ONE STEP CLOSER: Brian Anderson
Jupiter Hammerheads / Miami Marlins (Class A-Advanced)
Mequon, WI – The 2016 Minor League season will be a pivotal year for a number of former Lakeshore Chinooks from the club’s initial roster in 2012 and no better example is Brian Anderson, who was drafted by the Miami Marlins (76th overall pick in the 3rd Round of the 2014 MLB Draft). The former Arkansas Razorback from Edmond, OK belted five home runs and collected 29 hits in 25 games for Lakeshore and after two more seasons in college, took his quick bat and athletic frame to the Marlins, where he most recently was rated as the 12th best prosepct in the Miamia system heading into 2016.
Splitting the 2014 season with the Batavia Muckdogs and the Greensboro Grasshoppers in Class A, Anderson hit a combined .300 in 59 games during his first season and earned a promotion to Miami’s Class A-Advanced team where Anderson collected another unique team moniker as a member of the Jupiter Hammerheads. Playing predominately at third base, Anderson was named a Florida State League All-Star as he hit .240 with nine doubles, one triple, a team-leading four home runs, 26 RBIs while drawing a team-high 19 walks in the first half of 2015. Anderson finished the season with eight home runs and 62 RBI in a long, grinding 132 game season.
Also in 2015, Anderson joined fellow Chinook alum, Eric Aguilera, with a spot in the highly coveted Arizona Fall League. Each Major League Baseball team sends six top prospects to the Arizona Fall League, 180 players in all. The games are played in the Spring Training stadiums used by the Giants, Mariners, Padres, Cubs, A's, Royals, Rangers, D-backs and Rockies. Playing for the Mesa Solar Sox, a worn down Anderson recorded just three hits in his eight games as he competed with players mostly from Class AAA and AA affiliates. The experience gained by players in the Fall League typically accelerates their progress in the season to come!
Chinooks fans can see if the experience boosts Anderson’s progress by following his career at:
http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&player_id=664056#/career/R/hitting/2015/ALL
The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The 22-year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 140 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (KC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com.
