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Two-time All-Star and 2019 American League batting champion Tim Anderson announced his retirement after 10 MLB seasons on Monday.
The Chicago White Sox announced that Anderson will be honored by the team during a pregame ceremony before the Sept. 17 matchup with the Detroit Tigers at Rate Field.
Anderson played eight seasons with the White Sox, leading the major leagues with a .335 batting average during the 2019 campaign. The following year, he finished seventh in AL MVP voting with a .322/.357/.529 slash average, 10 home runs and 21 RBI during the COVID-shortened MLB season.
Those two seasons were among the four during which the shortstop batted .300 or better for the White Sox, earning him two berths on the AL All-Star team.
One of the standout moments of Anderson’s career was hitting a walk-off home run in the inaugural Field of Dreams Game versus the New York Yankees at Dyersville, Iowa in 2021. Anderson took Zach Britton deep into the right-field cornstalks for a 9-8 win.
He announced his retirement while talking about the five-year anniversary of that Field of Dreams Game.
"Being able to walk it off definitely was a great feeling,” he told MLB.com’s Scott Merkin on Monday. “Just that moment, that moment is going to be around forever. We are still talking about it five years later. We are still touching on such a cool moment that happened in baseball."
However, Anderson wasn’t the same player after sustaining a knee injury during the 2023 season when he was involved in a rundown and the Minnesota Twins’ Matt Wallner slid into his legs at third base. He suffered a sprained MCL and eventually finished with a .245/.286/.296 slash line, far below his previous numbers.
Anderson said that hurting his left knee had a major effect on his swing.
That season, Anderson also infamously got into a fight with the Cleveland Guardians’ José Ramírez. Ramirez took issue with how hard Anderson tagged him at second base and the two exchanged words. Eventually, the two stood up and Anderson threw a punch that missed. Ramirez countered and hit Anderson in the jaw, knocking him to the ground and both teams’ benches cleared onto the field.
Anderson was eventually suspended for six games by MLB for his role in the brawl, while Ramirez received a three-game penalty.
The timing of Anderson’s decline in performance couldn’t have been worse for his career as he was seeking a contract commensurate with the deals other top shortstops including Carlos Correa, Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, Dansby Swanson and Javier Báez signed in free agency. Instead, the White Sox declined his $14 million team option, ending his career with the White Sox.
"The game brought a lot of pain. A lot of great moments. But throughout playing, it definitely was a lot of dark moments,” Anderson recalled to Merkin. “I lost a lot of people. It got to the point where I really couldn’t enjoy being in that setting. It just wasn’t the same."
Anderson played two more seasons, one with the Miami Marlins and the other with the Los Angeles Angels. He was designated for assignment by both teams after underperforming early in the season. He hit a combined .211/.242/.230 for the Marlins and Angels in 96 total games.
"I fought to try to get back for the last two or three years,” Anderson said to Merkin. “I trained. I just couldn't get the body to operate where it used to... Overall, I'm happy. I'm happy in real life, the real world."
Continue reading...
The Chicago White Sox announced that Anderson will be honored by the team during a pregame ceremony before the Sept. 17 matchup with the Detroit Tigers at Rate Field.
Anderson played eight seasons with the White Sox, leading the major leagues with a .335 batting average during the 2019 campaign. The following year, he finished seventh in AL MVP voting with a .322/.357/.529 slash average, 10 home runs and 21 RBI during the COVID-shortened MLB season.
Those two seasons were among the four during which the shortstop batted .300 or better for the White Sox, earning him two berths on the AL All-Star team.
One of the standout moments of Anderson’s career was hitting a walk-off home run in the inaugural Field of Dreams Game versus the New York Yankees at Dyersville, Iowa in 2021. Anderson took Zach Britton deep into the right-field cornstalks for a 9-8 win.
He announced his retirement while talking about the five-year anniversary of that Field of Dreams Game.
"Being able to walk it off definitely was a great feeling,” he told MLB.com’s Scott Merkin on Monday. “Just that moment, that moment is going to be around forever. We are still talking about it five years later. We are still touching on such a cool moment that happened in baseball."
A FIELD OF DREAMS IT WAS!
TIM ANDERSON WINS IT FOR THE @whitesox!!! pic.twitter.com/kkX4sRcgN6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 13, 2021
However, Anderson wasn’t the same player after sustaining a knee injury during the 2023 season when he was involved in a rundown and the Minnesota Twins’ Matt Wallner slid into his legs at third base. He suffered a sprained MCL and eventually finished with a .245/.286/.296 slash line, far below his previous numbers.
Anderson said that hurting his left knee had a major effect on his swing.
That season, Anderson also infamously got into a fight with the Cleveland Guardians’ José Ramírez. Ramirez took issue with how hard Anderson tagged him at second base and the two exchanged words. Eventually, the two stood up and Anderson threw a punch that missed. Ramirez countered and hit Anderson in the jaw, knocking him to the ground and both teams’ benches cleared onto the field.
Anderson was eventually suspended for six games by MLB for his role in the brawl, while Ramirez received a three-game penalty.
The timing of Anderson’s decline in performance couldn’t have been worse for his career as he was seeking a contract commensurate with the deals other top shortstops including Carlos Correa, Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, Dansby Swanson and Javier Báez signed in free agency. Instead, the White Sox declined his $14 million team option, ending his career with the White Sox.
"The game brought a lot of pain. A lot of great moments. But throughout playing, it definitely was a lot of dark moments,” Anderson recalled to Merkin. “I lost a lot of people. It got to the point where I really couldn’t enjoy being in that setting. It just wasn’t the same."
Anderson played two more seasons, one with the Miami Marlins and the other with the Los Angeles Angels. He was designated for assignment by both teams after underperforming early in the season. He hit a combined .211/.242/.230 for the Marlins and Angels in 96 total games.
"I fought to try to get back for the last two or three years,” Anderson said to Merkin. “I trained. I just couldn't get the body to operate where it used to... Overall, I'm happy. I'm happy in real life, the real world."
Continue reading...
