SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Tyler Anderson’s spot in the Colorado Rockies’ rotation appears secure and his future looks bright. After all, the left-hander posted a 3.35 ERA in 16 starts last season — the lowest ERA by a Rockies starter through 16 games in franchise history.
But Anderson takes nothing for granted. Perhaps that’s because the 2011 first-round draft choice missed all of the 2015 season with a left elbow fracture.
More likely, it’s because that’s simply the way Anderson approaches his profession.
“Coming into camp, I’m just thinking about loping off as much rust as I can in spring, making the team and getting ready for the season,” he said Saturday. “It doesn’t matter if you think I have made the team or not. If I had 10 years in the big leagues, I would come into my 11th season thinking the same thing.”
New manager Bud Black is just beginning to get to know Anderson on a personal level, but he has already studied him enough to know why the lefty is effective.
“What I like about Tyler is that, first of all, he has good stuff. … He’s got major-league weapons,” Black said, noting that Anderson’s changeup has especially good action and arm speed. “What I’ve come to really like is that this guy in a thinker. This guy is creative. This guys studies his game and studies opposing hitters.
“Tyler’s a guy that will use analytics in the proper manner. He’s using everything he can to maximize his performance.”
Anderson, a tough self-critic, said the thing he was most pleased with during his rookie season was game preparation.
“I felt like going into most games I was pretty prepared, which is something you can control,” he said.
His goal for 2017 is to pitch more innings than the 114 ⅓ he logged in 2016.
“If our starters throw more innings, out bullpen will be pretty rested and we’ll be in good shape,” he said.
Lineup projections
It should come as no surprise that Black will use center fielder Charlie Blackmon in the leadoff spot again this season.
Last season, Blackmon smacked 29 homers from the top spot and posted a career-high .381 on-base percentage.
Blackmon stole 43 bases in 2015, but that number fell to 17 last season as he played through some leg soreness and injuries.
Black would like so see Blackmon swipe more bases in 2017.
“Charlie is dangerous in (the batter’s) box and became a real threat, each and every time he got in the box or when he got on first base (in 2015),” Black said. “We’ve got to get back to that. We’ve talked about that a little bit. Charlie was a little bit banged up last year. He was able to play, but I don’t think his legs felt great.”
Black also said that only very rarely would he move a pitcher up to the eighth spot in the batting order, something the Rockies did occasionally when Walt Weiss was their manager.
Point of view
Black, a former major-league pitcher, is spending a lot of time assessing and interacting with Colorado’s pitchers. While most coaches or managers tend to stand near the mound during bullpen sessions, Black prefers to watch from near home plate.
“I prefer to be down by the plate, if possible,” Black said. “I like being down there to see their stuff; to see the spin on their breaking ball, to see the spin on their change, to see the life on their fastball. I can see the carry
of the four-seamer. All of those things that you can see down at the plate that you can’t see (standing) behind the pitcher.”
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