Detroit Tigers: Chase Anderson going to be a quality fringe starter option

The Detroit Tigers brought in Chase Anderson, a veteran starting pitcher, who is going to look to crack the team’s pitching staff for the 2022 season. Anderson, who signed a minor league contract, also got a big-league Spring Training invite to join the team in Lakeland, Florida.

When it comes to the Detroit Tigers starting rotation, having a good mix of depth is going to be crucial to the team’s success. While the Tigers did add Michael Pineda to help bolster the back of their rotation, Anderson is still a fringe option.

Anderson has been in the league since 2014, when he came in with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He’s never been a blow-away starter or someone who is going to be a staple of the rotation. But he should be able to be a Triple-A starter and also make spot starts when called upon.

The Tigers have been wise to add in some depth, and Anderson is going to be a quality arm for the Mud Hens in the meantime. He’s going to piece together some starts with the Mud Hens and likely be a call-up when the team needs a spot starter.

Detroit Tigers signing Chase Anderson is an insurance policy.

Anderson is likely in the mix to be a 27th man for the Tigers when they need a call-up. He may not be on the roster quite yet, but he’s an extra arm that the team can rely on. While his statistics in the big leagues are nothing to write home about, neither were Drew Hutchison’s.

It’s not that Hutchison turned into a Cy Young candidate, but he had a nice revival that ended up working out for the Tigers. They were able to call upon him when needed and get a few quality starts from him.

There’s no certainty that Anderson is headed for a bounce-back year, but he’s someone who could fit the build. He’s coming off a few rough seasons, and after 2021, there’s gotta be hope for improvement.

Anderson made 14 appearances in 2021, nine of them being starts. He accrued 48.0 innings pitched, where he managed a 6.75 ERA, a 1.48 WHIP, and struck out 35 opposing hitters. The thing to be worried about Anderson is if his WHIP stays that high. He walked 20 and allowed 51 hits which cannot happen.

The hope has to be that Anderson can be a nice depth addition who gets the job done when needed. At the very minimum, he should be able to make some quality starts in Triple-A with the Mud Hens.