How much hope should we have for Anderson?

[TheFutureIsNear]

The team's #1 hitting prospect and got off to a hot start to cause excitement...but now the warts are really starting to show.

 

I'm sure I'll get some backlash from posters about how young he is and its too early, but there is obviously a really serious issue in his batting approach that isn't just going to go away. I mean, we are talking about a guy who had a sub 5% walk rate in nearly 700 AB's across AA and AAA. So this isn't him adjusting to major league pitching, this is how he plays the game of baseball.

 

Now, thankfully he's a SS who possess an elite speed tool so he doesn't have to be a .300 hitter to be useful, but I'm curious to see where expectations are at this point after getting a look at him.

 

Personally I see him as our everyday SS down the line, but not a reliable top of the order bat like Robin is trying to make him into now. I'll say something like .250/.290/.400 with 30 steals and an above average defender at short....good player to have on the team, but as literally our only hitting prospect (before the '16 draft) worth anything I think it's a key reminder of how sad of shape we really are in

[lasttriptotulsa]

I think he'll hit much higher than .250. He picture him being a .280+ hitter. He'll probably never walk a bunch but even if he can get his walk rate to 5% he should be able to manage a .320ish OBP. With his speed and defense he can still be a very valuable player even if he only manages a .700 OPS.

[Y2Jimmy0]

The team's #1 hitting prospect and got off to a hot start to cause excitement...but now the warts are really starting to show.

 

I'm sure I'll get some backlash from posters about how young he is and its too early, but there is obviously a really serious issue in his batting approach that isn't just going to go away. I mean, we are talking about a guy who had a sub 5% walk rate in nearly 700 AB's across AA and AAA. So this isn't him adjusting to major league pitching, this is how he plays the game of baseball.

 

Now, thankfully he's a SS who possess an elite speed tool so he doesn't have to be a .300 hitter to be useful, but I'm curious to see where expectations are at this point after getting a look at him.

 

Personally I see him as our everyday SS down the line, but not a reliable top of the order bat like Robin is trying to make him into now. I'll say something like .250/.290/.400 with 30 steals and an above average defender at short....good player to have on the team, but as literally our only hitting prospect (before the '16 draft) worth anything I think it's a key reminder of how sad of shape we really are in

 

 

He's probably a 7-9 hitter on a really good team. Posts similar to this one and others about Rodon and Fulmer though continue to tell me that this fan base isn't ready for a rebuild. People think that everyone is Chris Sale. This place will be rough during a rebuild

[Hatchetman]

So far he seems to hit exactly as one would expect from his minor league #s suggest. Upon casual observation his defense looks good enough to play SS. However, Stony was on B&B the other day and said the Sox should work him in CF as he didn't know if he could play SS. I dunno what Stony is seeing but he knows the game better than I do. His bat doesn't play in CF IMO.

[harfman77]

Same problems now that he had in the minors, doesn't walk near enough. He seems to have good bat to ball skills and really good top end speed and has been better defensively than I expected. Needs to work on being more selective and finding better pitches to hit.

[TheFutureIsNear]

He's probably a 7-9 hitter on a really good team. Posts similar to this one and others about Rodon and Fulmer though continue to tell me that this fan base isn't ready for a rebuild. People think that everyone is Chris Sale. This place will be rough during a rebuild

 

How did my post indicate anything negative towards a rebuild? Because I'm honest and realistic about the situation? Not like I bashed Anderson, just asking for honest opinions. If anything making a post about how our 1 and only hitting prospect is flawed should scream "We need to rebuild!" Of course every prospect isn't going to be perfect, or even work out, I'm well aware.

[Bob Sacamano]

I think he'll hit much higher than .250. He picture him being a .280+ hitter. He'll probably never walk a bunch but even if he can get his walk rate to 5% he should be able to manage a .320ish OBP. With his speed and defense he can still be a very valuable player even if he only manages a .700 OPS.

 

That's a useful player. But with that obp not likely at the top of the lineup.

[Kyyle23]

How did my post indicate anything negative towards a rebuild? Because I'm honest and realistic about the situation? Not like I bashed Anderson, just asking for honest opinions. If anything making a post about how our 1 and only hitting prospect is flawed should scream "We need to rebuild!" Of course every prospect isn't going to be perfect, or even work out, I'm well aware.

 

If we are being honest then maybe we should give him more than 2 months to be realistic about the situation. The league will adjust, and hopefully he will adjust like he did in the minors

[Dick Allen]

Fulmer now Anderson...

 

Another thread that shows people can't handle a rebuild. Rookies do struggle. Did you know JB Shuck led AL rookies in several categories a few years ago?

 

 

[bmags]

"People"

[Chicago White Sox]

Who gives a flying f*** if fans can "handle" a rebuild, if it's the right strategy then go for it. Only a horrible GM would accept mediocrity to appease his fans' short term interests.

Edited August 4, 2016 by Chicago White Sox

[Dick Allen]

Who gives a flying f*** of fans can "handle" a rebuild, if it's the right strategy then go for it. Only a horrible GM would accept mediocrity to appease his fans, short term interests.

They are not accepting mediocrity. The GM said so. He is going to change the roster again. Whether it's a total rebuild or not, we have no idea at this point, but they have made a lot of changes each off season since this suckage began. But now questioning Anderson after question Fulmer..these guys are young and inexperienced, finding their way. There are very few Frank Thomases, or Mike Trouts that are instant stars. If a fan doesn't have the patience to watch Anderson struggle or Fulmer struggle, whether they want to believe it or not, they are going to hate a total rebuild. And the race to see who can be the first to write someone off will continue.

Edited August 4, 2016 by Dick Allen

[shysocks]

They are not accepting mediocrity. The GM said so. He is going to change the roster again. Whether it's a total rebuild or not, we have no idea at this point, but they have made a lot of changes each off season since this suckage began. But now questioning Anderson after question Fulmer..these guys are young and inexperienced, finding their way. There are very few Frank Thomases, or Mike Trouts that are instant stars. If a fan doesn't have the patience to watch Anderson struggle or Fulmer struggle, whether they want to believe it or not, they are going to hate a total rebuild. And the race to see who can be the first to write someone off will continue.

Did you read the post, or did you just jump immediately into attack mode as usual? OP literally did the opposite of writing him off, saying "personally I see him as our everyday SS down the line, but not a reliable top of the order bat like Robin is trying to make him into now. I'll say something like .250/.290/.400 with 30 steals and an above average defender at short....good player to have on the team..."

 

I thought it was a good post and I'm not sure why he's getting heat for it.

[Dick Allen]

Did you read the post, or did you just jump immediately into attack mode as usual? OP literally did the opposite of writing him off, saying "personally I see him as our everyday SS down the line, but not a reliable top of the order bat like Robin is trying to make him into now. I'll say something like .250/.290/.400 with 30 steals and an above average defender at short....good player to have on the team..."

 

I thought it was a good post and I'm not sure why he's getting heat for it.

He's not a top of the order bat. A career .290 OBP guy. How can that be concluded right now? If you are coming to conclusions this quickly with inexperienced players, you are not going to have many high opinions of lots of players. I wonder what he would have thought about Greg Maddux his rookie year.

 

 

 

[southsider2k5]

He's not a top of the order bat. A career .290 OBP guy. How can that be concluded right now? If you are coming to conclusions this quickly with inexperienced players, you are not going to have many high opinions of lots of players. I wonder what he would have thought about Greg Maddux his rookie year.

 

"How much hope should we have" /= "concluded"

[TheFutureIsNear]

If we are being honest then maybe we should give him more than 2 months to be realistic about the situation. The league will adjust, and hopefully he will adjust like he did in the minors

 

 

But he didn't adjust in the minors...at all. His horrible 4% walk rate went down when he got promoted to AAA and his K% went up. And now both are even worse in the majors. There's 0 progression being made. And it's not like we are talking about a guy not being able to hit a good slider...we are talking about a huge fundamental flaw and there seems to be no signs of improvement. If his walk rates were acceptable in the minors I wouldn't be making a peep out of this small sample size. But when there are obvious signs of failure in his future all the way back to A ball and nothing has changed since l it should be a huge red flag for everyone. Whether it's Anderson himself or the coaching, I have no clue, but it's a problem that doesn't seem to be limited to him either. The # of players in this organization capable of going up to the plate and having a respectable major league AB is pathetic.

 

But hey, why point out flaws for this great franchise since all they do is make smart decisions and win...oh wait.

Edited August 4, 2016 by TheFutureIsNear

[Insp]

The guy has hardly been around, yet you people want to crucify him. Players do grow over the years, you know. Even if he does not, he can still be a decent hitter even if the sabermetrics crowd never approves of him. Should the Sox ever move out of Chicago, it will because of so-called fans like you guys who just want to trash your players no matter how good they are.

Edited August 4, 2016 by Insp

[Kyyle23]

But he didn't adjust in the minors...at all. His horrible 4% walk rate went down when he got promoted to AAA and his K% went up. And now both are even worse in the majors. There's 0 progression being made. And it's not like we are talking about a guy not being able to hit a good slider...we are talking about a huge fundamental flaw and there seems to be no signs of improvement. If his walk rates were acceptable in the minors I wouldn't be making a peep out of this small sample size. But when there are obvious signs of failure in his future all the way back to A ball and nothing has changed since l it should be a huge red flag for everyone. Whether it's Anderson himself or the coaching, I have no clue, but it's a problem that doesn't seem to be limited to him either. The # of players in this organization capable of going up to the plate and having a respectable major league AB is pathetic.

 

But hey, why point out flaws for this great franchise since all they do is make smart decisions and win...oh wait.

 

Again you are critiquing his AAA numbers where he had all of 55 games. He is a hitter, he has never been a player to take a lot of walks, Im not expecting him to become a OBP beast because he never has been one. His adjustment in the minors was he became a guy who hit better after adjusting to his level. If you expect him to become a player that draws 50-60 walks a season, then you are gonna be disappointed.

 

 

[bmags]

But he didn't adjust in the minors...at all. His horrible 4% walk rate went down when he got promoted to AAA and his K% went up. And now both are even worse in the majors. There's 0 progression being made. And it's not like we are talking about a guy not being able to hit a good slider...we are talking about a huge fundamental flaw and there seems to be no signs of improvement. If his walk rates were acceptable in the minors I wouldn't be making a peep out of this small sample size. But when there are obvious signs of failure in his future all the way back to A ball and nothing has changed since l it should be a huge red flag for everyone. Whether it's Anderson himself or the coaching, I have no clue, but it's a problem that doesn't seem to be limited to him either. The # of players in this organization capable of going up to the plate and having a respectable major league AB is pathetic.

 

But hey, why point out flaws for this great franchise since all they do is make smart decisions and win...oh wait.

 

He was moved aggressively in the minors so what he is referring to is month by month improvements before starting over at each level. He should not have been moved up to the majors, but just as Xander Bogaerts struggled in his first 1.5 years, so may Anderson.

[shysocks]

Who is crucifying him, my god. TFIN makes a post pointing out Timmy's biggest flaw while also acknowledging that he does things well and should still turn into a good player. I happen to completely agree. Anderson's lack of patience will always limit his ceiling but that doesn't mean he can't be a starter and even an all-star.

 

Everybody relax.

[Insp]

Did you read the post, or did you just jump immediately into attack mode as usual?

 

 

What do you mean by "as usual"? Dick Allen is one of the few students of the game who post on White Sox forums anymore. Not sure what happened to the others, if they all passed away or just got sick and tired of all the ignorance and rush to critical judgment that passes for analysis on the Internet.

[caulfield12]

Somewhere, in the grey middle....is where the truth lies.

 

Anderson looks like a solid 3 war player but not the savior or future face of the franchise.

 

At this point, having a Benitendi to look forward to would be more exciting, but maybe he'll just turn out to be another version of Jeremy Reed for all anyone knows.

[TheFutureIsNear]

He was moved aggressively in the minors so what he is referring to is month by month improvements before starting over at each level. He should not have been moved up to the majors, but just as Xander Bogaerts struggled in his first 1.5 years, so may Anderson.

 

Again, not the same. If Anderson showed the ability to walk at a 10% rate in the high minors like Bogearts did then this would indeed be a stupid overreaction thread. But as it stands Bogearts' worst walk% as a pro was still better than Anderson's best.

 

So for those in the no worry crowd...can someone show me some players who maintained long careers with a walk % below 6 and didn't rely on power? Maybe it's more than I think, that's an honest question.

[Y2Jimmy0]

Again, not the same. If Anderson showed the ability to walk at a 10% rate in the high minors like Bogearts did then this would indeed be a stupid overreaction thread. But as it stands Bogearts' worst walk% as a pro was still better than Anderson's best.

 

So for those in the no worry crowd...can someone show me some players who maintained long careers with a walk % below 6 and didn't rely on power? Maybe it's more than I think, that's an honest question.

 

 

I'm not in the no worry crowd. I'm in the we need to wait longer category

[Kyyle23]

I'm not in the no worry crowd. I'm in the we need to wait longer category

 

^^^^^^^^^^^

 

thats all im saying too