Prospect introductions: Bryan Anderson

Bryan Anderson

The 2008 St. Louis Cardinals are a team that has had 9 players make their Major League debut. These rookies have been called upon to fill holes vacated by injuries, or lack of performance. This unprecedented passing of the torch to the youngsters is in stark contrast to the last few seasons. In the past, if a pitcher went down you speed dialed the Tomo Okha’s and Mike Maroth’s of the world. If it was a position player, then Miguel Cairo was just a phone call away. Yeah, the times they are a changing. But if 2008 is known as “the year the rookies sprouted,” then the 2005 draft class should be known as “the year the seeds were planted."

Bryan Anderson was selected in the fourth round of the June 2005 First-Year Player Draft. He was drafted as a senior out of Simi Valley HS. As the 140th overall pick, Anderson received a $250,000 signing bonus. Bryan was selected to the 2005 Louisville Slugger High School All-American team. His high school accolades include holding the single game SB record with 4, his high school's career record for doubles with 30, and the single season games played record with 34.

The scouting report on Bryan Anderson varies on what write-up you read. Anderson has received some unfair criticism as an offensive catcher who would be a defensive liability. This is often the plight of catchers who are offensively gifted. But Anderson, who has rejected any suggestion of a position move, is fiercely dedicated to improving his skills behind the plate. He has two great predecessors as mentors in Mike Matheny and Yadier Molina. Bryan worked diligently with Matheny during 2008 Spring Training to improve his footwork and with continued instruction should become a solid receiver.

Anderson possesses a .989 fielding percentage through his first 4 professional seasons. In two stops in 2008, Anderson has allowed only 7 passed balls and possesses a solid-average arm. It is difficult to find defensive statistics on minor league players, but if baseballreference.com is to be believed, Anderson threw out 14 out of 34 potential base stealers in 16 games at AA Springfield in 2008 before his promotion to Memphis. I trust my eyes more than that statistic, and having seen Anderson play multiple times, I feel confident saying he has plenty of arm strength and accuracy at age 21 to profile as a solid defensive catcher in the Major Leagues in the future. With Molina locked up for multiple years, there is no reason to rush the young catcher to the show, since extended time at AAA Memphis will only improve his defensive skills.

While questions still linger in some scouts' minds about Anderson's defensive prowess, there is little debate as to whether he will hit at the Major League level. The left-handed swinging catcher is far and away the Cardinals top prospect at his position. He possesses a fluid left-handed line drive swing that currently generates gap to gap power. Anderson still has room develop more power potential. He is currently cranking out doubles at a solid rate, and as he fills out, some of these extra base hits may start leaving the park, evidenced by his current slugging percentage of .485 in 2008. Midway through his 4th professional season, Anderson has posted career slash stats of .314/.374/.433 with an OPS of .804. Bryan has progressed at every level since signing with the Cardinals. If you view his numbers at every minor league stop in light of his young age, they are even more impressive.

In his professional debut at rookie level Johnson City at the tender age of 18, Anderson hit .331/.383/.513 with an OPS of .896 in 154 AB's. In his first full year of pro ball at single A Quad Cities in 2006, Anderson posted a line of .302/.377/.417 with an OPS of .794. Still young for his league, Anderson began to gain more notoriety. His star was beginning to rise, but more was to come.

2007 was a breakout year for the young catcher. While the slash stats don’t overwhelm at first glance, with Anderson posting a .298/.350/.388 line with an OPS of .738, what makes this season so impressive is that Anderson was able to make the jump over high A, and do more than hold his own as a 20 year old catcher in AA, which is considered by many to be the minor league level most reflective of future success. With a solid 2007 season, Bryan was named to his first All-Star Futures game.

To begin 2008, Anderson was assigned to AA Springfield where he left off in 2007. But any thoughts of him repeating 2008 at AA were soon erased when Bryan slugged his way to a promotion after 19 games in Springfield where he hit .388/.412/.525/.937 with 5 2B, and 2 HR. The lefty hitting catcher has continued his torrid pace at Triple-A Memphis where he has hit .331/.407/.460 with an OPS of .867 as a 21 year old. Bryan's impressive 2008 season has earned him his second invitation to the All-Star Futures Game. He was ranked the #3 prospect in the Cardinals Farm System behind only Colby Rasmus and Chris Perez, who has since graduated to the big leagues. It is not hard to imagine Bryan taking over the #2 spot at the end of 2008. His future with the Cardinals remains somewhat uncertain as he is currently blocked by Yadier Molina, but I feel safe saying that the Cardinals consider Bryan Anderson more as a part of their future than they do as part of a future trade.

-jaym