What do we do with Bryan Anderson?

by cardsphan04 on May 2, 2007 11:52 AM EDT Comment 25 comments

I have been contemplating on the possiblities for this cardinal minor leaguer and was hoping for some insight on him. After reading what i could find on him in Future Redbirds and other sources it is obvious that he is quickly becoming one of the cardinals top 5 prospects and one of the top 100 in the minors. I think Erik just recently said that he was up to 38th in the minors via pecota. The problem with all of this is that Anderson's primary position is catcher. I recently have been reading that the cardinals are trying to lock up Yadi, which I agree with. I mean the man has a canon for an arm. He deserves to recieve a long term contract. So in light of that, what do we do with Anderson? He is currently in Double AA and is easily making a case to be moved up. His top comparisons are Mauer and McCann. I am excited and think this could be a top prospect trading chip. Could solve some problems. Thoughts?

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Anderson,

Jaime Garcia and Kennedy to the Mets for Lastings Milledge.

I think Valentin just blew a ligament in his knee.

Acquire any Established Major League Outfielder!

by guayzimi on May 2, 2007 12:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree that yadi's arm is a force...

However, a long term deal makes me nervous. First, you have his bat, which is sporadic. Second, you have his speed (i.e. lack of...), which is bound to get worse. I think he's great, but I don't know what we should do.

satis superque

by ortic jones on May 2, 2007 12:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree

Why commit to a long term deal when you've still got some arb years left that you can use to see how Anderson develops? What if you lock Yadi up, he never escapes noodle bat status and now you have a bad contract blocking Anderson?

by mikedallas23 on May 2, 2007 12:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Additionally

What if he follows his siblings weight gain pattern? Will he be as quick out of the crouch then? Could he possibly get slower on the bases if he gained 30 lbs? Seriously, is it techincally possible for him to get slower or would he move backwards?

by RedbirdRay on May 2, 2007 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

We play him

If he keeps mashing his way through AA and AAA, then I think he should be broken in the 2nd half of 2008 (maybe a platoon since he bats left). If that goes well I think he should take over as the primary catcher and Yadi should be the one to get dealt if anyone. I love watching Yadi gun down runners as much as anyone, but unless Anderson is Piazza-bad behind the plate (and I don't see any scouting reports saying that yet) I think the difference in offense will be too much to ignore.

Since I'm talking 2 years down the road, it's possible that Yadi's bat improves (he's only 24 and PECOTA does see some upside, projecting a .266/.332/.391 line in 2009) or Anderson's progress stalls. Even if they're value does end up being pretty much equal, I think you'll get more value out of Anderson by letting him show he can hit in the majors before dealing him, if he's the guy you end up wanting to move.

by mikedallas23 on May 2, 2007 12:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

If Anderson is the real deal, maybe we shop Yadi?

satis superque

by ortic jones on May 2, 2007 12:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

what

is the general take on Anderson's defense and game-calling ability? Anyone have insight?

by DCGreg on May 2, 2007 12:22 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

haven't seen him play

but scout.com (pay the $7.95!) says good things. Advanced staff handling, average-to-good arm strength, needs to work on passed balls (led league w/17). Also, he and yadi became fast friends in spring training and apparently carpooled together every day from the hotel to roger dean stadium. They spent a lot of time working on defense together.

He just turned 20, so we have a few years of development time still. Anyone with Joe Mauer, Hank Blalock and Brian McCann on their pecota comps list bears close watching. if he does well in AA as a 20yo (and he is so far, .965 OPS!) Gary Bennett may find himself looking for late night drinking buddies in a new town next year.

Free Ryan Ludwick!!!

by SleepyCA on May 2, 2007 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

thanks for that

Sounds like a keeper. I like the idea of having him work as Molina's understudy for a year or even two, especially if the team can also carry a Marrero-type who can serve as a third catcher and free up Anderson to pinch-hit.

At some point, the team will have to choose between the two, but that'll be a nice problem to have.

by DCGreg on May 2, 2007 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

it just seems

or feels like the cardinals are really into Yadi, I agree that a long term deal may not be the best decsion. I would really prefer to atleast see what anderson can do. His potential just gets me excited alone. I mean a plus hitting left handed pitcher with decent defense. I guess when I think of Yadi's hitting in the past and then picture a Joe Mauer in our line up, it just seems like the shop Yadi idea may be the best route?

2/3rd's of the earth is covered by water, the other third is coverd by Jim Edmonds

by cardsphan04 on May 2, 2007 12:33 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

We get rid of yadi

The second he's ready to hit .300 and get on base in the bigs.

The Cardinals don't need prospect trading chips, they need prospects, and Anderson is arguably their best one.

by DanUpBaby on May 2, 2007 1:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

re Anderson

I say keep him. They need to keep what few prospects they have.

On his defense--Pujols wasn't good defensively when he came up, but with work he became very good. So, I'd say give this kid a chance to improve and see what he can do.

by michajo on May 2, 2007 1:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

When Pujols came up,

he was a third baseman. A below average defensive 3B is a pretty damn good defensive 1B

by Valatan on May 2, 2007 1:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If Anderson can improve his defense

a little more (which has been the knock on him), he'll be a better catcher (offensive and defense combined) than Yadi, imo. He's got a better swing than Yadi does and his patience at the plate seems to be miles ahead of where Yadi is. Anderson is waking in around 10% of his plate appearances. He probably will have limited homerun power in the majors but he could be a very productive doubles hitter who takes walks.

I doubt he'll keep up the current tear he's on but I think he's our catcher of the future. Ideally, if Yadi doesn't get to expensive, I'd love to see them share catching duties with Yadi catching 1-2 days a week and being a defensive replacement. Anderson's appears to be a more complete catcher though.

John Rodriguez for Right Field

by azruavatar on May 2, 2007 1:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Do nothing for now

Lets see the kid develop for a year and two and concurrently watch Yadi develop. If Yadi's bat doesn't improve substantially maybe he will become a career backup/defensive specialist. Then you end up with a platoon situation where Anderson gets most of the at bats and Yadi is the backup.

Wow it is exciting to think about a catcher with plus offensive talent.

by OCCardsFan on May 2, 2007 2:11 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Hmm

Dare I suggest turning him into a right fielder?

On with the youth movement!

by aet15 on May 2, 2007 3:01 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The future of the outfield

is not what I am concerned with, I mean by 09' I expect to see Duncan in the left, Rasmus in Center, and Jon Jay in right, ankile could platoon or be on the bench.

2/3rd's of the earth is covered by water, the other third is coverd by Jim Edmonds

by cardsphan04 on May 2, 2007 3:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I hope not

I don't know that his bat could carry an outfield spot. But Molina's bat couldn't carry a bundle of leaves, so even being above average for a catcher would be a big upgrade.

by DanUpBaby on May 2, 2007 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

how far

is the anderson kid away from the majors. could he be ready by 08

SWH

by BRINGBACKWILSON on May 2, 2007 5:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Barring something unforseen -- no

he's 20 years old playing in AA. He's probably mid-2008 at the absolute earliest but most likely 2009, imo. Even if he performs well, I don't see the team trying to replace Yadi until he's into a few more of his arbitration years (if ever).

He may see some September callups but he won't be around to stay for a few more years.

John Rodriguez for Right Field

by azruavatar on May 2, 2007 6:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I've seen him live...

a couple times last year at Single A, and those that were around back then are probably still sick from me talking him, Chris Perez, and Jose Martinez up.

Based on the couple games I caught (pun intended there), I would say that he's capable of developing power in the 15 homer range. He hit some screaming doubles that one hopped the fence at Beloit, and he didn't even get ahold of those balls.

I pulled everything together from BA, BP, and John Sickels (go read his stuff at minorleagueball.com, this site's brother blog) and all three of them agree Anderson is something special. He needs to work on his D, but its getting better and is passable. The other plus is that the pitchers in the system like Jamie Garcia and Adam Ottavino are moving up with him and will hopefully build a relationship with him.

He jumped from Low A to AA this year, which is a huge jump. So far, he's been killing at AA, which is a very, very good sign. AA is typically the measuring stick and the real test that separates the good, from the MLB player. I would be VERY suprised if he's ready by next year for the MLB roster.

I like Yadi as much as the next guy, but there comes a time when the coolness factor of picking the guy off first must be displaced by the guy's total contribution to the team. I don't see how locking him to a long term deal makes any sense given the fact that there tends to be a major league decent catcher always floating for a team.

by Brock20 on May 2, 2007 6:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

lock up Molina

at something reasonable while he's not hitting weight.

Then make them into a platoon in 2009 or whatever. Lefty/righty, offense/defense ... carry them both, keep everyone fresh.

If Anderson is the really real deal and mashes in the bigs then make Molina the straight backup in, what, 2010? I mean, unless he hits a little he's more of a superbackup anyway. He was 19 runs below replacement level last year.

Or whatever, but don't trade the guy. It'd be really nice to have a catcher who carries some offensive production for once.

by plh903 on May 2, 2007 8:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Keep Anderson...

Yadi will eventually become more pricey than what he's worth offensively.

When he's ready, handle it like the Molina/Matheny deal, understudy, then take over.

To stay competitive, we are going to have to develop and play our own guys.

by cards13 on May 3, 2007 4:47 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Yadi long term

Yadi is the guy long team. I know it's like hitting two pitchers in the line up, but he doesn't get paid for his bat. The way he handels the pitching staff and throws guys out is better than anyone else out there. He makes our pitching better, and pitching wins champions. Anderson is gonna be a nice bat, but will not be more valuable then Yadi. If he can really hit, make him an outfielder (he's hitting 80 points higher than Jay).

by Stan and Slaughter on May 3, 2007 7:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

So many things wrong with that.

First, Yadi will eventually be making more than the 525K he's making now. Once he wants a big contract, he needs to hit like he deserves one.

Second, his defense is phenomenal, but Anderson is no slouch back there either. Like was posted above, he needs to work on blocking pitches, but he's still a couple years from prime time anyway. Wait and see is the right approach there.

Finally, a catcher moving to the outfield? That's unlikely for so many reasons that I'm paralyzed with choices. He doesn't hit like a major league outfielder, he hits like a major league catcher. He doesn't run like an outfielder, he runs like a catcher. He doesn't catch fly balls, because he's a catcher.

IMO, keep Anderson, because he is still at least two years away (this and next). At that point, Gary Bennett will be 37 years old (ancient for a catcher) and probably on his way to retirement. We'll need a new backup if Molina is still around, and Anderson could be that guy.

by Phyrkrakr on May 4, 2007 3:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs