Brady Anderson entered 2000 with optimism after struggling through an injury-filled yet productive 1999. This season was to prove a mixed bag for Anderson. He was to face the first real criticism of his overall game from not only the media, but also the ballclub hierarchy and fans themselves.
The season began as had many for Anderson. He hit around .270 and slugged a blistering .511 in May, touching off 8 home runs in the first two months. His defense once again came into question, however, as it appeared he was getting poor starts on some balls, and taking bad angles to reach others. Since the team was going poorly, there was ample criticism of the outfield defense of both Anderson and his next door neighbor, Belle, and both were held up as examples of "what was wrong with the O’s."
That being said, Anderson continued to plug along, with solid though unspectacular numbers for a player at the top of the order, until June came. Anderson suddenly looked totally lost at the plate. In his worst full month since 1992, Anderson hit only .205 and slugged only .295.
He recovered somewhat in July, but with the purge of late July passed, the mutterings over Anderson’s play continued, as many considered he and Belle to be the twin albatrosses around the ballclub’s collective neck. Anderson contributed to this with another slump in August, while he ended up on the disabled list in the same month.
His full time job in center field was now gone, given to 22-year-old rookie Luis Matos.
Upon his return to the lineup, Anderson played mostly in left. Then, as Delino DeShields was displaced at second base by Jerry Hairston, and Albert Belle finally succumbed to his bad hip, Anderson played some games in right field.
He finished quite strong, with a .308 average, .477 OBP, and a .513 slugging mark in September.
Despite the ballclub’s experiments with other leadoff hitters both during his presence and absence, Anderson was still an effective leadoff man. He finished fourth among all AL leadoff batters with over 200 plate appearances with a .374 OBP, ahead of such players as Chuck Knoblauch, Rickey Henderson, and Kenny Lofton.
Claims that he pads his OBP with late season walks could be held up by pointing to his second half stat of a .410 OBP as opposed to his first half sub-par .348. His three season splits refute this theory, however, reflecting a first half OBP of .388, and a second half of .385.
His Offensive Winning Percentage of .559 places him seventh among regular center fielders, eighth among left fielders, and seventh among regular right fielders, so if Anderson can repeat his 2000 numbers in the final year of his contract, the O’s would at least be a "neutral" in whatever position he plays in the outfield.
Brady Anderson received criticism for his outfield play in 2000, which is only partially justified by his numbers, though it was apparent it was not a good year for him defensively, either in concentration or execution. His overall play, however, was more of a positive than a negative for the O’s, despite the newer harsh judgments of his performance.
TO CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY NEXT SEASON, HE MUST:
stay healthy.
bring a positive attitude to the ballclub and at least maintain a neutral outlook.
Be more consistent. Always a streaky player, Anderson carried this to extremes in 2000.
Continue hitting lefthanders. Had virtually identical splits in 2000.
NOTES: hit his 200th home run for the Orioles in September…has topped a .370 OBP five of the last nine seasons, including the last two…posted his fourth highest yearly mark for OBP this season…played 16 games in left, 88 in center, 24 in right, 9 as DH…terrorized Anaheim pitching for a .333 average and .500 slugging percentage in 11 games, but it wasn’t a West Coast thing…he hit only .152 in 33 AB against Oakland.