- Full name Luke Anderson
- Born
- Profile Throws: R
- School North Dakota State
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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In a system with several hard-throwing closers, Anderson stands out because he is different. His fastball, which has reached the high 80s in the past and touched 90-91 mph, more often was in the mid-80s last year. Despite his drop in velocity, he continued to rack up impressive strikeout numbers thanks to a hard splitter that he can throw for strikes or send tumbling out of the zone. Because he has plus command of both pitches and aggressively goes after hitters, Anderson stays ahead in the count and doesn't give in. He'll have to develop a better breaking ball to offset lefthanded hitters, who batted .281 against him. The Giants would like to see his old velocity or more movement on his fastball. He hasn't had to go deep into games and will need to prove he can be more than a one-inning pitcher. Still, his splitter is good enough that Anderson soon could work his way into a big league setup role. -
Despite being an 18th-round draft pick, Anderson has the size, stuff and poise to move quickly as a closer. His fastball is fairly straight at 89-91 mph, but he has a devastating splitter. He has shown good command, especially with the splitter, which he can throw for strikes or spot out of the zone. He made a spectacular debut last summer, leading the Northwest League in saves while topping all short-season relievers with 16.0 strikeouts per nine innings. Opponents hit just .172 against him. Anderson won four consecutive Nevada state titles at Green Valley High, where he was a teammate of Pirates outfielder Chad Hermansen. The Rockies drafted Anderson out of high school, but he stayed local and went to Nevada-Las Vegas, where he pitched infrequently as a freshman, then missed a year after having a bone spur removed from his right knee. Anderson came on with a big season in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 1999, but slipped in the draft after posting a 6.91 ERA as a junior last spring.