Atlanta Signs Anderson

One of the last standing California Angels has officially moved on. Garret Anderson and Ken Griffey Jr. were subjects of multiple rumors over the past few weeks as both were sought after by Atlanta and Seattle. After Griffey and Seattle eliminated half of the options, Anderson and the Braves found themselves in each other arms, regardless of their prior preferences. In the end, it makes more sense for all parties involved.

Atlanta may have wanted Griffey’s bat and intangibles, but landing Anderson for one-year and only 2.5 million is a pretty nice cap the Braves off-season additions. Anderson is no longer capable of offensive outbursts like the ones in 2002 and 2003, but his bat isn’t made of animal spirits either. A declining ISO and walk rate have left Anderson dependant on his batting average and occasional power. Glance at Anderson’s O-Swing% and you’ll see an increase in hacks, backed by a decrease amount of swings inside of the zone.

Dewan has Anderson at -2, -6, and 0 plays over the past three years while UZR says -3.6, -1.8, and 9.3 runs. Average those numbers out and you’re looking at an average corner outfielder. CHONE has Anderson worth -2 wRAA next season while Marcels says -6.1 and Oliver says -1. That’s an average of -3 wRAA, assuming he’s a touch better as a part-timer and we’ll call him league average. Throw that together while assuming Anderson will see ~70% of the playing time in a traditional platoon and Anderson should be worth around a win.

Interesting off-season for Atlanta with the Anderson and Tom Glavine moves adding to an off-season in which they added Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez, Kenshin Kawakami, and reserve catcher David Ross.





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