The Los Angeles Dodgers went into free agency needing to address their starting rotation, and both prior to and since the MLB lockout, have done so by signing the likes of Andrew Heaney, Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Anderson.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman deemed re-signing Kershaw the team’s top focus in free agency. The additions of Heaney and Anderson are more depth-focused as the Dodgers still have question marks in the back of their starting rotation.
Tony Gonsolin and David Price also are expected to compete for a spot in the Dodgers’ Opening Day rotation.
Meanwhile, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Anderson will use Spring Training to build up as a starter but could eventually shift to filling a role out of the bullpen, per Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
Dave Roberts said Tyler Anderson will be stretched out as a starter in camp, but could also be used out of the bullpen as a bulk guy early in the season (when they might have to piggyback some games as others build stamina after shortened spring)
— Jack Harris (@Jack_A_Harris) March 19, 2022
Anderson’s one-year contract with the Dodgers is worth a reported $8 million. The 32-year-old made his MLB debut in 2016 with the Colorado Rockies and remained with them through the 2019 season before signing with the San Francisco Giants in 2020.
Anderson spent last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Seattle Mariners, going a combined 7-11 with a 4.53 ERA, 4.37 FIP, 1.32 WHIP, 7.22 strikeouts per nine innings and 2.05 walks per nine over 31 starts.
The majority of Anderson’s starts have come at Coors Field, where he has a 4.12 ERA. At Dodger Stadium, Anderson owns a 3.68 ERA over 29.1 innings pitched.
Anderson’s profile for Dodgers rotation
While the veteran southpaw hasn’t found much success over his career, Anderson does bring with him intriguing traits.
Last season he was in the 88th percentile of limiting hard hits, 89th percentile of limiting walks, and 94th percentile of getting hitters to chase pitches out of the strike zone.
Anderson’s fastball also has a good spin rate, and the Dodgers have proven adept to making minor adjustments to help a pitcher excel.
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