With Max Fried and Charlie Morton departing in free agency, combined with Spencer Strider‘s injury, the Braves have had an open competition among internal candidates for the final two spots on the Opening Day roster. Grant Holmes performance has all but solidified his role as the season approaches. In 10 innings this spring, he’s only allowed one run. The Braves are very confident in what he can provide as he makes the transition into the rotation, but what about Ian Anderson?
Now 26-years-old, Anderson is several years removed from his best baseball when he helped Atlanta win its first World Series since 1995. He hasn’t even pitched in the majors since 2022, and that season wasn’t very pretty, finishing with a 5.00 ERA over 22 starts before being optioned to Gwinnett.
However, the decision to send down Ian Anderson turned out to be the least of his troubles. After not feeling right to begin the 2023 campaign, it was revealed he would need Tommy John surgery, which sidelined him until the end of the last season.
This spring is really the first Braves fans have seen of Anderson in more than two years, and while there’s some stuff to like, there are also reasons for concern. On the surface, he is boasting an excellent 2.25 ERA over four starts, but the eye test and the underlying metrics aren’t nearly as encouraging.
Anderson’s swing-and-miss is almost non-existent, striking out just six batters in 12 innings. Some of that can be attributed to the sample size, but it’s much more difficult to explain his 13 walks this spring, giving him a dismal K/BB ratio of 0.46.
Ian Anderson doesn’t look much better than the pitcher who struggled to find success when he was last with the Braves in 2022. He still doesn’t have a trustworthy third offering, and his control is a major issue. With that being said, it’s about time to pencil him into the Braves Opening Day roster.
Because Anderson is out of options, he didn’t have to do much to earn a shot in Atlanta. The Braves aren’t going to risk losing valuable depth that also comes with high upside before the season even begins. He’s shown he can still get outs against major-league hitters, and it’s imperative to remember it’s still just Spring Training. Anderson hasn’t pitched very much at all in over two years. More than most guys, he’s still ramping things up. It’s possible he looks much better a month from now, and that will have to be the case if he wants to stick in Atlanta once Spencer Strider returns.
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