Flashback Friday 10/30: The Next Unit
THE NEXT UNIT
One of the most anticipated debuts of any Timber Rattler player was in 1998. He was 18 years old, almost 7 feet tall, left-handed, and he could throw a ball around 98mph. The Seattle Mariners used their #1 pick in the 1997 draft on a high school pitcher out of Michigan and from the very moment he was picked, the comparisons to Randy Johnson began. The subject of this week's flashback is Ryan Anderson and his professional debut.
Anderson did not pitch as a pro in 1997 -- except in Seattle's instructional league. And it was not even a certainty that he would be a Rattler in 1998. Looking back at other articles leading up to that '98 season, there is always a mention of the Little Unit might be a Timber Rattler or the Next Unit could be a Timber Rattler. By the time opening day rolled around and it was announced that Anderson would be on the roster, Rattlers fans were ready.
The following article appeared in the Sunday,
April 12, 1998 issue of The Post-Crescent and was written by Benjamin Wideman
after Anderson's debut on April 11 at then-Fox Cities Stadium.
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STRIKING DEBUT
Anderson gets 11 strikeouts in five innings as Rattlers win
Better buy your tickets now, fans.
Because if Wisconsin pitcher Ryan Anderson has a few more performances like the one he had Saturday, he probably won't be around much longer.
Anderson, a 6-foot-10 lefty, struck out 11 in his five-inning pro baseball debut, sparking the Rattlers to a 12-0 Midwest League victory over Rockford at Fox Cities Stadium.
This was a huge step for the 18-year-old phenom, who, over 87 pitches, topped out at 98 mph. About 75% of his pitches were fastballs.
Timber Rattlers and Seattle Mariners officials were pleased. So was Anderson.
"It was a lot of fun," he said. "(During warmups) I was pumped up. They were playing my song, so I was listening to that and thinking of my friends. I was going out there trying to have a little fun. I was a little nervous, but I pulled through it, I think."
Greg Hunter, the Mariners' assistant farm director, has been in town for the series with the Cubbies and liked what he saw.
"He was outstanding, everything we hoped for so far," Hunter said. "Ryan's a top prospect. And that's what we're here for, to develop prospects like that into major-leaguers."
Anderson, Seattle's first-round selection (the 19th overall) in the 1997 June draft, showed Saturday he has more than just a blistering fastball.
With Wisconsin leading 2-0 in the top of the fifth, Anderson faced runners on second and third with two out. At the plate was Jaisen Randolph, who had one of the three hits off Anderson in his previous at-bat.
"(Manager Gary) Varsho just came out and told me, 'Calm down, your curveball is working pretty good. Just try to get it over for a strike.' I threw him four straight slurves, and it worked out my way, I guess.
Anderson struck out Randolph to wiggle himself out of a jam and help maintain Wisconsin's momentum. At one point, he struck out five straight batters.
"With the speed and command he's got, I think the kid's got a pretty good future in baseball," Cubbies manager Ruben Amaro said.
"WIth young players, especially, every time you have a tall pitcher, they have a tendency to be a little more aggressive and swing at too many balls off the strike zone. That's what happened to us. But, yeah, this kid impressed me."
Anderson still has work to do, however. Among the things pitching coach Steve Peck is working on with him are the need to change speeds early in the count and the importance of a consistent delivery.
"The main thing is being able to repeat his delivery," Peck said. "He's a big guy with a lot of long levers."
Varsho added that Anderson will also need to keep the ball down in the strike zone if he's too be successful down the road.
"He was way up in the zone today," Varsho said. "I've actually seen him throw better. But because he does have some velocity behind his fast balls, he's able to get away with those high strikes. He was fortunate in that respect, and I think he knew it too."
Contrary to Friday night, when Anderson was swamped with autograph requests, he said his attention was completely devoted to the task at hand.
In fact, he said he didn't fully notice the announced crowd of 3,193, the second-highest April attendance in team history, trailing only the Timber Rattlers' inaugural crowd of 3,563 at the first Fox Cities Stadium game three years ago.
During the game, I noticed (the crowd) in the
background, but I didn't notice the sides," Anderson said. "I
was just trying to focus on the catchers' mitt, a little tunnel vision down to
his glove."
Catcher Carlos Maldonado had the task of call pitches and catching his
fastballs.
Several times, his glove was snapped back by the force of the pitch.
"I had a lot of fun catching him," Maldonado said. "Some guys throw hard and that's all, but he's smart. He mixes his pitches pretty good. That was the whole plan."
No one knows exactly how long Anderson will be around, but fans and coaches are excited that he's here for now.
"At this stage, e don't want to rush him or put too much pressure on him," Hunter said. "This was a good game, but this is his first year in a long-season (Class) A club. I don't know how long he'll be here, but I'm sure he'll be here through at least the first half."
"With the potential he's got, there's no rush. We'll play it by ear and see what happens."
And as for Anderson...
"I just want to be up in the big leagues as
fast as I can, but at the same time, only when I feel that I'll be ready."
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NOTES AND REACTIONS:
1.) Anderson wound up spending all of 1998 with the Timber Rattlers. He went 6-5 in 22 starts with a 3.23ERA and 152 strikeouts in 111.1 innings pitched. He also walked 67.
2.) Anderson's April went like this: 3-0, 0.43ERA in 21 innings pitched. Then, he went on the DL from May 12 through June 9 with a strained left triceps muscle, the first of many trips to the DL. The talent was the reason that Anderson was rated as the #1 prospect in the Seattle system by Baseball America. The injuries were the reason that Anderson was rated as the #1 prospect in the Seattle system by Baseball America from 1998 through 2002.
3.) Anderson never made the major leagues, but his batterymate, catcher Carlos Maldonado, did.
4.) Rockford committed seven errors in the game and the Rattlers offense had 13 hits. Duan Johnson and Mike Marchiano each had three hits in the game. Cubbies shortstop Jason Smith had three errors.
5.) The Timber Rattlers moved their record to 3-0 after this win.
6.) The crowd for this start -- I am just guessing here -- is now third for April attendance after the record of 5,487 was set on Opening Day, 2009.
7.) Anderson retired from baseball after a short stint in the Brewers organization. His are just never came back after an injury in 2000. The last we heard of him were these stories: Mel Antonen's in USA Today from June 8, 2006. It's about Anderson going to chef school to begin a career in the culinary arts. Larry Stone's from the Seattle Times from June 27, 2006. It's about the person that Anderson once was and who he was when the article was written. For example: He told reporters at his introductory Kingdome news conference, "I feel I'll be the best-known pitcher in baseball when I'm done." He believed it, and - not so openly but just as fervently - so did the Mariners.
Previous Flashback Fridays
10/16: Organist at Goodland Field