, 8-keeper league, (12 batting/12 pitching categories) where I am already keeping Teixeira, Hanley, Aramis, Braun, Ichiro, CC, and Felix, anybody think I’m crazy to keep Anderson over Jones?

By: Kris

Kris — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:54:28 +0000

Hey Chris, I thought of that but looking at the pitch dispersion I figured I’d keep it simple stupid.

At first, you’re right it looks like he’s throwing change-up and sliders to different handed batters, but as it progresses (graph 2) the pattern sort of breaks, and the balls coming from everywhere. These graphs are each a few months a part, and you can see graph A gradually become graph b, which gradually becomes graph C.

Is this because he’s just micro moving?

If you get a chance, just take a look at all the graphs and let me know what you think.

A Velocity spike doesn’t seem like it’d correlate that well to “standing put”

By: joser

joser — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 05:20:58 +0000

Anderson would have been hyped more if (1) he’d been taken first in the draft and (2) he played in the AL East. Price gets more attention thanks to that.

By: Aaron B.

Aaron B. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 03:51:31 +0000

This is nice to see, since I’ve been pimping Anderson over Cahill for a while.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 03:45:11 +0000

I’m pretty sure what you are seeing as a sloppy release point is a change in where he stands on the rubber for RH vs LH. He now keeps the same position on the rubber instead of moving to the other side…

By: Kris

Kris — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:24:13 +0000

Regarding dave being thorough, or Anderson being a fatty? I can’t recall if you’re the guy that loves giving Dave shit or not.

Regarding Anderson:

The only knock on him is his weight, and desire to stay in shape. Right? Right.

Look at exhibit a: http://www.fangraphs.com/fgraphs/8223_P_1_200904100_game_big.png

and then exhibit b: http://www.fangraphs.com/fgraphs/8223_P_1_200906040_game_big.png

and then exhibit c: http://www.fangraphs.com/fgraphs/8223_P_1_200908190_game_big.png

It might be wise to assume that the kid came into camp overweight and out of shape. Magically, a couple months into the season he starts tightening up his release point and throwing harder.

By: Wally

Wally — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:13:17 +0000

I don’t know what you’re talking about.

By: Kris

Kris — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:59:38 +0000

Dave, you’re normally very thorough but you seemed to miss the in your face correlation with Anderson tightening up his release point.

The big fatty tag has haunted Anderson since he’s been in baseball. Throw in a sloppy release point, and a velocity dip, and I think we really have to attribute this to injury, or big fatty syndrome.

By: Larry Yocum

Larry Yocum — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:39:03 +0000

I have been covering and following Anderson all year and that fastball velocity is key. In the games where he has been rocked, he is between 90-92 and when he is at 94-95 and touching 97, he is almost unhittable. In the Chicago game his velocity was at 90.79 on avg. and he got rocked and last night he was at 93.28 and looked great.

I noticed a good 3-4 mph increase in his fastball when the A’s started to build an extra day or two of rest in for him. Ever since then, he has been great. As he gets older and better conditioned, he is going to be scary good. The only thing I would like to see is refining that changeup. He only threw 1 in the Chicago game and 7 last night. If he can develop that to go with the slurve thing he has going on and that fastball, he will be dominant for a long time.

Great piece Dave. I commented on it in my own as I was researching his fastball velocities to discuss last night’s game and came across this piece. Good stuff. Tonight Gio goes for the A’s and has found a similar 2-3 mph extra lately and is also pitching better since tightening up the curve and ditching the change.

By: scatterbrian

scatterbrian — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:58:22 +0000

Considering the 3-year window, I don’t think you’d want to go too prospect heavy anyway. How about this?

1. Felix
2. Bedard
3. Anderson
4. Weaver
5. Braden

I’m not sure how this hypothetical works, but if we’re allowed to include free agent-to-be John Lackey, he slots in at #3. I don’t know enough about Bedard’s health going forward, but there’s no question he’s one of the top starters in the AL West when he’s right. Braden’s K rate is a bit troubling though….