Braves Get Their Man With Anderson

ATLANTA—The Braves had seen nearly every pitch high school righthander Ian Anderson had thrown over the past year, but it was his performance five days prior to the draft that catapulted the Clifton Park, N.Y., product to the top of their board.

On June 4, Anderson allowed two hits and an unearned run with 16 strikeouts over seven innings to lead Shenendehowa High to a playoff victory. He showed command of three plus pitches, including a fastball that touches 96 mph, as well as advanced maturity for a pitcher who turned 18 on May 2.

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“His last start really put everything into perspective for us as an organization,” scouting director Brian Bridges said. “He’s young, he has command, and he throws three pitches for strikes. He really knows what he wants to do. He can hit the fastball glove-side, (he) pitches down. He’s very advanced (for a pitcher his age).”

The Braves nabbed Anderson with the third overall pick, marking the second straight year and the third time in the last five drafts the team has taken a high school pitcher with their first selection. A Vanderbilt commit, Anderson does an excellent job of creating deception by employing the same release point for his mid-90s heater as he does for his late-breaking, upper-70s curveball and mid-80s changeup.

Anderson landed on the radars of scouts in the summer prior to his junior year, when he impressed at the Metropolitan Baseball Classic. He proceeded to post a 6-1 record with an 0.66 ERA in 11 appearances as a junior, during which he struck out 91 batters in 53 1/3 innings. The righthander continued to pitch well throughout the summer on the showcase circuit in 2015 before allowing one earned run in 10 1/3 innings over four relief appearances for Team USA in the World Cup Championship in Osaka, Japan.

“We identified (Anderson) early, the week after the Perfect Game National, and we stayed on him in the tournaments here in Cobb County, with Perfect Game,” Bridges said. “We followed him with Team USA, we followed him all the way to Petco Park. What really sealed the deal was the maturity of this young man at his young age.”

Bridges saw Anderson pitch in Baltimore at the beginning of the 2016 season before the righthander was sidelined with a bout of pneumonia. Despite the setback as a senior, the 6-foot-3, 175-pound Anderson continued to attract rave reviews for his easy arm action, and scouts love the projectability of his lanky frame as his body matures while adding size and strength.

Rumors on draft day suggested the Braves took Anderson in anticipation of signing him to an under-slot bonus in order to use the money on later picks. Bridges disagreed.

“I took the best pitcher available on the board,” Bridges said. “As an organization, as a scouting department, as a room, we feel this guy better fits our organization moving forward.”

WIGWAM WISPS

• With their supplemental first- and second-round picks, the Braves added high school lefthanders Joey Wentz (Prairie Village, Kan.) and Kyle Muller (Dallas), respectively.

• Atlanta has emphasized prep players in the first round of recent drafts: Anderson in 2016, Allard and righty Mike Soroka in 2015 and outfielder Braxton Davidson in 2014.