“I think Philadelphia is just a good team, a team that has a very good chance of winning a championship in this tough division, the NL East,” he said Thursday on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM. “I think for me, at this point in my career, I want to win a championship. I’ve been in the playoffs three of the past four years and there’s no such thing as postseason baseball. ”
The Phillies agreed to a one-year contract this week with Anderson, a seven-year-old vet with 167 major league starts to his name. From 2014 to 19, Anderson went 53-40 with an ERA of 3.94 and 1.26 WHIP.
In 2020, he faced some slanting tension and his ERA jumped to 7.22, thanks in part to two poor late-season relief appearances against the Yankees.
“Last year has been kind of a washout for me,” he said. “Crazy year, as we all know. “
Anderson will be fighting for a spot in the 2021 Phillies’ rotation, and with that $ 4 million prize pool, he likely has an indoor track to make some starts. With Anderson, Matt Moore, Vince Velasquez, Spencer Howard, Ivan Nova and possibly Ranger Suarez, the Phillies now have some depth for the final two rotations.
“I think I can bring it to the table by taking the ball every five days, filling in the background of the rotation,” he said. “I can’t wait to compete for this spot in spring training. “
They could even use a 6-man rotation at times this season, given the reduction in starting pitchers’ workload last year. A lot of teams will be careful with their starters, and we might not see the guys winning 200 rounds after pitching 70 in 2020.
“My goal is to go out there and provide innings and hopefully pitch over 150 innings in a year when a lot of teams will need them,” Anderson said.
“There are so many young guys coming up right now that got a bit of exposure last year. With their best prospect in Philadelphia, Spencer Howard, I’ve heard great things about him. He’s going to be a star, from what I’ve seen and heard. I’m going to kind of watch out for young people.
Anderson, 33, was drafted in the ninth round in 2009 by the Diamondbacks, 11 picks before the Phillies chose Aaron Altherr. He pitched for the D-backs, Brewers and Blue Jays.
Interestingly, Anderson has outperformed his predictive measures almost every year of his career, with ERAs consistently below his FIP, a measure derived from the totals at withdrawal, walk, home run, and BPH of a. launcher.
Anderson is a flyball pitcher who has struggled to keep the ball in the court throughout his career. This might not resonate well at Citizens Bank Park. Two seasons ago, he allowed the most circuits in the National League (30). Last season he was beaten 11 times in just 33 innings.
Bryce Harper took Chase Anderson to the opposite court last season. This was the game Jose Alvarez got nailed by online practice. pic.twitter.com/GVKBRohOXF
Among active pitchers with at least 500 innings since 2016, Anderson has the seventh best home run rate in the majors. Velasquez is three places ahead of him, in 10th place.
Citizens Bank Park, a notoriously hitting-friendly site, recorded the fifth-highest homerun rate in major tournaments last season, behind only the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Rogers Center in Toronto, Yankee Stadium and the ‘Angel Stadium.
“It’s huge, it’s super attractive, to have the best catcher in baseball,” he said. “I chatted with him a bit (Wednesday) evening. I’m really excited to throw it at him. He stops the running game, calls a good game, a great field supervisor, an excellent blocker. He’s just a monster for a catcher. .
“This position is so demanding and it makes it feel like it’s easy on both sides of the ball. “
