Brian Anderson made strides in first two years. Marlins now say he’s an ‘established guy.’
The Miami Marlins like what they saw from Brian Anderson last season even though it ended more than a month early due to a broken hand.
In his second full major-league season, Anderson stepped up and became a valuable contributor for a young and still rebuilding Marlins club.
He provided more power at the plate. He maintained his weight throughout the season, overcoming an issue that plagued him at the end of his rookie year. He proved he can be a valuable defender at both third base and in right field.
Now comes the next step: Taking those success and applying them in Year 3, when the Marlins hope to be a little more competitive and get a little bit closer to looking like a dark horse playoff contender.
The Marlins expect him to be fully ready for spring training, where he will have the first crack to make that case.
“I look at him as being an established guy for us, a guy that we can count on,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said last week at Major League Baseball’s annual Winter Meetings in San Diego. “So as Andy just keeps moving forward, he’s going to keep getting better.”
He also showed the first steps of progress last season. Anderson, 26, hit 20 home runs and recorded 66 RBI while posting a .261 batting average, .342 on-base percentage and .468 slugging mark in 126 games. While his batting average and on-base percentage took slight dips from his rookie season (.273 and .357, respectively), he hit nine more home runs, one fewer double and drove in one more run than 2018 while playing in 30 fewer games.
Meanwhile, Anderson was stellar defensively in 2019.
At the time of his injury, Fangraphs has him credited with a team-high 14 defensive runs saved — nine at third base and five in right field. His nine runs saved at third ranked second among those who played at least 500 innings at the position. His nine outfield assists tied for sixth.
“His body’s still coming, and he’s got the right mind-set,” Mattingly said. “Sometimes a little too hard on himself, and that’s something we continue to work on with him too is not to beat himself up day in and day out. He’s got to have some acceptance of hitting the ball hard at somebody and makes an out, it’s not the end of the world. But Andy’s in a good spot for us.”
He was the Marlins’ most consistent hitter and saw his production increase after the All-Star Break. Anderson hit .284 (42 for 148) with 15 doubles, nine home runs, 27 RBI and 22 runs scored in his final 38 games before suffering a fractured fifth metacarpal in his left hand after being hit by a pitch in the third inning of the Marlins’ 19-9 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Aug. 23.
“For me, it was I came out a little slow out of the gates. I could have done a little better,” Anderson said after the injury. “The takeaway is that I was able to turn the season around and be productive. I had a good second half until this happen. For me, it’s just a matter of continuing to get better and get more consistent.”
He will have help at the top of the lineup with the addition of versatile infielder Jonathan Villar and first baseman Jesus Aguilar. All three, along with catcher Jorge Alfaro, have the potential to hit 20-plus home runs in a given MLB season.
“I think it’s everyone,” Mattingly said. “I think that’s the one thing you look at when you’re looking at lineups and you see the best teams. It’s up and down, and where you’ve got guys up and down that can give you a chance to score runs. Obviously, our offense was not very good, towards the very bottom of the league, if not the bottom of the league, and we have to get better. ... As we continue to build, you just keep putting more pieces in that lineup to give you a better chance to score runs.”
This story was originally published December 16, 2019 at 12:46 PM.
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