Brian Anderson Stats & Scouting Report

AB	799
AVG	.227
OBP	.29
SLG	.37
HR	22

Full name Brian Nikola Anderson
Born 03/11/1982 in Tucson, AZ
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 220 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Arizona
Debut 08/16/2005
Drafted in the 1st round (15th overall) by the Chicago White Sox in 2003 (signed for $1,600,000).

View Draft Report

Anderson improved his draft worth as much as any player in the country. He was hardly on the radar at the start of the year after an injury-plagued 2002 season and is now knocking on the door of the first round. His numbers tell the story. A .275 hitter with five homers and six stolen bases in 2002, the 6-foot-3, 200-pounder raised his average more than 100 points while tripling his home run and stolen base totals. He was the best everyday player in the Pacific-10 Conference. Anderson worked closely with Wildcats coach Andy Lopez to revamp his swing and entire approach to hitting. The result has been better rhythm and bat speed. All other parts of his game have come together as well. He's a solid center fielder with above-average arm strength. He did not pitch this year after leading the Wildcats with four saves a year ago, though his fastball has been clocked as high as 94 mph. With his improved showing offensively, his performance has finally matched his considerable tools.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Regarded as the system's top prospect heading into 2005, Anderson had a solid Triple-A season and spent the last month and a half in the majors. He reached Chicago little more than two years after signing for $1.6 million as a first-round draft pick, with minor injuries the only thing that slowed him down. Anderson is a well-rounded player. He can drive the ball to all fields and could develop into a 25-homer guy at hitter-friendly U.S. Cellular Field. He's a good outfielder with a strong arm, and he has been solid in center field since his college days at Arizona. Anderson is a good athlete with decent speed but isn't a basestealing threat. While he's not terribly impatient at the plate, he doesn't draw a lot of walks. He stayed healthy in 2005, though he had offseason surgery to remove a plate and some screws from his right wrist, remnants of a 2003 operation. Anderson is ready to take the next step, which is why the White Sox were willing to include Aaron Rowand in the Jim Thome trade. Anderson should get the first half of the season to settle in, but then could be challenged by prospects behind him like Chris Young and Jerry Owens.
Anderson had a roller-coaster career at Arizona, where he earned Freshman All-America honors as a two-way star in 2001. But he tailed off as a sophomore, in part because of knee and wrist injuries. When he gave up pitching and was fully healthy in 2003, his stock soared and the White Sox made him the 15th overall pick in the draft. After signing for $1.6 million, he launched his pro career by hitting .388 at Rookie-level Great Falls, only to have his pro debut end after 13 games when a recurrence of the wrist injury required minor surgery. He bounced back so strongly in 2004 that the White Sox had enough confidence to include outfielder Jeremy Reed--who preceded Anderson as the No. 1 prospect in the organization a year ago--in a midseason trade for Freddy Garcia. Anderson played a strong center field at high Class A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham, hitting well at the lower level and holding his own while making adjustments following his promotion. He missed the last two weeks of the season with a groin strain. Anderson is a good athlete who knows how to use his tools. He uses the entire field, showing both the ability to launch balls to left field and the willingness to go to right. He came out of college with solid plate discipline and has had no difficulty making consistent contact as a pro. If he has to move to an outfield corner, he projects to hit with enough power to be an asset at that position. Anderson runs well and has enough speed to play center field. He has enough arm to play anywhere in the outfield, as he threw in the low-90s as a reliever at Arizona. He thrives on competition and was not intimidated by the stiffer competition when he moved up to Double-A. Minor injuries have continually bothered Anderson, who was limited at the end of the regular season and in the AFL by a groin strain. He appears to have a high-maintenance body. He needs to get more at-bats so he can continue to lock in the swing changes he started to incorporate as a junior under the guidance of Wildcats coach Andy Lopez. Anderson may not be more than adequate in center field, a position where adequate usually isn't good enough. Some scouts actually rate him as a below-average runner, and he needs to improve routes to balls. Anderson could get to the big leagues in the second half of 2005 if the White Sox have an outfield opening. But they'd prefer for him to spend a full season at Triple-A Charlotte and prepare to become a regular at U.S. Cellular Field in 2006. Having seen $5.3 million man Joe Borchard struggle to establish himself, Chicago might take it a little slower with Anderson in hopes that he can stick around when he gets his first taste of the big leagues. Whether he plays in center or right field likely will depend on whether Aaron Rowand can maintain the offensive and defensive productivity he showed in 2004.
After a Freshman All-America season in 2001, Anderson slumped mightily as a sophomore at Arizona. He reworked his swing and his approach last spring, and it paid off as he went 15th overall in the draft and signed for $1.6 million. He made the most of the chance to audition for the White Sox, who train in Tucson and sent 16 scouts and coaches to watch him. Anderson got off to a fast start at Rookie-level Great Falls before being sidelined by minor wrist surgery. Anderson has all five tools and is a slightly better athlete than Ryan Sweeney. He's a polished hitter who can work counts and wait for a pitch to drive. He runs well and is a plus defender in center field. He has an outstanding arm and was clocked up to 93 mph as a reliever in his first two years with the Wildcats. Health is an issue. Anderson battled knee and wrist injuries in 2002, and his wrist began bothering him after he turned pro. Doctors shaved down a bone that was causing him irritation, and he's expected to be ready to go in spring training. With Chris Young slated to play center field in low Class A, Anderson likely will go to high Class A for his first full pro season. His big league ETA is mid-2006.

Minor League Top Prospects

Anderson's all-around skills gave the White Sox the confidence they could part with Jeremy Reed in the Freddy Garcia trade last year, and he's going to push for a full-time job in Chicago in 2006. This year, he made a fairly seamless transition to Triple-A. A two-way star at the University of Arizona, Anderson offers size, speed and power. He hits for average, placing line drives from foul pole to foul pole. He did have trouble recognizing breaking balls at times in 2005, leading to an increase in strikeouts. Anderson showed good jumps, instincts and routes in center field, especially for a 6-foot-2, 205-pounder, but most scouts project him as a corner fielder. If he moves to right field, he has more than enough arm and bat to handle it. He had struggled with minor injuries during his career but finished the season completely healthy.
Anderson opened the 2004 season in high Class A after the White Sox made him the 15th overall pick in the 2003 draft, and he earned his way to Double-A by July. He stepped right into the middle of Birmingham's lineup and made a strong impression on those who saw him, though he missed time at the end of the season with a groin strain. "Brian is the real deal," Shines said. "Usually when you get to a higher level, there's a little bit of concern whether you can play there. He had none of that." Anderson played center field in Birmingham, and observers were split over whether he can stay there. He's not a prototype center fielder, but those who liked him there said he gets to enough balls. He pitched in college and has a strong arm. If he has to move to a corner, Anderson should have enough bat to compensate. Scouts say he's an above-average hitter who should produce at least 20 homers a year.
Another five-tool player who jumped to Double-A at midseason, Anderson was one of the most exciting players in the league. He started off slow, still recovering from minor wrist surgery, but by the time May rolled around, Anderson kicked it into overdrive. A polished hitter who works himself into deep counts, Anderson also proved to be a plus defender in center field for the Warthogs. "To me, if you want to compare them, Anderson and Francoeur are similar, but Anderson is more disciplined around the zone," an AL scout said. "Francoeur is more of a free-swinging guy and Anderson is going to make more consistent contact. He doesn't have quite the arm Francoeur does, but his speed makes up for it where he plays."