Brett Anderson (baseball)

Early life

Anderson attended Stillwater High School in Stillwater, Oklahoma, earning all-state selection in 2006. That senior season he posted a 9–0 record with a 0.37 ERA, 102 strikeouts, and nine walks. He played in the Connie Mack World Series after his junior and senior seasons and was the winning pitcher in the 2005 AFLAC High School All-American Game. He also played for the US National 18-and-under team with Clayton Kershaw and Shawn Tolleson. His career high school numbers were 22–8 with eight saves, 276 strikeouts, and a 0.90 ERA. He signed a letter of intent to play for Oklahoma State University, where his father, Frank Anderson, was head coach.

Professional career

Baseball America rated Anderson as having the best command of any high school prospect before the 2006 Major League Baseball draft. The Arizona Diamondbacks selected him in the second round. He was torn between signing and playing for his father at Oklahoma State, saying part of him wanted to prove he should have been a first-round pick. He agreed to a contract with a $950,000 signing bonus and an additional $80,000 for education, finalized on September 1, 2006.

He made his professional debut on April 5, 2007, for the South Bend Silver Hawks against the Great Lakes Loons, whose starter was Clayton Kershaw. Anderson went 8–4 with a 2.21 ERA in 14 starts for South Bend and was selected to the Midwest League mid-season All-Star team. On June 21, 2007, he was promoted to the Visalia Oaks. On August 8, he was involved in a car accident while en route to an amusement park, sustaining a mild concussion; he pitched nine games for Visalia with a 3–3 record and 4.85 ERA, missing time due to elbow tenderness.

On December 14, 2007, he was traded with Dana Eveland, Greg Smith, Aaron Cunningham, Carlos González, and Chris Carter to the Oakland Athletics for Dan Haren and Connor Robertson. In 2008, he was a combined 11–5 with a 3.69 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 20 games between the Stockton Ports and the Double-A Midland RockHounds. In his Midland debut, he struck out 12 batters and gave up two runs in six innings for the win. He pitched in the All-Star Futures Game at Yankee Stadium and was named to the U.S. Olympic Team, earning the win in the bronze medal game against Japan.

He was ranked the 36th-best prospect in 2008 and the top prospect in Oakland's system and #7 overall by Baseball America in 2009.

Scouting report

Anderson throws four pitches for strikes: a fastball, curve, changeup, and slider. His fastball sits at 89–92 mph, with a two-seam variety in addition to the four-seam. His best pitch is the slider, a two-plane breaking ball at 79–81 mph. His low-to-mid 70s curveball is a weapon in any count, and his 82–84 mph changeup has shown improvement through injuries. His arm slot has lowered from high three-quarters to true three-quarters. He is athletic and repeats his mechanics, aiding command. He is considered an extreme ground ball pitcher with a 58.2% ground ball rate, second highest among starting pitchers since 2009.