Now Healthy, Brian Anderson Leading Brewers to Impressive 5-1 Start
Few teams have been hotter than the Milwaukee Brewers out the gate, who lead the NL Central with a 5-1 record, the third-best in the majors. Much of their success, however, has come from an unlikely hero, newcomer Brian Anderson.
On a roster that includes Christian Yelich, Jesse Winker, Rowdy Tellez, Willy Adames and William Contreras, it has been Anderson carrying the freight through the first six games of 2023. And that has quickly changed the narrative for a team that was supposed to be all about pitching.
Anderson has received help, of course, as rookies Garrett Mitchell, Joey Wiemer and Brice Turang have also played a factor early on. But with the rest of Milwaukee’s lineup struggling, the 29-year-old veteran has wasted zero time making a great first impression on his new teammates.
Following six seasons with the Miami Marlins, the right-hander has made an instant impact with the Brewers, hitting .500/.565/1.056 with three home runs and 10 RBIs across his first 23 plate appearances. He also features an eye-popping 302 wRC+ and has been worth 0.6 fWAR.
This red-hot start has Anderson positioned amongst the big-league leaders as he’s tied for first in AVG, second in SLG and wRC+, tied for second in home runs and RBIs and tied for third in fWAR entering Friday’s slate, according to FanGraphs.
Milwaukee’s newest slugger also set a franchise record earlier this week, recording the most RBIs (10) and total bases (18) through the first five games of a season.
The sample size is small, but Anderson has already been more valuable in six games with the Brewers than in 98 games with the Marlins (0.4 fWAR) last season. As a result, his one-year, $3.5-million contract currently stands as a massive bargain.
Anderson, a third-round selection by Miami in 2014, showed glimpses of his potential in the Sunshine State while serving as a reliable offensive contributor following his 2017 debut. He was a two-win player in consecutive seasons from 2018-19 and nearly extended that streak to three during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.
Injuries, however, plagued the 6-foot-3 third baseman over the last two seasons. Oblique and shoulder issues limited him to just 67 games in 2021, with shoulder and back ailments capping his workload at 98 contests in ‘22.
Faced with a tough decision, Miami’s front office non-tendered Anderson last winter after he slashed .222/.311/.346 with a 90 wRC+ – a decision much of the fan base disagreed with. And his impressive start to the season probably hasn’t helped with that anguish.
But with his injury woes seemingly behind him, Anderson – a free agent after this season – has thrived with a change of scenery in Milwaukee. At least, that’s been the case thus far.
Now the conversation turns to whether his explosive run is simply a by-product of pitchers not having their best stuff in Week 1, or could it be a sign of things to come for the soon-to-be 30-year-old? For Milwaukee’s sake, everyone hopes it ends up being the latter.
The Edmond, Oklahoma, native appears to be a different hitter in 2023, though. He is hitting balls harder than ever before, as evidenced by his career-high 57.1 percent hard-hit rate, which ranks in the 88th percentile.
If that weren’t enough, Anderson has barreled six of his 14 batted-ball events, producing a 42.9 percent barrel rate, placing in the 100th percentile. His six barrels are also tied for the second-most in the majors, behind Bryan Reynolds’ seven.
Another encouraging sign is most of Anderson’s batted-ball distribution has transpired in the middle of the field, suggesting his pitch timing is right where it needs to be – an area he struggled with while in and out of the lineup from 2021-22.
Feeling comfortable as a hitter can be incredibly difficult, especially when your body isn’t 100 percent healthy. But with that no longer a concern, Anderson has been driving balls to centre field, hitting all three of his home runs in that direction.
Source: Baseball Savant
While that may seem minuscule, of the 15 round-trippers Anderson blasted during his final two seasons with the Marlins, only two were deposited over the centre-field wall.
A few mechanical adjustments have also proven beneficial, which has seen his average launch angle soar to a career-high 15.9 degrees, over double his 2022 figure (7.7). As you probably already guessed, that’s allowed him to generate more fly balls, leading to a 57.1 percent mark, up 26 percentage points from ‘22.
Producing lots of fly balls and hard contact is what almost every hitter strives for these days; it’s the perfect recipe for creating extra-base hits. With that mix already in his possession, Anderson must find ways to sustain his current production over a larger sample size.
The former Marlin won’t continue hitting .500 for the rest of the season – that much we already know. But the extent of his eventual regression will depend on whether he can evolve from being a strict fastball hitter.
Much of Anderson’s early-season success can be credited to his stellar results versus heaters, as he’s hitting .727/.750/1.364 with a .786 wOBA against them. As for breaking balls and off-speed pitches, though, he carries a .143/.143/.571 slash line with a .290 wOBA.
These two offerings have also given the veteran righty fits in the past, registering at least a 20 percent strikeout rate and 30 percent whiff rate each season prior to 2023. Meanwhile, four of his five punch outs this season have come against either a breaking ball or an off-speed pitch.
Opposing pitchers are throwing considerably more fastballs (51.5 percent) to Anderson than breaking balls (31.7 percent) or off-speed pitches (16.8 percent). That could change very soon if he continues struggling with non-fastballs, though.
The game plan is also likely to shift, with teams locating more pitches down and away rather than on the inside half of the plate – an area where he’s created the majority of his damage this season.
Source: Baseball Savant
Anderson should remain effective in the short term, making him a must-have fantasy option, mainly since he’s owned in just 24 percent of ESPN leagues and 58 percent in Yahoo leagues. For those who already scooped him up, now might be the time to sell high.
The Brewers plan to continue utilizing Anderson’s versatility at third base and in right field moving forward, meaning he shouldn’t struggle to find consistent at-bats. It will also help keep Turang in the lineup regularly once Luis Urías returns from a hamstring injury.
We’re only one week into the regular season, so making any proclamations would be ill-advised. But with Milwaukee’s lineup an early-season surprise, perhaps the starting rotation won’t have to assume as much of the burden as previously anticipated.
If that’s the case, the St. Louis Cardinals – 2-4 through six games – may have more competition for the NL Central Division title than they thought heading into 2023.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Davey Nin. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.