Tyler
Anderson
LHP
/ University of Oregon
Bats-Throws: L-L
Height/Weight: 6-4/215
Hometown: Las
Vegas, Nev.
Previously
Drafted: Twins ’08 (50)
Birthdate: Dec.
30, 1989
SCOUTING
PROFILE: The University of Oregon reinstated baseball in 2009
after a 29-year absence, and Anderson, an unheralded 50th-round
draft pick in 2008 out of a Las Vegas high school, has quietly
emerged as the prized recruit in the school’s first class. He was
the Ducks’ Friday-night starter from the get-go, and even though he
struggled with the responsibility and went just 2-9, 6.26, his upside
potential was obvious even then. Just two years later, he has
positioned himself as a legitimate first-round pick for the 2011
draft. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Anderson has combined a solid
four-pitch mix with a very deceptive delivery, crafty approach and
unflappable mound presence to become one of the elite college
lefthanders in the country. In a normal draft year, he might be in
contention to be the first college lefty taken, but he has been
overshadowed much of the season by the likes of Virginia’s Danny
Hultzen, Georgia Tech’s Jed Bradley and Texas Christian’s Matthew
Purke. The Pacific Northwest is unusually deep in college lefthanders
itself with Gonzaga’s Ryan Carpenter, Washington State’s Adam
Conley and Oregon State’s Josh Osich all commanding first-round
attention from scouts at various times this spring, along with
Anderson, but only Anderson has solidified his position in that
round. He may actually be the softest thrower of that quartet, but
more than makes up for any shortfall in velocity with his advanced
sense of pitchability and instinctive feel for his craft. Anderson
has excellent command of both his four-seam fastball, which normally
sits in the 90-92 mph range, bumps 93 and will occasionally reach 95
when he needs to rear back for a little extra; and his two-seamer
with its impressive cutting action. He also locates his curve and
slider (depending on which one he features in a given outing), and
changeup with uncanny accuracy. Most often, he will pitch off his
fastball. Anderson’s poised, polished approach to pitching enabled
him to rebound quickly from his struggles as a freshman, and he went
a more-respectable 7-5, 2.98 with 33 walks and an Oregon
school-record 105 strikeouts in 103 innings as a sophomore. He has
continued to build on that performance as a junior, fashioning a 7-3,
2.24 record with 33 walks and 104 strikeouts in 100 innings. With one
regular-season start remaining, he is certain to surpass his own
single-season strikeout record and improve on his career-leading
total. Though Oregon, in just its third year back, held out high
hopes for the 2011 season and subsequently vastly underachieved with
a 30-26 record overall (8-16 in the Pac-10), Anderson has more than
held up his end of the deal, and should be justly rewarded in the
draft.
Projected
Draft Position: First round / top
15-20 picks.
Perfect
Game Events Attended
None