Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson will shut out his career-worst season on Sunday with a recreation in opposition to the San Diego Padres. Anderson enters with a .245/.287/.297 slash line (60 OPS+) and minus-2.1 WAR. Both marks are, a ways and away, the poorest he is posted as a big-league participant.
Sunday may just mark the tip for Anderson in a couple of different ways. Most significantly, it will function his ultimate recreation as a member of the White Sox group, and most likely as a beginning shortstop. The White Sox have not but introduced their aim at the $14 million membership possibility they grasp on his services and products subsequent yr. Even if Anderson does go back, it is conceivable the White Sox ask him to transfer to 2nd base to accommodate best prospect Colson Montgomery’s arrival.
Anderson, for his section, turns out open to changing positions if wanted.
“Really, at this point, it doesn’t matter,” Anderson told MLB.com’s Scott Merkin on Saturday. “I’m a shortstop/second baseman. It’s whatever to allow my career to keep going. I’m not going to wrestle with a team that I’m this or I’m that.
“It’s simply an honor and a blessing to are compatible in any lineup as a starter taking into consideration how laborious this recreation is. Short could be my first selection, however I additionally know how older guys are seen, now that I’m entering into that segment, which sucks and is other. I simply need to proceed to stay development on what I began and get again to what I used to be.”
Anderson, 30, has performed shortstop in 884 of his 886 video games at a line of defense. He manned 2nd base within the different two contests, either one of which came about this yr. Of route, it isn’t a for the reason that he’ll exchange positions — even supposing he finally ends up changing groups. CBS Sports ranked Anderson because the Twenty second-best unfastened agent within the elegance with the idea that he would have his possibility declined and change into arguably the highest shortstop to be had this wintry weather:
Last spring, Anderson was once known through rival ability evaluators because the summer season’s best attainable shortstop industry candidate. Alas, different groups had cooled on him by the point the closing date rolled round. He stayed with the White Sox and stored hitting the whole thing into the bottom whilst appearing decreased velocity. (We’ll be aware that did not forestall him from grading as a plus baserunner statistically.) Anderson’s energy has evaporated during the last two seasons, and he may just hit best fastballs in 2023. Factor in his glove paintings, and he is going to want to go back to shape offensively to stay getting beginning assignments. The free-agent shortstop marketplace is brutal, and lets see groups writing off Anderson’s season as being compromised through accidents.
Anderson is a two-time All-Star who entered Sunday with a profession 99 OPS+.