A look — @soxnerd style — at Tim Anderson, who elected free agency Saturday.
*Anderson slashed .282/.312/.422 in 895 games for the Sox between 2016 and 2023 after being the team’s first round pick (17th overall) in the June 2013 draft.
*Anderson topped the American League with a .335 average in 2019 in becoming the third player (fourth time) to accomplish the feat.
Frank Thomas led the AL in 1997 while Luke Appling did it in 1936 and 1943.
Anderson and Appling, who hit a club-record .388 in 1936, are the only Sox players to lead the Majors in hitting.
*Anderson departs second in Sox history to Ray Durham’s 20 with 16 game-starting home runs. … Eight of his 16 game-starting roundtrippers came on the first pitch … His five game-starting blasts in 2021 are tied for the second-highest single-season output in team annals behind Durham’s six i. 2001.
*Anderson’s first Sox homer was a game-starting shot (June 21, 2016) as was his final Sox homer (July 29, 2023)
*Anderson joins Appling, Chico Carrasquel, Luis Aparicio, Bucky Dent, Ozzie Guillen and Alexei Ramirez as Sox All-Star shortstops
*Anderson’s start in the 2022 All-Star Game was the first by a Sox player since first baseman Jose Abreu in 2018 and the first by a Sox shortstop since Aparicio in 1970
*Anderson did not bat in his All-Star debut in 2021. He joined Scott Podsednik in 2005, Duane Josephson in 1968, Tommie Agee in 1966 and Jim Busby in 1951 as Sox position players to appear in an All-Star Game but not bat
*Among players with at least six at bats, Anderson is the Sox all-time leader with a .485 post-season average.
*Anderson logged a multi-hit game — all 3-hit efforts — in five of his seven postseason contests.
*Anderson is the Sox postseason leader with five 3-hit games and tied for third in multi-hit games
*Anderson hit two walkoff homers: Aug. 13, 2021 vs. the Yankees in the “Field of Dreams” game in Dyersville, Iowa and April 26, 2019 vs. Detroit
The walkoff win in Iowa was the Sox first outside of New Comiskey Park/US Cellular Field/Guaranteed Rate Field since Ozzie Guillen’s two-run single in the ninth in a 5-4 win over Milwaukee on July 28, 1990 at Comiskey Park.
The walkoff homer was the Sox first outside of New Comiskey Park/US Cellular Field/Guaranteed Rate Field since Dan Pasqua’s two-run dinger in the 10th in a 4-3 win over the Yankees on July 3, 1988 at Comiskey Park
*Anderson departs second in White Sox history with a .325 average (minimum 900 at bats) against lefties in the complete records era (since 1950) behind Frank Thomas’ .331.
*Anderson played 886 games at shortstop and two at second base in his Sox career. He was 0-for-7 at second base (two starts in 2023)
*The 886 games at shortstop are fifth in Sox history behind Luke Appling (2218), Ozzie Guillen (1618), Luis Aparicio (1481) and Alexei Ramirez (1091).
*Only Jose Valentin (103) hit more homers as a White Sox shortstop than Tim Anderson (96).
*Anderson, Valentin and Ramirez are the only Sox shortstops to reach double figures in homers in five seasons.
*Anderson (2019-21) and Appling (1934-41) are the only Sox shortstops to hit at least .300 three years in a row
*Anderson’s seventh-place finish in the 2021 American League MVP voting was the highest by a Sox shortstop since Aparicio finished second behind teammate Nellie Fox in 1959
*Anderson (2020) and Ramirez (2010, 2014) are the only Sox shortstops to win a Silver Slugger Award
*Anderson led the American League in runs in 2020, joining Johnny Mostil in 1925 and Frank Thomas in 1994 as the only Sox players to do that
*Anderson is the only shortstop in Sox history with a 20HR/20 2B/20 SB season (2018)
*Anderson’s 13 steals in 2022 are tied with Tom Raines’ 1994 output for the most in a season by a Sox player without getting caught
*Anderson ranks sixth in among Sox draftees with 98 Sox homers behind Thomas (448), Harold Baines (221), Robin Ventura (171), Joe Crede (125) and Durham (106).
*Getting deep in the weeds … Anderson hit .331 in 798 at bats when facing the starting pitcher the second time in a game. That is, by far, his highest output in Baseball Reference’s “Times Facing Opponent in Game” split.
In seasons with complete records (1950 on), Anderson’s average ranks second in this category (minimum 798 AB) behind Wade Boggs’ .336 and Tony Gwynn’s .332
Anderson was consistent hitting between .284 with a career-best of .402 in 2019 in this split in his career.
*Anderson made his most starts in the batting order in the leadoff spot, slashing .289/.320/.424 with 52 homers there.
TA was beast leading off games between 2016 and 2020. In 168 outings, Anderson hit .384 with a .399 on-base percentage, a .596 slugging percentage and eight homers.
After that, though, the production declined with Anderson slashing .259/.284/.411 with eight homers starting games 292 times between 2021 and 2023.
*Tyler Saladino was the Sox starting shortstop the day before TA joined the Sox.
Now, we wait to learn who the next Sox shortstop will be.