After 10 years in the majors as an ace, melanated mound marauder Chris Archer is joining the Dodgers to fulfill the role of special assistant of baseball operations.
Archer, 35, started his career in 2006 when the Indians took him in the fifth round of the MLB Draft, but he didn’t get his first major league opportunity until 2012 as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Throughout his career, Archer notched a 3.93 ERA, reached the All-Star Game twice and once finished 5th in Cy Young Award voting after posting a 3.23 ERA and a career-high of 252 strikeouts.
After spending his prime with the Rays, Archer moved on to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a big-time trade for Tyler Gasnow, Austin Meadows, and Shane Baz. Another stint with Tampa Bay followed before he finished 2022 with the Twins.
Despite never playing for Los Angeles though, Archer landed a job with the squad and in an interview on the MLB Network’s MLB Tonight, Archer said his relationship with former Rays general manager and now Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman played a factor in his decision to help out the ballclub.
“I’m just really excited to be with a good club, good organization,” Archer said. “There’s a lot of trust there from my days with Andrew Friedman.”
Though Friedman didn’t realize it at the moment, his decision to trade for the young Archer in 2011 paid dividends not only on the baseball field but also in the operations department.
Why now?
In Archer’s final season, he had given up 52 earned runs, but occasionally showed sparks that he could still be an occasional quality pitcher.
Still, Archer saw 35 years old as the right time to pivot, citing his quest to join the broadcast or front office side.
“It just comes a point in all of our career where we kind of see the writing on the wall,” Archer said. “I have a lot to learn in the game and there’s no better place for me to learn. I’m trying to get a different perspective from being a player.”
Archer prepared for this moment by developing a rare mental toughness while dealing with injuries that hindered his potential. He most recently attended Harvard Business School, learning the business of entertainment, media and sports under a heralded professor.
Along with being on broadcast or being a general manager in the future, Archer stated that he’s still open to returning to the field of play as a player or manager, he’s just trying something new.
This perspective could be beneficial to Archer as he still has time to decide on a return to baseball, all while being around it and seeing how the best of the best get better on a team like the Dodgers.
What can he do?
Through Archer’s career, baseball has changed. In his interview, he noted the change in defensive shifts, twice, in his 10-year career. Now, he has the chance to help others adjust to the changes in baseball as he will have been on both sides of it.
“There’s a lot of things that are different,” Archer said. “Just having an open mind and being creative and collaborative, I think I can come up with some good in-house solutions with the Dodgers.”
Despite typically having the best pitching staff in baseball, a mix of legal troubles and injuries led Los Angeles to have a middle-of-the-pack attack from the bump in 2023.
Many of its younger pitchers were forced to play as a result of this, but with Archer’s expertise, these younger pitchers might be able to jump out to a faster start.
The Dodgers typically house some of the best coaches in baseball, but having Archer, who is fresh out of an MLB career can add a level of trust to the pitching staff as the MLB continues to evolve.
“I do want to pour into guys,” Archer said. “(The Dodgers) are allowing me to do that and that gives me a lot of fulfillment.”
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.
Two MLBbro pitchers have dominated this season for their respective National League teams. Marcus Stroman and Taijuan Walker have stepped up significantly and have shown why they are among the best hurlers in the game.
Just two years ago, these two were both playing for the New York Mets. Fast forward to 2023, and Stroman and Walker both have nine wins on the season and are putting up valid numbers to show that they mean business out there. And the Mets, who had championship expectations going into the season, have struggled.
Mets Struggling Since Walker & Stro Show Left Town
The Mets are fourth in the NL East and things could have looked a lot different if they hung onto Walker and Stroman, especially with how the former Mets starters have been pitching this year.
During that 2021 season, the two MLBbro’s were at the top of the win column for the Mets, with Stroman leading the way with 10 wins.
Yes the Mets went out and acquired nine-time all-star and two-time World Series champ Justin Verlander to pair up with his former teammate Max Scherzer. But the bros have had a better season so far, no question about that.
Fly Tai Walker Was Lights Out In May
Taijuan Walker is leading his team in wins, and in June, he went 5-1 with a 1.50 ERA and 34 strikeouts.
Walker has certainly put up the numbers and show why he’s one of the best arms on the Phillies roster.
He’s on a path to set a career high in wins this season. Walker is only three wins away from tying his career high in wins, which he set last season playing for the Mets.
Walker has always been a competitor and has had what it takes to be one of the top pitchers in the league.
It will be exciting to see how he finishes the season and if we’ll get the opportunity to watch him out there on the mound come September.
Our other MLBbro, Marcus Stroman, has been a workhorse in his second season with the Cubs. This season, he’s already surpassed his win total from last year (6) and he’s tied for first on the team with nine wins this season.
Stroman has also put together an impressive season so far and he will appear in his second All-Star game this season.
Marcus Stroman Has Been Cy Young Caliber: Will He Be Traded To A Contender?
On the season, Stroman has a 9-6 record with a 2.76 ERA, one of the best in the National League. We all know how exciting it is to watch Stroman on the mound and he is a player any team would love to have on their roster.
Stroman could also set a career-high in wins. His current career-high is 13, which he set back in 2017 with the Toronto Blue Jays.
And Stroman could find himself playing for another team that could contend for a playoff spot. He’s certainly proved his value this season.
Mets Could Use The Tandem Of Marcus Stroman & Taijuan Walker This Season
The Mets are struggling with injuries to high-priced free agents while plummeting down the NL East standings. The thing they need the most is some young, reliable arms who can win games and be available to carry workhorse loads every fifth day.
They had that just last season and now the youth is gone and the truth is that the Mets miscalculated and undervalued these magnificent hurlers. Let em’ walk right out the door.
How different would the Mets’ fortunes by with these guys in the fold?
Both Walker and Stroman have represented the Bro’s well this season and they aren’t done. Make sure to keep an eye on these live melanated arms throughout the season.
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.
— 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
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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