Tim Anderson Ice Cold in 2023
Photo by Nick Cammett / Getty Images
The 2023 season has been brutal for Tim Anderson. The former all-star has yet to hit a home run and only has 9 extra-base hits on the year in 221 plate appearances. Anderson’s slash line is as follows: .249/.290/.292 (BA/OBP/SLG). According to FanGraphs’s, Anderson has accumulated -0.3 Wins Above Replacement. Ever since his breakout 2019 season in which he won a batting title batting .335, Anderson had been a very quality player. From ‘19-’22, he posted batting average of at least .300. with an On-Base plus Slugging of .822. The production in ‘23 has not been anything close to Anderson’s peak years. Seeing that he is the White Sox primary leadoff hitter when healthy, it could be possible that he is moved down in the order due to this lack of offense.
With rumors swirling that he could be moved at the trade deadline, it’s important to establish why Anderson hasn’t been performing this season.
This is Tim Anderson’s batted ball data available on BaseballSavant.com. Across the board, Tim Anderson has not been able to create quality contact on balls in play. He has career lows in Barrel %, xwOBA, Avg Launch Angle, and Flyball %. To add to his batted ball profile, this season is Anderson’s highest Groundball % at 66.1%. Although Anderson was never much of a flyball hitter, this low of a decrease as well as his career high in groundball rate can be viewed as the main culprit for his lack of production.
