Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Pittsburgh restart OK by Anderson
Former Spring Valley standout experienced in rebuilding process
PITTSBURGH — Tyler Anderson knows about team building.
The left-hander entered Spring Valley High as a freshman when the school opened in 2004. He helped Oregon kick-start its fledging baseball program when the Ducks returned to Division I in 2009 following 27 years as a club sport.
Getting in on the ground floor is Anderson’s kind of thing.
No wonder he’s not concerned about joining the Pittsburgh Pirates in the nascent stages of a franchise-wide makeover. The 31-yearold finalized a one-year, $2.5 million deal Feb. 17, becoming part of the present for a club that is pointing toward the future. That’s fine by Anderson.
“I know the culture over here they want to create is a winning culture,” he said. “And I don’t think that had any involvement in them signing me, but for me, I love the idea because I’ve been through it a few times and it’s just fun. It’s a lot of guys that are searching for something, and it’s really easy to create an identity together.”
Anderson is coming off a 4-3 season with San Francisco after spending his first four years in the majors with Colorado. He pitched 59⅔ innings in 13 games (11 starts) for the Giants, and the ability to be a potential workhorse for a staff in the process of replacing four starters wasn’t lost on manager Derek Shelton.
“We’re looking for stability,” Shelton said. “We did some research on the person and came back with really positive stuff. I had the opportunity to talk to him at length, so it’s nice to add him to the mix.”
A mix that finds itself in a transitional phase after Jameson Taillon, Trevor Williams, Chris Archer and
Joe Musgrove left during the offseason. Mitch Keller, 24, with 16 major league starts, is the closest thing the Pirates have to a top-end starter.
Enter Anderson, who doesn’t see the inexperience surrounding him as a negative.
“The guys here are young, but I watched four or five ’pens today while I was out there, and there’s some young guys, but they’re nasty,” said Anderson, the Rockies’ first-round draft pick in 2011. “There’s a lot of talent, too.”
Anderson also appreciates the chance to pitch at PNC Park, particularly after spending four years working in Coors Field’s thin air. He gave up a major league-leading 30 home runs in 2018, or 1.5 home runs per nine innings. That fell to 0.8 per nine innings last year with the Giants.
“In more pitcher-friendly parks … if you fall behind and you have an open base, it’s not quite as dangerous because you’re not so worried about the long ball,” Anderson said.
The signing also reunites Anderson with Little League teammate Chasen
Shreve, who signed a minor league deal with the Pirates that included an invitation to big league camp. The two grew up playing together in Las Vegas and are roommates in Bradenton, Florida.
“We’re sending photos back and forth of teams that we played on when we were like 9 or 10 years old,” Anderson said. “We were laughing, like, ‘Hey, we’ve got to get some for our parents of both of us in the big leagues. That would be great.’”
Shreve, a reliever, would need to make the roster for that to happen. Anderson is guaranteed a spot and fully healthy after undergoing left knee surgery in 2019.
“Just to be able to go out there and be healthy and take the mound, you just have freedom of mind, some clarity, and you can go out there and focus on the things you need to focus about, instead of worrying, like, ‘Can I walk back to the dugout after that?’ Or, ‘If this guy gets a base hit, can I back up a base?’” Anderson said. “You can go out there and worry about executing, and that’s all you have to worry about.”