Being in the world of professional baseball is tough. All kinds of executives have to make personnel decisions, especially at the Major League level. Athletes constantly have to prove themselves year after year, especially those who were selected in the lower rounds of the draft.
While players in the first round can earn tens of millions, those who fall into the double-digit rounds often make $150,000 or less. Players who fall in the draft don’t have the cushion that some of the guys who were selected ahead of them have.
Grant Anderson was a 21st-round selection of the Seattle Mariners in the 2018 draft, and 627 players were chosen before him. Now in his fourth Major League season, the right-handed pitcher has earned every promotion given to him.
Because of his draft position, Anderson had to perform better than most to get recognized. He made his name by throwing a 1.38 ERA across three lower-level minor league teams and struck out 13 in as many innings. Despite having good numbers, the Mariners felt they had better options and traded him away to the Texas Rangers organization at the beginning of the 2019 season.
The Lone Star State native adapted to his new organization swimmingly. He went 7-4 with a 3.22 E.R.A. in Hickory, Rangers ‘ A-ball affiliate, which was something the Rangers liked. The 2020 was a complete wipeout in the minor leagues, and guys who were on the lower end of an organization’s totem pole were in limbo. He eventually contributed to an unlikely World Series Championship with the Rangers.
Losing a full season of development doesn’t help a pitcher, and the fact that teams were constantly looking for new arms continued to stack the deck against Anderson. His professionalism won out again as he collected more strikeouts than innings pitched in 2021, as he quietly got to Double-A Frisco.
The expression “all he needs is a chance” seemed to be quite accurate for Anderson. A 5-0 record between Double A and Triple A with 91 strikeouts in 67 innings in that 2022 season proved that he could compete. He was clearly throwing strikes, but still had to be a cut above the rest to get that next promotion.
On May 30, 2023, the relief pitcher finally entered a big league ballgame with the Texas Rangers, His debut was impressive as he struck out the first four Detroit Tigers he faced in a 10-6 victory. Fanning seven and issuing no bases on balls in that game, he showed up and showed out. Despite having a winning record that season and collecting more strikeouts than innings pitched in 2024, he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers before the 2025 campaign. His arm certainly is reliable, but big league teams seem to deem him expendable because he was never really a prospect.
Learning that baseball is a business is something that the 28-year-old has embraced. Since landing in Milwaukee, he has become a better pitcher from a statistical standpoint.
“The Brewers know the pitching side of baseball maybe better than any other team. They called me and said we have studied everything you’re thrown, if you can get this pitch in these locations, we feel you will have some of the best numbers in the league,” Anderson told a local podcast what Brewers management told him in welcoming him to the organization.
That has been an accurate statement with Anderson striking out 74 batters in less than 70 innings last season while posting a 3.23 E.R.A. His 2026 numbers are stellar once again, with an even lower E.R.A at 2.95 in 21 appearances.
It’s been over seven full years since Anderson was first traded, and he is still thriving. The gentleman who was traded in 2019 hasn’t thrown a pitch in the Major Leagues since 2022. Anderson was never labeled a future ace, but he certainly has earned his place.
