For all of the talks about a young starting rotation for the 2024 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the focus isn’t as sharp on the young guys as it is on the veterans, especially in the case of left-hander Tyler Anderson.
Anderson is going into his second season with the Halos after signing a three-year, $39 million deal last winter after an All-Star season for the Los Angeles Dodgers in which he anchored that injury-riddled rotation for most of the year.
Many wondered if Anderson, a solid but inconsistent pitcher throughout his career, could duplicate the success he had with the 2022 Dodgers with the Angels, and give them quality starts in the middle to back end of their rotation.
Well, it’s safe to say Anderson reverted back to his inconsistent ways with spotty mechanics and questionable control that have plagued him throughout his career. He finished the 2023 season with a 6-6 record with a 5.43 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP, even losing his spot in the Angels’ rotation toward the end of the season.
It was a stark contrast from the All-Star campaign he had with the Dodgers in which he posted career-highs in wins, ERA, and innings pitched. The Halos didn’t get what they paid for when they signed Anderson, but that is the risk of signing a B-level starter who had an outstanding career albeit an outlier.
Even the Dodgers didn’t offer Anderson a multi-year deal and only extended him a qualifying offer; that definitely should’ve raised some eyebrows.
The question now with Anderson is can he bounce back in 2024 and at least get close to what he was with the Dodgers.
He recently had a very strong outing against the Texas Rangers in spring training surrendering just one run on two hits with six strikeouts and no walks in three innings.
This is what he is capable of doing when he is executing his pitches and for a guy that doesn’t overpower with high velocity; location and command are everything for Anderson.
“When my body is in the right position to execute, it kind of helps hide the ball longer or make it play a little harder,” Anderson said in an interview with MLB.com. “The pitch might say 90 [MPH] with the same advanced metric or same movement, but hitters see it different. I want to throw it where everything coming out looks the same.”
He certainly has the support of his new manager Ron Washington who believes Anderson can bounce back and help this rotation.
“I believe he can get back to the season that made the Angels interested in him,” Washington told MLB.com. “He went through that bad spell, but now is his chance to have a good spell. It’s time to find out what you’re made of and I know what he’s made of. He’s a gamer, man.”
New pitching coach Barry Enright, who was an assistant pitching coach for the NL champion Arizona Diamondbacks last year, has worked with All-Stars and Cy Young candidates like Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, while developing a talented youngster in Brandon Pfaadt. Hopefully, he can help Anderson find his groove again and maintain those mechanics.
With Patrick Sandoval, Reid Detmers, Chase Silseth, Griffin Canning, and maybe Zach Plesac, the Angels might not be leaning on Anderson as much as they originally intended, but could be formidable if he can provide some consistency and quality starts to the back end of this rotation.
Anderson should be motivated to prove that 2022 was no fluke and that this signing was not a bust.
