Brian Anderson’s solid in right, but future with the Marlins might be at third base

Among National League right fielders, Marlins standout Brian Anderson’s average max throws — clocked at 94.5 mph — rank second behind Hunter Renfroe of the San Diego Padres (97.9).

Anderson, who has six assists in just 41 games in right field this year, not only throws players out — he also dissuades them from taking extra bases, which is also valuable.

Yet Anderson also plays an effective third base, where he has improved his fielding percentage from .942 last year to .977 this season.

So … is Anderson’s future in right or at third?

“If you were to put a gun to my head — which I know you are not doing right now — I would say third base,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “If you see the guys we’ve drafted and the guys we traded for, I think our outfield is going to get crowded. Third is the position where [Anderson] is the future. But, obviously, that could change.”

The argument could be made that Anderson impacts the game more in right field, and a vote for practicality — third base — would be erroneous.

But there’s no arguing the numbers: The Marlins have no third basemen among their top-30 prospects but have 12 outfielders within that same range, according to MLB.com’s rankings.

If Anderson were to play third next season, the Marlins could use Harold Ramirez, Lewis Brinson and rookie Monte Harrison in the outfield. And, in the coming months/years, other Marlins outfielders could be making their way to the majors, including No. 2 prospect JJ Bleday, No. 3 Jesus Sanchez, No. 10 Kameron Misner, No. 14 Victor Victor Mesa, No. 15 Connor Scott and No. 18 Jerar Encarnacion.

So … where does Anderson prefer to play?

“If you would’ve asked me last year, I was thinking more toward the infield,” Anderson said. “But now I’ve spent so much time in the outfield that I just want to help the team out.”

Not surprisingly, Anderson said it’s “fun” to throttle an opponent’s running game from right field.

“You throw somebody out early in the game and, later, they have an opportunity, and they stop,” he said. “It’s a weapon.”

Anderson said he has used time-management skills to prepare for double duty, making sure he gets enough reps at both positions.

“It has its challenges to stay on top of both,” he said. “I try not to change anything as far as throwing — the couple of times that I did, my arm got sore. At third base, you still get some carry on your throws, so I try to keep the same throwing motion.”

Offensively, Anderson has also become a weapon. After hitting 11 homers in 590 at-bats as a rookie last year, he had 20 in 411 at-bats with his two homers on Thursday against the visiting Atlanta Braves. His OPS is up from .757 to .802.

Anderson got off to a slow start this year — an OPS under .700 for the first two months. But he hit .301 with six homers and a .972 OPS in June and has been rolling ever since.

“He’s extremely talented,” Mattingly said of Anderson, listed at 6-3 and 185 pounds. “I think he’s going to get bigger and stronger. His confidence continues to grow. He’s on track to hit 20 to 25 [homers], and that’s a big step.”

Anderson said he was just unlucky early this season.

“I was hitting the ball hard,” Anderson said. “I wasn’t striking out more than normal. I was just hitting the ball right at guys.

“If anything, I’m trying to pick better pitches and then trust my hands, trust my swing.”

This story was originally published August 8, 2019 at 7:55 PM.