Brian Anderson Is Back, and He’s Better Than Ever

We’re solely every week into the common season, which suggests it’s too early to do any critical evaluation. Or, to spin issues one other manner, it’s an ideal time to rush up and write about one thing wild that’s taking place earlier than everybody regresses to the imply.

So let’s discuss Brian Anderson.

Anderson was the very best hitter in baseball within the first week of the 2023 MLB common season. By way of Wednesday’s video games, he led the league in wOBA and xwOBA, and was a detailed second to Adam Duvall in wRC+. Anderson in all probability received’t end the season with a wRC+ over 300 — although if he does, I assure we’ll cowl it — however he’s no Tuffy Rhodes. He was an excellent participant not too way back, and this scorching begin may symbolize a return to type.

In the event you don’t keep in mind the time when Anderson was a first-division starter, that’s comprehensible for 3 causes. First, it’s a simple title to lose within the shuffle. He’s one among three Brian Andersons to play within the majors since 2000. There’s additionally Brewers play-by-play announcer Brian Anderson, who beat everybody to the plain joke when the Brewers signed his namesake in January. There was additionally a Bryan Anderson who performed 40 video games within the majors between 2010 and 2015, and a Ryan Anderson who got here to prominence as a result of he was a 6-foot-10 left-handed pitcher whom the Mariners drafted throughout Randy Johnson’s prime. They known as him “The Little Unit.” And that’s to say nothing of what have to be 30 non-rhyming Andersons within the majors proper now. It’s onerous to maintain observe of all of them.

Which brings up level no. 2. There isn’t something significantly outstanding about Anderson’s recreation, both from a qualitative or quantitative perspective. Anderson was at his greatest over a three-season interval from 2018 to 2020. Over that point, he was 53rd amongst place gamers in WAR, only a couple decimals behind Kris Bryant and effectively forward of the likes of Dansby Swanson, Nick Castellanos, and even José Abreu, who made two All-Star groups and received an MVP award in that stretch.

He received there, nonetheless, simply by being fairly good at all the pieces:

This desk is so boring it’s nearly onerous to imagine. Out of 164 gamers, Anderson wasn’t within the high 50 or the underside 50 in any of those classes. It’s the Toyota Corolla of stat strains. Which I say with affection and respect; after I was simply out of school I purchased a low-mileage used Corolla and spent the subsequent 12 years driving it everywhere in the nation with no points in any way. Half the league could be higher off with a lineup of Corollas.

Together with, it have to be stated, the 2018-2020 Miami Marlins, which is level no. 3. Anderson was a September call-up in 2017, when the Marlins had top-of-the-line outfields in baseball and appeared to be in place to shift into contending mode. After all, that offseason Miami traded away Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, and Marcell Ozuna (who was nonetheless good again then). By April 2018, the Marlins have been like a type of traditional rock bands that also goes on tour although there’s just one man left from the unique lineup.

If the Marlins are Foreigner, J.T. Realmuto was their Mick Jones. And even then, Jones both wrote or co-wrote principally all of Foreigner’s massive hits. When Anderson was establishing himself as an on a regular basis starter, Yelich was off enjoying “Feels Just like the First Time” to sold-out crowds in Wisconsin, whereas the Marlins have been left enjoying B-sides. After which Realmuto left the next winter, so possibly the Marlins have been really extra like Lynyrd Skynyrd? I’ve now put a lot effort into this metaphor I can’t admit it doesn’t work in addition to I’d hoped. Shifting on.

The purpose is, you’d should both work in baseball or be a complete sicko to have appreciated what Anderson was doing throughout his first three full seasons within the majors.

So how did Anderson go from that to being non-tendered by the Marlins in simply two years? Accidents. His 2021 season was derailed by a shoulder subluxation; it’s simple to see how ache and instability within the shoulder could make it troublesome to swing a bat. And in 2022, he missed a month with Steve Levy Syndrome, a bulging disc in his decrease again.

Anderson arrives in Milwaukee totally wholesome and in surprising custody of the Brewers’ third base job with Luis Urías on the shelf with a hamstring damage. And in six video games, he’s 9-for-18 with 4 walks, three residence runs, seven runs scored and 10 RBI.

Now, 9-for-18 over six video games can imply something, and Anderson’s had a pair fortunate hits. Two of his 5 singles have been Texas Leaguers that dropped into no-man’s land after he received jammed. One other was a softly-hit groundball that was scored as a single however had the impact of a fielder’s alternative as a result of it hit William Contreras. The opposite six all had an exit velocity of 103.8 mph or higher.

If there was one outstanding factor about Anderson’s prime years with Miami, it was his propensity to hit the ball onerous, however on the bottom. From 2018 to 2020, he posted a hard-hit fee of 43.2%, which was thirty third amongst certified hitters. His GB/FB ratio of 1.57 was Twenty fourth-highest in that span, one spot under Tim Anderson.

Wanting again to that desk earlier, Anderson’s two weakest classes, slugging and residential runs, have been each power-related. How does an enormous dude with a reasonably swing and above-average uncooked energy find yourself hitting fewer residence runs over a three-year span than Freddy Galvis? By pounding the ball into the bottom — a sample that doesn’t favor right-handed hitters who don’t have plus velocity.

But when there’s one factor we realized in regards to the Brewers from the Yelich experiment, it’s that they love an ex-Marlin who hits the bezeejus out of the ball however can’t get it within the air. Now, it’s very, very early within the season. Anderson’s solely barely seen 100 pitches thus far, and he’s put solely 14 balls within the air. However 9 of them have been both fly balls or line drives, a way more favorable ratio than what he’d produced in his profession thus far.

If Anderson continues to hit the ball this tough and within the air this a lot, he’ll in all probability stay at or close to the highest of each offensive leaderboard within the NL. However even when he simply goes again to the hitter he was within the first three seasons of his profession, that’d be fairly a coup for the Brewers. Reliability is an underrated attribute.