The Braves announced this morning that they’ve selected the contract of top pitching prospect Ian Anderson and reinstated outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. from the injured list. Anderson will make his Major League debut and start tonight’s game. In a pair of corresponding moves, right-hander Touki Toussaint and catcher Alex Jackson were optioned to Atlanta’s alternate training site.
Anderson, 22, was the No. 3 overall draft pick in 2016 and has steadily ranked among the game’s 50 or so best prospects over the past three years. He spent the 2019 season with the Braves’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, pitching to a combined 3.38 ERA with 11.4 K/9, 4.3 BB/9 and a 44 percent grounder rate. Like so many pitchers, Anderson was blown up in the explosive offensive setting in Triple-A last year, surrendering five homers in 24 2/3 frames. However, he only yielded eight big flies in 111 innings of Double-A work.
Scouting reports on Anderson peg him as more of a mid-rotation starter than a frontline ace. His fastball climbs to 96 mph, and Anderson garners praise for a plus curveball and a changeup that’s a bit behind that offering, though all three are considered above-average pitches.
Given the considerable rotation woes they’ve experienced in 2020, there’s some pressure on Anderson to put forth a strong debut effort. It’s not exactly fair to put such lofty expectations on a young prospect, but Atlanta has lost Mike Soroka (torn Achilles), Cole Hamels (triceps tendinitis), Felix Hernandez (opted out of 2020) and Mike Foltynewicz (outrighted after his fastball velocity dipped 6 mph) from its expected early-season rotation. Sean Newcomb, meanwhile, was optioned to the alternate site after surrendering 17 runs in 13 2/3 innings. Kyle Wright and Toussaint both posted underwhelming numbers in four starts apiece as well. The Braves have recently leaned on swingman Josh Tomlin and waiver claim Robbie Erlin to start games for them.
The Braves waited on Anderson long enough that he’ll miss out on Super Two status and the opportunity to accrue a full year of Major League service in 2020. As such, even if he’s in the big leagues for good, Anderson won’t be eligible for arbitration until after the 2023 season and won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2026 season. Future optional assignments could further impact those timelines, of course, though the organization surely hopes that he pitches his way into a permanent rotation spot.
The return of Acuna is obviously a major boon for the Braves as well. He’s missed the past 10 days due to a left wrist injury but had rebounded from a slow start to boost his line to .258/.372/.515 at the time of his IL placement. In 10 August games, Acuna was hitting .364/.488/.818 with four homers and three doubles.
I remember when Jackson tied the home run record for San Diego county when he was a senior in high school
The train it won’t stop going no way to slow down!
Dude, really don’t mind if you sit this one out.
wrkotas.
you people are as thick as a brick. 🙂
He’s adrift and dumbfounded.
wkkortas not wrkotas.
Its about time. I’m tired of spot starts by non starters. Ian Anderson needs to focus on pitch count and throwing strikes. He will be fine. And welcome back Acuña!
“Focus on throwing strikes.” What a novel idea…
Well, its easy for young pitchers these days to fall in love with the sexy strikeout. It needs to be instilled on him early on to not get too cute trying to paint corners all the time. Maddux used to never have a waste pitch and he had more than enough games going deep on low pitch counts. Now its unfair to compare or even use these two in the same thought for now. But as a Braves fan, I’m tired of seeing walks coming around to kill us. Change speeds, change eye level, and go deep. We have a good enough defense to not have to nibble around the strike zone.
I’m just bugging you.
well said
Patrick Weigel is never going to get a shot and I have no clue why.
Probably just another casualty of an alphabetical list.
First his high school graduation and now this? At what point do you just be like “Weigel? No I’m Patrick Beigel”
RONALD ACUNA IS OVERATED AND OVERHYPED. THERE IS A REASON HE TOOK THE 100 MILLION DOLLARS.
Do we really need to put up signs like they have at the zoos to remind people not to feed the animals? I guess so.
and no diving signs in shallow pools
Remember, Red Bull actually has disclaimers at the end of commercials advising consumers that “Red Bull does not actually give you wings.” What does that tell you?
Peanut snacks on airplanes have instructions on them. So do chainsaws. The fact we need to tell people how to open a bag of peanuts and not do dumb things with the chainsaw, like put your hand on the teeth when trying to start it, nothing should surprise you anymore.
Pop Tarts come with instructions.
1. Take the pastry out of the package.
2. Toast the pastry.
3. Let the pastry cool before eating as it could be hot.
I always wonder what kind of person comes on a thread about a player on a team they don’t root for and post comments insulting the fans and the players of that team.
Those people have issues. It happens a lot, there are a lot of people who have issues. You’re one of them.
That is an excellent question. My guess is some people don’t even realize they do it at this point. Like theoretically if an Angels fan went onto a Braves post and told someone they have issues.
CTE is a thing.
SITTING ON A PARK BENCH!
Baseballpun.. One of my favorite songs.
I scrolled through the comments expecting a Jethro Tull joke, and you delivered.
Standing Outside a Phone Booth
Snot running down his nose
Dude stop eyeing little girls with bad intent.
speaking of Wright, he might be on a path following Fulmer as former Vandy busts. gotta wonder if teams sour on Vandy draft prospects going forward. sure Rocker and Leiter still go 1 and 2 next year, but i dont know Vandy pitchers down the line are looked at.
lol…seriously though, when was the last time the same college had any player go 1-2, let alone pitchers?
Wright got a 7 million signing bonus after the draft. Maybe he’s one of those guys who set for life at 21 just doesn’t care?
Hey Atlanta fans, can I have a comp for Ian Anderson? I heard somebody say that he reminds them of Jeremy Hellickson. Is that accurate, because I really don’t know.
Physically a lot bigger but his stuff is comparable to Sonny Gray when he was drafted.
Don’t know of the perfect compliment but he is about as straight over the top of a pitcher as you will see these days. No three quarter action.
Almost pitches in slow motion. Curve it true 12/6, but I don’t think it’s break is as sharp or nasty as many. It’s just a gradual thing of bending down, down, down and down some more.
Honestly, when I first saw him pitch, he reminded me of a lean years Braves fan favorite and a guy I think that NEVER got the respect he deserved … Rick Mahler. Over the top, slow delivery, slow 12-6 curveball. Now, add in a 21st century fastball with a little less overall control at this stage .. and you have Anderson.
I should clarify that. Mahler had a decent fastball for his time. Anderson is about the same for his time. What I meant was that it just has a few more mph, but when adjusted to current average velocity it’s about the same as Mahler’s.
Mahler’s wind up was probably a bit quicker .. if that gives you an idea of how slow and deliberate Anderson’s delivery appears. Very repeatable though. I don’t remember much about his stretch motion, just the wind-up stood out.
Don’t forget Doyle Alexander, speaking of straight over the top
A little younger than Joe Cocker, and he plays the flute.
Anyone else not scared of Ian Anderson. I don’t think he’ll be bad. He definitely wont be the ace the Braves want or think they are getting. Honestly Sixto looks like the scariest pitching prospect.
Nate Pearson would scare the crap out of me as a hitter.
Sixto is so nice
He is so nasty. Phillies must feel horrible
While I love Realmuto, I never understood that trade. Phillies didn’t expect all the bullpen injuries in 2019, and over estimated their team. Nola, Wheeler, Sixto, Eflin, Howard could have been real nasty.
not exactly like he was dumped for nothing
No one was really afraid of Maddux or Glavine when they came up either .. just sayin’.
I do get your point and I agree. He has more potential to be Aaron Blair than Maddux or Glavine at this point. Still, his chances of being better than Touki and Newk seem to be very solid .. so I am all for him getting the green light..
Yes he will help you guys a lot. Pitching him instead of Touki is huge
Dude, we’re rescuing guys from the trash heap and starting them (i.e. Erlin). When you’re trotting out Josh Tomlin – the bar can’t really be much lower. If he can NOT walk a batter/IP, he should get another few starts.
I tore the tags off my custom #48 jersey, so might as well.
That’s true. I’m just saying every team wants their top prospects to be a ace but the become 2-3 a lot times
According to team physicians, his bout with locomotive breath has passed.
Oh the suffering madness.
Goodwin and Bundy for Anderson
About as dumb as it gets
It’s good to say the Braves are looking toward the future and no longer living in the past.
Hey kid .. welcome to The Show. Your first opponent, the New York Yankees and the richest pitcher in the history of baseball.
Go get em!
Adding that he’s a NY-native on top of everything else – they’re really testing this kid. I love it!
Just in time to spank the one-dimensional yanks.
lol you wish!
If Wright could’ve just thrown strikes, I think he’d have been ok. When his pitches were in the zone, he was effective.
I see Wright as having the same problem as Folty and Newk. They can throw strikes, but they can’t get past ‘2’ frequently enough. Players just start fouling things off and waiting on the walk or the mistake. That causes their pitch count to rise and the walks as well.
It just seems like now more than ever you really have to have an undeniable ‘I own you at two strikes’ pitch and none of those guys have it.
Here is the good news: I don’t think anyone is expecting Anderson (or Tucker, etc.) to be a day-one ace. Of course we all hope that happens or that Anderson is the next Glavine (Soroka is our Maple Maddux already and if Folty had worked out… and he still could, he would be our Smoltz). But really what the Braves need is a guy who can be consistently in the zone, who maybe gives up a solo dinger or two, but can keep us in the game and pitch to the 5th-6th inning. If Anderson goes 5 IP, 3 Runs, 2 Strikeouts and 2 walks over 5 innings, that’s a win. He doesn’t have to be amazing, he has to be solid.
I see Anderson as having a Giolito esque start to his career. Highly ranked, gets thrown in the rotation, sucks his first season, and then his sophomore season he turns into a great pitcher. Though I could be wrong, of course that’s not what Soroka did, so maybe the Braves are different.
@Outfield Fly: Someone like Julio then.
With the new CBA starting in 2022 it’s 100% guaranteed service time will change… It’s #1 issue for the MLBPA..
Now, let’s get Weigel, Muller, and Davidson up there and see what we’ve got.
Glavine, Maddux and Smoltz all had ERA’s over 5 their rookie years. Ordinarily, Anderson or Wright or Touki would get some time at the back end of the rotation to feel his way.
Yeah, a lot of people forget that. Randy Johnson in his first full year had an ERA of 4.82. Lots of future HOFers struggle at first. It’s rare that a guy comes up and doesn’t struggle for a bit.
Best of luck to him. It’s quite an offense, and storied franchise, to face on your debut.
Big day for Atlanta. Not sure I’d throw Anderson to the wolves on his first game, but I guess they know what he can handle better than I do.
I have an uneasy feeling about this. He struggled in a very limited AAA stint. That’s not to say he won’t work it out. He’s eventually succeeded at every level. I just don’t know without the benefit of a full year at AAA if this is wise. I also question the spot. He’s going to be under the brightest of lights.
Ian Anderson is now 2-0 going at least 6 innings in each start beating both the Yankees and Red Sox.
Safe to say braves no idea how to develop pitching prospects or scouts have no idea how to draft. Either way the future looks bleak.