MVN - Most Valuable Network

Haren’s Yield: Brett Anderson

In this, the second of six profiles of the players that the A’s got in return for Dan Haren, I’ll profile Brett Anderson. Soon to come: Aaron Cunningham, Dana Eveland, Chris Carter, and Greg Smith. Already done: Carlos Gonzalez.

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Brett Anderson - LHP - 19 years old - high-A in 2007

3.07 ERA, 120.1 IP, 125 SO, 21 BB, .270 AVG, 1.22 WHIP

In Anderson’s first season of pro ball, the 6-4, 215 lb southpaw had great success. Drafted out of high school in Stillwater, Oklahoma — where his dad is the head coach for the Oklahoma State baseball team — Anderson demonstrated both great strikeout ability and fantastic control. His father was one of the best pitching coaches in the country during his tenure with Texas, and Brett came out of high school as a polished pitcher with no small thanks to his father’s experience. Interestingly, Frank Anderson is the man who told a young freshman right-hander to try and drop his arm angle to gain more movement on his fastball and slider. It turned out well, because Huston Street is one heck of a pitcher.

As for the young Anderson, his K rate of 9.35 per nine innings pitched is a product of his good changeup and curveball — both above average pitches for him — and his 88-92 mph fastball. His control is impeccable. He walked just 1.57 batters per nine innings for an amazing strikeout-to-walk ratio of 6:1. That’s reminiscent of Greg Maddux.

Before he even threw his first professional strike, Anderson had earned an impressive grade of “B” from prospect guru John Sickels, who runs the excellent blog MinorLeagueBall.com. In his 2007 Baseball Prospect Book, Sickels says of Anderson:

He is not very athletic, and is unlikely to gain velocity or strength from where he is not. But where he is now is pretty good. He’ll have to watch his weight and work hard to stay in shape, but his polish and mound presence are far above most pitchers his age.

RotoWorld, via USA Today, thinks highly of Anderson:

While Carlos Gonzalez gets top billing in the trade for the A’s, there’s a very real chance that Anderson will have the better career of the two. With above average stuff and excellent command, he possesses No. 2-starter ability. It’s possible he’ll contribute as a 21-year-old in 2009.

ESPN’s Keith Law chimes in with measured enthusiasm:

Anderson is a pitchability lefty who already has an above-average curveball with good depth and an average fastball in the 87-89 mph range with very good sink. His best attributes, however, are his control and his feel for pitching, both of which are unusually good for a teenaged pitcher (he will turn 20 in February) in pro ball. There’s always some concern about young pitchers who’ve thrown a lot of breaking balls (Anderson also throws a slider, but it’s inconsistent), and Anderson does throw across his body a bit. He missed most of last August after being involved in a late-July car accident, although one report on minorleaguebaseball.com said he was out with a “tender arm.” He’s a very good prospect, but with some red flags typical of teenaged pitchers.

Last but not least, FoxSports.com’s Dayn Perry:

Anderson … has exceptional control and one of the best sliders around. If he lives up to his promise, he could be a quality second or third starter in Oakland some day.

You can tell that the general consensus on Anderson is that while there are a few questions about his ability to stay healthy due to his build, he’s still a stellar young pitcher with great potential. I agree completely with that take on him. I believe that as he progresses upwards, he’ll be given plenty of help from trainers to help him maintain a healthy regimen of diet and workouts. His ability and pitching poise will take him the rest of the way.

Not to keep harping on the “build” issue, but many have compared Anderson to another slightly heavy southpaw, David Wells. The physical build and low walk rates are accurate parallels, but Anderson has a higher strikeout rate — and a curveball, that while above-average, isn’t as good as Wells’ top pitch. If Anderson has a peak nearly as good as Wells’, or a career that lasts half as long, he’ll be a great success.

Anderson will move quickly through the system, spending time at AA and possibly AAA in 2008, and challenging for a mid-season call-up in 2009. That is, if things go well, and Anderson stays in shape. The 2010 rotation could look like this: Joe Blanton (if he’s not traded next week), Chad Gaudin, Dan Meyer, Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill.

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 16th, 2007 at 10:02 pm and is filed under Prospects, Trades. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.