Former first rounder Anderson reaches MLB

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (June 10, 2016) -- The Chicago White Sox have purchased the contract of shorstop Tim Anderson, the organization's first round pick from the June 2013 First-Year Player Draft who made his professional debut with the Intimidators, making him the 91st player to go from Kannapolis to the Major Leagues since 1995. Anderson is the 67th player to reach the big leagues since the Intimidators became a White Sox affiliate in 2001.  

**Intimidators in the Majors**

Anderson, 22, has been one of the more productive players in the International League this season, batting .304 (75-247) with 10 doubles, two triples, four home runs, and 20 RBI in 55 games with Charlotte. He has also scored 39 runs and recorded 11 stolen bases. The shortstop from Tuscaloosa, Ala., entered the 2016 season rated by Baseball America as the top prospect in the White Sox organization as well as being the Best Hitter for Average and Best Athlete.  

The White Sox selected Anderson 17th overall in the June 2013 draft out of East Central (Miss.) Community College. He led East Central to the 2013 MACJC (Mississippi Association of Community & Junior Colleges) State Championship as a sophomore and was named First-Team NJCAA Division II All-American. Anderson was twice named All-Region 23 and MACJC All-State. He had signed with the University of Alabama at Birmingham prior to being drafted by the White Sox.

Anderson, turned 20 three days after joining the Intimidators on June 20, 2013. During his one season in Kannapolis, he hit .277 (74-267) with 10 doubles, five triples, a home run, 21 RBI, 45 runs scored and 24 stolen bases in 68 games in the South Atlantic League in 2013. In the Second Half of the 2013 season, the Intimidators roster featured the White Sox top three picks from that June's draft with Anderson joining Tyler Danish and Jacob May in Kannapolis.

Anderson is the sixth former Intimidators player to reach the Major Leagues this season and fourth to do so with the White Sox, joining Kevan Smith (2012), Jason Coats (2013), and Tyler Danish (2013-14). Former Intimidators pitcher J.B. Wendelken (2013) made his Major League debut with Oakland earlier this season.

To make room for Anderson on the roster, the White Sox designated Jimmy Rollins for assignment. Rollins played his Class A ball in Kannapolis in 1997 for the Piedmont Boll Weevils, Class A Affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. He was the ninth player to go from Kannapolis to the Major Leagues when he made his MLB debut with the Phillies in 2000.