Anderson shines in short stint for R-Braves

Despite being on a strict innings limit, Ian Anderson is doing everything he can to make an impact whenever he steps onto the mound. 
Atlanta's No. 7 prospect gave up two hits and one walk in three scoreless innings as Class A Rome topped Asheville, 6-3, on Thursday. The right-hander fanned four and threw 30 of 47 pitches for strikes.

"We just wanted to keep him healthy and competitive so he can learn as he goes throughout the year," R-Braves pitching coach Dan Meyer said. "He's facing guys that are two, three and four years older than him. If he can just have some success, stay healthy and show he can compete at age 19 -- that was what we expected out of him this year.
"He's one year removed from high school and he's not only holding his own in a full-season league, but he's going above and beyond."
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It marked the second straight scoreless outing for Anderson, who struck out six in three perfect innings on July 21 against Lakewood. The Braves organization wants the 2016 first-round pick to get used to pitching through a full campaign, so short starts will be the norm in the coming weeks.
"We've structured it to get him used to the last few months of pro ball, particularly with him being from upstate New York," Meyer said. "He's still got some room to grow into his [6-foot-3, 175-pound] frame, so we're just trying to extend [the season] as long as we can for him and get him used to this balmy air."
Anderson made a big pitch to induce an inning-ending double-play in the first inning and followed with a 1-2-3 second on just nine pitches. The 19-year-old worked around a single and a walk with two punchouts in the third. 
"He's done a good job of understanding his strengths and weaknesses in certain situations," Meyer added. "He's done a good job learning from mistakes and getting better the next time out. Part of that comes down to making adjustments mid-at-bat and finding your rhythm. He's done a good job of making those adjustments mid-game."
The upstate New York high school product went 1-2 with a 2.04 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP, striking out 36 in 39 innings in 10 starts with two Rookie-level teams last season after being selected third overall. This year, Anderson sports a 3.47 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP in 17 starts for Rome. 

MLB.com's No. 57 overall prospect has built success on a mix of strikeouts and ground-ball outs. He's struck out 30 percent of batters faced this year and has a ground-ball rate just below 50 percent. 
"For somebody who gets ground balls like he does, I think it shows his maturity," Meyer explained. "He's able to make adjustments down in the zone, and when you throw as hard as he does and then work your off-speed down, it gives you the perfect recipe to get strikeouts and weak ground balls."
That has also helped Anderson keep the ball in the yard. He has yet to give up a home run to any of 311 batters who have dug in against him this year. 
"I've never seen anything like that before," Meyer said. "Somebody with his power stuff has the ability to do something like that, but the amazing thing about it is he has so many strikeouts, so that means he's going after hitters. To be able to do that, it tells me the stuff is so good at times it shows how good of stuff he has."
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One area Meyer believes Anderson will improve on is his control. He has issued 37 walks and hit 10 batters this season.
"That will improve with repetition and learning the ins and outs of pro ball," Meyer said. "For a young player with such good stuff, just learning how to use his arsenal is going to be so important. Learning who he is and learning how to control his emotions and take it one pitch at a time will help him get better.
"For someone who throws so hard at such a young age, repeating mechanics and trying to stay within is one of the biggest things. And that comes from game action and it comes with age."