The Life of Brian: Anderson's Big Chance At Redemption Finally Here

In April of 2006 it was good to be Brian Anderson.  How many rookies are called upon to play starting center field for a defending World Series Champion?

Anderson was a first-round draft pick and a proud product of a White Sox system that developed outfielders Magglio Ordonex, Carlos Lee and Aaron Rowand.  Blessed with speed, power, and superior defensive ability Anderson was billed as a five-tool player who would make Sox fans forget all about the gritty but overrated Aaron Rowand.

That season, to take the pressure of his young center fielder, manager Ozzie Guillen asked only on thing of Anderson, catch the ball.

He did just that to the tune of a .994 fielding percentage and though Anderson had a miserable first half offensively he was in no way hurting a White Sox team that looked poised to return to the playoffs, ahead in the Wild Card race by as many as eight games as late as the end of June. 

Things didn’t quite materialize for the Sox as their starting pitching broke down in the second half and after missing the playoffs it was easy to point at the rookie’s .225 batting average and call for an improvement in center.

Fair or not Anderson wasn’t given a second chance in 2007 because Kenny Williams brought in “grinder” Darin Erstad through free agency. Erstad couldn’t stay healthy, or be particularly effective when he was healthy, while Anderson struggled in AAA and seemed at odds with the brass of the White Sox.

A funny thing happened in the spring of 2008.  Anderson came to spring training a changed man. 

He played probably better than anyone on the team that spring and forced his way onto the roster after the man who drafted him, Kenny Williams, went so far as to say that though he had not lost confidence in him the White Sox General Manager believed Anderson would need to move to another team to truly blossom.

Throughout the 2008 season Anderson did everything that was asked of him.  His numbers won’t scare anyone but in limited action he was a productive hitter, driving in 26 runs, and slugging 21 extra-base hits in just 181 at-bats. That is decent productivity for a guy who was lucky to get a start once a week.

Meanwhile the Sox once again went outside the organization to find a center fielder.  This time it was Nick “Dirty Thirty” Swisher, who despite his clubhouse antics and positive demeanor hit just under .220, 12 points lower than Anderson and five points lower than Anderson hit in the ‘disaster’ that was 2006.

Swisher was eventually exposed as a “me first” player who sulked his way off the roster after being benched in September in favor of future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Junior.  

Fast-forward to 2009, when Brian Anderson, despite a decent spring was passed over in favor of Dewayne Wise for the starting spot in center.  But just a week into the season a struggling Wise hurt himself making a valiant catch in center and will be on the shelf for at least six weeks.

All indications are that Brian Anderson will finally get a second crack at being the starting center fielder for the Chicago White Sox.  If he can hit anywhere close to the way he did this spring, .290 BA, .464 slugging, .375 OBP the Sox may not only have their center fielder for 2009, but for a few years to come.

As for Anderson he might just be able to get a little redemption after having to watch the likes of Darin Erstad, Jerry Owens, Nick Swisher, and an aging Ken Griffey Junior occupy the position he had handed to him on a silver platter in 2006.  I, for one, will be rooting for him.