Malik Wright was live at the ballpark with Texas Rangers MLBbro pitcher Grant Anderson, who was recalled from Triple A and immediately got thrown into some tight spots.
He says he was surprised that manager Bruce Bochy would go to him for a tough out in Jose Altuve in a “close game” on the night he got called up.
Malik Wright talks to Texas Rangers MLBbro pitcher Grant Anderson following the team clinching its first trip to the American League Championship Series since 2011.
Pitcher Grant Anderson was named to the Texas Rangers Divisional Series roster for their matchup against Tampa Bay after spending the last two months of the season in Triple-A.
You cannot have a better debut than Grant Anderson did versus the Detroit Tigers back on May 31st.
The McNeese State alum whose funky side armed delivery he developed after his freshman season in college became the sixth pitcher since 1974 to strike out the first four hitters they faced in their career.
In total, Anderson struck out seven of the eight batters he faced after entering the game with a one-run lead and the tying run on second base. June was a solid first month in the Majors for Anderson, allowing only a .204 batting average against in 15 innings with an ERA of 3.60.
However, over the next two months he struggled to miss bats and whether it be by missing locations or some untimely placed bloop hits, Anderson’s numbers inflated after some rough outings.
Anderson, whose twin brother Aidan pitches for the Rangers Double-A team in Frisco, was sent down to the Rangers Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock, Texas at the end of August to work on execution, tweak his delivery and improve on making quicker adjustments during at-bats.
There, he finished the final month of the year with a 3.12 ERA in 8.2 innings. He added 12 strikeouts and only four walks while giving up a .250 batting average against.
Anderson adds value to a Rangers bullpen that was one of the worst in the Majors in 2023. Relievers blew 33 saves which was three more than the 30 they converted and had an ERA of 4.77, the seventh highest in baseball.
Look to see Anderson as one of the first options out of the bullpen for manager Bruce Bochy, as well as for him to come in the game with runners on base when the team needs a double play. The Rangers blanked the Rays 4-0 in Game 1 of their American League Wild Card series.
Alex Speas, Grant Anderson and Taylor Hearn are all experiencing rollercoaster journeys to begin their Big League careers.
The Texas Rangers shuffled some cards in their bullpen this week by calling up Alex Speas, designating Taylor Hearn for Assignment and demoting Grant Anderson to Triple-A.
Led by three-time World Series winning manager Bruce Bochy and a starting lineup consisting of five All-Star starters highlighted by the half a billion-dollar middle infield combination of Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, the first place Rangers have been one of the biggest surprises in the Majors.
Coming into Sunday, their division lead over Houston sat at three games.
Entering the season most thought earning a Wild Card berth would be the best-case scenario for the club and would take a lead of that size to the bank, but it could actually be larger if not for a bullpen that has the fourth highest ERA in the Majors.
The group has had its highs and lows this year and when all is said and done, will be the difference in the team’s ability to make a long playoff run. Here is a spotlight on their three MLBbros options at their disposal.
The last few years have been a whirlwind for Alex Speas who made his Major League debut this past Wednesday against Tampa Bay, striking out three in 1 ⅓ innings just a year after retiring from the game to go coach youth baseball in North Carolina.
Alex Speas was coaching youth baseball last year.
Today, he notched his first MLB strikeout for the @Rangers! pic.twitter.com/qEye8E1gFj
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 19, 2023
“Going out and doing my job was the only thing on my mind,” Speas told MLBbro.com when asked his mindset when debuting against one of the American Leagues top teams.
“Coming into this moment, I know the team is hot so my goal when I got up here is to do anything to help the team win. You have All-Stars behind you at just about every position, so have trust in them and myself and let whatever happens, happen.”
Speas, who has a 100-mph fastball and plus rated slider surged through the minors with some impressive numbers.
In 28 appearances he had a 1.00 ERA, 59 strikeouts and only 15 walks in 36 innings.
Speas did struggle with command in his second Big League appearance, taking the loss in last Friday night’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He earned the loss after allowing three walks, including walking in the go-ahead run, allowing two earned runs on one hit while not recording a single out before exiting the game.
If Speas is on top of his game, he could be the bridge to get the ball to flame thrower Aroldis Chapman in the 9th during their playoff run, but he must avoid the struggles in command he had this weekend.
Rookie reliever Grant Anderson was sent down to Triple-A Round Rock after the team’s loss to the Dodgers Friday night for pitch count issues according to manager Bruce Bochy.
Anderson threw 51 pitches in the game after being forced to get a few extra outs in order to conserve the bullpen for the weekend.
“Execution wise I was not at my best that day.” Anderson told MLBbro.com after finishing with a stat line of 1.2 innings allowing four runs on four hits with four strikeouts and a walk.
Anderson has had success during most of first month and a half in the Majors, including striking out a record seven hitters in his debut, but at times just has not been able to miss as many bats as he would prefer to.
“It comes down to execution and being able to make adjustments quicker,” said Anderson about his first stint in the Majors.
“I also learned that sometimes in baseball, you can make a really good pitch and they may still hit it. At the end of the day all you can do is tip your cap and try your best to get the next guy out.”
Anderson should be recalled to the Major League club this week for a three-game set in Houston that will have a huge impact on which team wins the American League West pennant.
The Rangers DFA’d Hearn last week to add Alex Speas to the 40-man roster.
He made the Opening Day roster this year after signing a 1-year $1.462 million deal with the club this off-season but was sent to Triple-A after posting a 10.29 ERA with seven strikeouts in four games.
Despite the continued struggles of the bullpen, Hearn was never recalled.
While in Round Rock he posted a 2-2 record to go with a 3.66 ERA and 4 strikeouts in 39.1 innings.
Tuesday is the deadline for another club to pick him up off of the waiver wire. If not, he could return to the Rangers organization or be granted his release from the ballclub.
Texas Rangers rookie pitcher Grant Anderson was lights out in his recent relief appearance against the New York Yankees.
Anderson went two innings on June 24, allowing just one hit and striking out four. Though the Rangers fell to the Yankees 1-0, Anderson was in full control against New York.
Grant Anderson strikes out the side!
@Rangers | #StraightUpTX | 📺: BSSW pic.twitter.com/h4Mpif6WY7— Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) June 24, 2023
He entered the game with one job, to hold the Yankees to one run, and he did just that.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Anderson entered the game and struck out the first batter he faced. He would then give up a single and followed up with back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning.
The next inning Anderson went one, two, three, striking out the last batter to end the inning.
This was a complete turnaround from his previous appearance on June 20 against the Chicago White Sox. In that game, he went one inning and allowed three runs on three hits and had two walks.
That was Anderson’s first time allowing more than two runs. While he is still in his first season, there will be some outings where things may not go his way. But it’s always how you bounce back from adversity and Anderson did that against the Yankees.
Texas Rangers rookie #MLBbro Grant Anderson became the 6th pitcher in MLB history to strike out the first 4 batters he faced in his MLB debut on Tuesday night. The Melanated Mound Marauder pitched 2.2 innings with 7k’s, no walks and allowed just one hit — to the great Miguel… pic.twitter.com/0owa2kRr5L
— MLBbro.com (@MLBbrodotcom) May 31, 2023
He quickly made a name for himself when he made his debut back on May 30 and made history for the Rangers organization.
Anderson became the first pitcher in franchise history to strike out at least seven batters coming out of the bullpen in their debut.
Our very own Malik Wright was all over the story.
Through 10 appearances on the season, Anderson has a 1-1 record with a 3.60 ERA while striking out 17 and walking just five.
Anderson has a unique wind up as he gets ready to deliver a pitch. If you watch any of his outings, you’ll see how he brings that leg up and rocks back a little bit, and then has the three quarter arm slot.
And to make things better, he has a lot of life and movement on his pitches, which keeps hitters off balanced.
The 26-year-old will certainly play a key role coming out of the bullpen for the Rangers as the season progresses.
Texas has been one of the hottest teams in baseball since and they have shown that they can be a contender to make a deep run in the postseason.
Anderson fits in quite well in the Rangers bullpen. He can come in and give you a good one to two innings of relief work.
If he can continue to have outings like he did against the Yankees and in his debut against the Tigers, there’s no doubt he will see more action out there on the mound.
Since 2018, Anderson has worked his way through the minors and now his hard work is paying off and he’s making the most of his opportunity of pitching in the big leagues.
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