Shaun Anderson

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked San Francisco Giants #4 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: A third-round pick out of Florida by the Red Sox in 2016, Anderson was acquired by the Giants, alongside fellow righthander Gregory Santos, in the July 2017 trade that sent third baseman Eduardo Nunez to Boston. An extremely effective reliever at Florida, Anderson has been almost exclusively a starter with both the Red Sox and Giants, and he has the frame, pitch mix and durability to stick as a starter in the majors.
  
  Scouting Report: Anderson has four average-or-better pitches with above-average control that helps all of his offerings play up. He attacks hitters with a 92-94 mph fastball that can touch 96 mph, and his best offspeed pitch is an upper-80s slider. Anderson also uses an average changeup and curveball that are effective because of his ability to throw strikes with all four of his pitches in nearly any count. Evaluators praise Anderson for his ability to maneuver through a lineup multiple times, regularly keeping hitters guessing and off-balance with a strong baseball acumen.
  
  The Future: Anderson is knocking on the door of the majors. He spent the final three months of 2018 in Triple-A Sacramento with middling success, but he could be promoted to San Francisco by mid-2019. He projects best as a No. 3 or No. 4 starter.
• 
  Ranked San Francisco Giants #11 prospect in 2018
  For a team that was on its way to a 64-win season, the Giants didn't exactly tear the big league team apart in a search for future help. But San Francisco did send third baseman Eduardo Nunez to the Red Sox for young pitchers, picking up Anderson and Dominican Summer League righthander Gregory Santos. Anderson was the moment-of-truth reliever at Florida, but scouts saw all the traits of a starter, noting that he relieved because the team had a slew of first-round picks in the weekend rotation. He's lived up to those expectations as a pro, showing potential to be a back-of-the-rotation starter with above-average control and command. He attacks hitters with a 92-94 mph above-average fastball that touches 96 and a plus 87-88 mph slider. He also mixes in a fringe-average changeup and curveball that are effective enough because he can throw them for strikes and hitters have to look for the fastball since he can hit his spots. Anderson's storied Gators career has proven he can also pitch in the bullpen, but there's nothing in his four-pitch mix, clean delivery and robust frame that should keep him from being a durable No. 4 starter.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #151 prospect in 2016 draft
  On most college pitching staffs, a pitcher like Anderson would be the centerpiece; he's a strong, well-built righthander with command and a plus fastball. At Florida, however, Anderson is just one of the guys, and he's worked almost exclusively out of the bullpen for the Gators. Last summer in the Cape Cod League, Anderson sat more in the low 90s, but showed potential with his changeup and slider. This spring, all of Anderson's stuff is better. He has a 93-95 mph fastball that can bump 96, and he's shown the ability to command the pitch. He throws a hard slider at 84-88 with deep 11-to-5 break; it projects as an above-average pitch. Anderson's performance has been elite this season; through his first 40 1/3 innings, he had struck out 53 and walked just six. A team could draft Anderson and try to develop him as a starter, but he could also be a quick mover as a reliever.

• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  The Giants have a number of starting pitchers (Logan Webb, Gregory Santos and Seth Corry to name three) with more upside than Anderson, but all of them are much further from the majors. Anderson is a nearly ready back-of-the-rotation starter with an above-average 92-94 mph fastball, a hard slider and a changeup and curveball that are just good enough to keep hitters off balance. After reaching the Futures Game and earning a promotion to Triple-A, his big league debut isn’t far off.