| Brian Anderson | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Anderson in 2023 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1972-04-26)April 26, 1972 (age 53) Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 10, 1993, for the California Angels | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 8, 2005, for the Kansas City Royals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 82–83 |
| Earned run average | 4.74 |
| Strikeouts | 723 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Brian James Anderson (born April 26, 1972) is anAmerican formerMajor League Baseballpitcher, who played 13 seasons for five teams, as well as asports broadcaster andcoach. Currently, Anderson is thecolor commentator on theRays TV crew onBally Sports Sun.
Anderson was born on April 26, 1972, inPortsmouth, Virginia. AtGeneva High School (Ohio), Anderson was a four-year letterman inbaseball, a three-year letterman ingolf, and a two-year letterman inbasketball. He went on to attendWright State University inDayton, Ohio. In 1991 and 1992, he playedcollegiate summer baseball with theWareham Gatemen of theCape Cod Baseball League.[1]
Anderson was selected by theCalifornia Angels in the 1st round (3rd pick overall) of the1993 Major League Baseball draft.[2]
Anderson began his major league career with theCalifornia Angels in 1993. Between 1993 and 1995, he was 13–13 with a 5.46 ERA.[2]
He was traded prior to the 1996 season to theCleveland Indians for pitchersJason Grimsley andPep Harris.[3] Anderson went 7–3 in two seasons with the Indians. He was on the 1997 playoff roster, in which he made six relief appearances, going 1–0 with 1 save.
Roughly a month after a solid performance during the1997 World Series, Anderson was the second pick by theArizona Diamondbacks in the1997 MLB Expansion Draft.
In his first full season in the Majors, this time as a starter, Anderson went 12–13 with a 4.33 ERA in 32 starts, including 2 complete games.[2] The following season, 1999, he switched between the bullpen and the rotation, totaling 31 appearances, including 19 starts.[4]
In 2000, Anderson was back in the rotation full-time, finishing 11–7 with a career high in innings pitched (213.1) and in strikeouts (104).[2]
In 2001, Anderson went 4–9 with a 5.20 ERA. He pitched to a 1–1 record in 4 postseason games, with an ERA of 2.84.[5]
Anderson was a swingman in 2002 for the Diamondbacks, pitching 35 games while starting 24 of them. His record was 6–11.[5]
In 2003, Anderson signed with his former club, the Cleveland Indians. In his 24 starts with the Tribe, Anderson permitted a whopping 27 unearned runs due to errors the Indians committed.[4]
Anderson was acquired by theKansas City Royals during the 2003 season for three minor leaguers.[6]
Between Cleveland and Kansas City, Anderson won a career high 14 games while also having a career best 3.78 ERA in 31 starts.[5]
Anderson regressed in 2004, pitching poorly throughout the season. His record was 6–12 with a career high 5.64 ERA in 166 innings.[5]
Anderson's2005 season ended prematurely when he tore an elbow ligament, necessitatingTommy John surgery. He attempted a comeback in2006 with theTexas Rangers.[7] He re-injured it during his rehab program and had to undergo a second Tommy John surgery. During hisconvalescence in 2007, Anderson was a fill-in broadcaster for the Cleveland Indians.
On February 1, 2008, theTampa Bay Rays signed Anderson to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. During spring training however, Anderson left the mound in the middle of a game, and followed that with anMRI. The MRI revealed he had a tornulnar collateral ligament (for the third time), as well as a tornflexor mass muscle, both in his left elbow. Rays managerJoe Maddon commented by saying, "It can't be repaired; he's done. It's really a big disappointment."[8]
Following the second Tommy John surgery, Anderson was out of baseball for the2007 season, during which he occasionally filled in as a broadcaster for the Cleveland Indians onSportsTime Ohio, as well as doing severalspring training games and a weekly highlight show.[9]
In2008, he served temporarily as acolor analyst for Rays television broadcasts during a ten-game West Coast road trip, teamed with play-by-play announcerDewayne Staats while regular Rays broadcast partnerJoe Magrane was away on assignment as an analyst forNBC Sports coverage ofbaseball at the2008 Summer Olympics. During the 2008 and 2009 seasons, Anderson was an assistant to thepitching coach and worked in the front office for the Rays.
In2009 and2010, Anderson again worked as a part-time TV analyst for the Rays, calling about 50 games for which Magrane's successor,Kevin Kennedy, was unavailable. In October 2010, the Rays announced that Anderson would become the team's full-time TV analyst beginning in2011.[10]
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Anderson and his wife Jessica Marie married on November 1, 2014. They reside in St. Petersburg, Florida with their daughter, Harper Marie, born November 2015, and son Baker James, born November 27, 2018. Anderson also has two children from a previous marriage, Rylyn Mae and Jackson James.
| Preceded by | Tampa Bay Rays television color announcer 2011–present | Succeeded by current |