So why is the idea out there that Anderson doesn't have TOR stuff?
Gondee:
The No. 3 overall pick last year, Atlanta focused on him for months as part of their “all high school pitching” 2016 draft strategy. He signed a below-slot $4 million deal, and projects at a top-of-the-rotation starter. He has a big mid-90s fastball and a plus slurve with a developing changeup. Anderson should anchor another amazing starting rotation at Rome this year, and if his development continues as planned, he could see Atlanta as early as 2019, with 2020 more likely.
Sickels:
first round pick in 2016, third-overall, from high school in New York; 2.04 ERA in 40 innings in rookie ball with 36/12 K/BB; low-to-mid-90s fastball from 6-3, 170 frame; slider and change-up can be inconsistent but are solid for his age; number three starter projection is a bit cautious at this point but I want to see how he handles a workload
Longerhans:
Anderson sat 92-95 in short bursts during showcases as a rising senior and flashed an above-average mid-70s curveball. He had a prototypical starter’s build and athleticism and had some nascent feel for a mid-80s changeup for which he had absolutely no use while playing high-school ball in upstate New York. When his senior spring arrived and, when Anderson pitched, he was mostly 91-95 with better command in the lower end of that band. That’s not a Jethro Tull joke, I swear. Anyway, Anderson missed starts last spring because of inclement weather, pneumonia and an oblique injury. The Braves stayed on him and, as the draft approached, his stuff starting improving. They drafted him No. 3 overall, cut an underslot deal that allowed them to have a dandy draft class, and Anderson was sitting 93-97 later that summer in the GCL.
When I saw him during instructional league he was 91-94 and struggling to throw strikes while flashing a 60 curveball (though there were some 40s in there, too) in the mid-70s that was better when it had two-plane movement rather than pure vertical drop. I only saw one changeup, but the arm action is good and I have it projected, quite conservatively, to average. I’ve spoken with scouts who have seen it flash above.
This is your stereotypical high-end prep pitching prospect and a potential No. 2 or 3 starter. If the body and command come along in the right way maybe, there’s more velocity in there (I’m skeptical, due to the massively increased workload), and it’s possible we exist in the universe where Anderson develops a plus change, too. He’s light years from the big leagues as a cold-weather prep arm who lost reps due to an entire Curb Your Enthusiasm season’s worth of misfortune, and the risk here is extreme.
