One of the biggest obstacles for Anderson is his inability to draw walks. We all know that. The problem is that, when the League knows that a hitter will swing at bad pitches, that is pretty much all he is going to see. It's very hard for any hitter to produce when he is not pitched to. It is imperative that he learn to take bad pitches. If he could establish a reputation of being a patient hitter, with a decent eye, then pitchers would have to throw more strikes to him. It's only then, that we may ever discover what he could do as a hitter. I'm afraid that if he never acquires the ability to take pitches, and draw walks, he is never going to be a good hitter.

 

I understand that most of us know all of this. The point is that Tim Anderson needs to understand it. It's not just that taking his walks would improve his OBP, but he needs to dispel pitchers of the notion that he will swing at bad pitches. The same circumstance is what is keeping Avi from fully realizing his potential. For the first half of the season, when he was among the leaders, pitchers had every reason not to give him much to hit. Yet, even then, he was still not drawing walks. Like Anderson, he just does not have good plate discipline.

 

I'm glad that Hostetler, and his staff, is so committed to finding hitters who have a good eye, and the ability to draw walks. It's a shame that this has only recently been made a priority for the organization. Hopefully it will pay huge dividends.

A winning team needs to be strong up the middle. The rebuilding White Sox will need to be strong at shortstop and catcher. Maybe Zack or Seby will progress at catcher but I don't see a shortstop in the organization good enough.

Also a very lazy player. Lazy defense causing him to have the most errors, lazy approach causing him to strikeout, lazy base running. The dude basically walks out the box every time he hits something. Just a flat out lazy player.

I don't think this is fair at all.

I don't think this is fair at all.

You're right it's unfair...but it's becoming less unfair lately. People have watched him getting frustrated and not hustling and this is unacceptable.

You're right it's unfair...but it's becoming less unfair lately. People have watched him getting frustrated and not hustling and this is unacceptable.

I don't dispute those things. I know he's frustrated, and I don't know where his head is.

 

But he is not lazy.

It definitely looks visibly lazy but it's more likely he is just unsure of himself in almost every situation now. He is so much better on a fast developing play that he reacts to instinctually right now than a slow roller from his bat or to the field.

A winning team needs to be strong up the middle. The rebuilding White Sox will need to be strong at shortstop and catcher. Maybe Zack or Seby will progress at catcher but I don't see a shortstop in the organization good enough.

 

Sox won't hesitate in the draft if they feel a quality SS is available. It's not easy to find a player who can play quality defense at SS who has a solid bat. Those players are elite prospects.

 

We need to be patient with Anderson and continue to give him a chance, but I would absolutely like to have 1-2 more high quality SS prospects in the wings for the future.

I don't think Tim has earned the "lazy" label based on his full body of work. I think what we've seen recently is a player who has gotten his head stuck up in his ass because he's struggling to deal with his bad play. When your head's up your ass, you sometimes find yourself walking out of the box, angry at yourself instead of running out a grounder.

Most of the time the "lazy" tag is exactly that... lazy. Often there is something going on behind the scenes bigger than that. It is lazy to just assume that they are lazy.

I don't think TA is struggling because of effort. He just has to be more mentally prepared for the game he loves. It seems like a lot of his mistakes are mental or he's hesitant about making decisions. This is where I want to see improvement from him.

@RyanMcGuffey 2m2 minutes ago

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Rick Hahn said he's never seen a player struggle more with an off-field issue than Tim Anderson this season. #WhiteSox

While I'm sure it's had an effect on his play to some extent, I can't help but feel that's mostly an excuse to shield the former top prospect who came out of the gates strong from criticism for his horrid play. I haven't looked into it myself, but people said he was bad before his friend died.

Fabian Ardaya‏ @FabianArdaya 11m11 minutes ago Rick Hahn said he doesn't feel a demotion to Triple-A Charlotte would prove helpful to Tim Anderson. #WhiteSox

 

 

 

Fabian Ardaya‏ @FabianArdaya 11m11 minutes ago Rick Hahn said he doesn't feel a demotion to Triple-A Charlotte would prove helpful to Tim Anderson. #WhiteSox

 

Good for Hahn. I know it's crazy but Tim Anderson is a human being struggling with a horrible tragedy. This is a year of struggles and growth.

 

Fabian Ardaya‏ @FabianArdaya 11m11 minutes ago Rick Hahn said he doesn't feel a demotion to Triple-A Charlotte would prove helpful to Tim Anderson. #WhiteSox

 

Anderson has been a mess this season. Might just have to ride it out and let him start fresh next year?

While I'm sure it's had an effect on his play to some extent, I can't help but feel that's mostly an excuse to shield the former top prospect who came out of the gates strong from criticism for his horrid play. I haven't looked into it myself, but people said he was bad before his friend died.

His friend died in late April/early May. There wasn't much time beforehand for him to be playing poorly. Around the time his friend died, there were people who wanted to DFA Abreu due to his performance.

Edited July 26, 20178 yr by Jose Abreu

Still think contract extension was premature.

Still think contract extension was premature.

 

It's $24 million over 6 years. Get over it.

The question about demotion or not is solely about what's going to produce the best outcome for Tim. The 2017 White Sox can sustain s***ty shortstop play. So if the Sox believe a demotion would be very bad for an already negative state of mind, keep him up here. If they think they can sell a demotion to AAA to Tim as something that's good for him and not a reflection of the Sox believing he's a terrible player, then consider that instead. The right move will be hard to know from the outside.

 

With that said, he should start getting more frequent rest in the near term and by next season, he should have a short leash regardless of what may be going on emotionally/mentally.

Dansby Swanson being sent down. I still don't see it as this big betrayal to give him a AAA stint, I really think it will help.

The question about demotion or not is solely about what's going to produce the best outcome for Tim. The 2017 White Sox can sustain s***ty shortstop play. So if the Sox believe a demotion would be very bad for an already negative state of mind, keep him up here. If they think they can sell a demotion to AAA to Tim as something that's good for him and not a reflection of the Sox believing he's a terrible player, then consider that instead. The right move will be hard to know from the outside.

 

With that said, he should start getting more frequent rest in the near term and by next season, he should have a short leash regardless of what may be going on emotionally/mentally.

 

I agree with this and I'd hope the fact that Sox already invested in him smooths that over.

Schwarber went from World Series to Iowa.

 

It wouldn't kill Anderson.

I'd personally like to see TA up here but I would consider putting him on the DL for a week or two and have him clear his head and come back recharged.

TA has till the end of '19 before the sox will feel the need to make a move, write this year off and try and rise above and over come.

I'd personally like to see TA up here but I would consider putting him on the DL for a week or two and have him clear his head and come back recharged.

 

Yep if he's struggling as much emotionally as they are implying, then they need to get him help (I mean that in the most caring way possible). It does no one any good if he's incapable of focusing on the field because of the tragedy.

Meh, Timmy isn't the first player to struggle in his second season. Let's see if he can put this year behind him when the '18 season gets going. The Sox have nothing but time and patience.

 

With youth comes growing pains. We'll be seeing plenty of that in the upcoming years.