Why Nick Anderson could be a steal for the Atlanta Braves
Remember when Rays manager Kevin Cash notoriously strolled out to pull Blake Snell in game six of the 2020 World Series? It didn’t get the results the Rays wanted, but Nick Anderson gave his manager a decent argument for pulling his ace.
In 19 appearances with Tampa Bay in 2020, the reliever owned a 0.55 ERA and was perfect on six save opportunities. Things took a dip after the loss in game six, however, as he spent the 2022 season recovering from an elbow procedure and then dealing with plantar fasciitis.
Now, the 32-year-old is making a name for himself early on in the Braves bullpen. Signed to a one-year, $875,000 deal with the Braves in November, he might be one of the top low-risk-high-reward signings in all of the offseason.
Anderson’s signing likely saved the Braves from overspending on Luke Jackson, who inked a two-year deal with the Giants in January. While Jackson was a shutdown arm in the late innings in the Braves’ World Series run in 2021, he missed all of 2022 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. With Jackson coming off a major surgery with a higher asking price, Anderson seems to be a safer option with guys like A.J. Minter, Collin McHugh and Raisel Iglesias (when they return) there as go-to guys if Anderson’s comeback doesn’t pan out.
Boasting a fastball sitting around 96 paired with a buckling curve, the Florida men in Miami and Tampa Bay turned a 32nd-round selection by Milwaukee in 2012 to a top-notch reliever. Anderson’s heater velocity has dipped down to around 93-94 mph after his injury, but there’s still late-inning potential left in him.
The Braves, in three one-run contests in the sweep of the Reds, called on No. 61 in the ninth inning to face three right-handed batters in a 5-4 game two. He quickly induced a one-two-three inning on 12 pitches, catching Wil Myers sleeping on the curveball in the process.
But before he manned the ninth inning, he played the set-up role for Minter, completing the eighth inning in game one against the Reds and the sixth and seventh innings five times prior.
That flexibility is what he will bring to the bullpen. At his best, he’s a shutdown closer, but he only has nine career saves, with his most save opportunities coming in the shortened 2020 season. What the Braves will likely ask him to do in his return to form is play fill-in from the bullpen, allowing everyone to stay rested and healthy.
Only 13 of his 100 MLB appearances are save opportunities. He owns a 2.84 career ERA over 95 innings, and his 14.0 strikeouts per nine innings compares nicely with 2.2 walks per nine. He also brings a World Series victory and 14 playoff appearances to a team looking for a deep October push.
While Anderson is best known for who he replaced in the World Series, he has a chance for another go at competing for a contender in 2023.
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