Nick Anderson (baseball)
Nicholas Paul Anderson is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Athletics organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball for the Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Royals, and Colorado Rockies.
Amateur career
Anderson attended Brainerd High School in Brainerd, Minnesota. He played college baseball at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota for three years. In 2010, he played summer baseball for the Brainerd Lakes Area Lunkers of the Northwoods League. He transferred to Mayville State University in Mayville, North Dakota for his senior season in 2012. In 12 games his senior year, he went 5–2 with a 1.95 ERA and was named the Dakota Athletic Conference pitcher of the year.Professional career
Frontier League
The Milwaukee Brewers selected Anderson in the 32nd round of the 2012 MLB draft. He did not sign with the Brewers and played in the independent baseball Frontier League for three seasons. He played for the Rockford RiverHawks/Aviators in 2012 and 2013, and for the Frontier Greys in 2015.Minnesota Twins
Anderson's contract was purchased by the Minnesota Twins on August 7, 2015. He played in nine games for the Single-A Cedar Rapids Kernels in 2015, recording a 0.75 ERA with 12 strikeouts and four saves over 12 innings. Anderson split the 2016 season between Cedar Rapids and the High-A Fort Myers Miracle, accumulating a 4–3 record with a 2.65 ERA, 75 strikeouts, and 13 saves across innings pitched. In 2017, he played for Fort Myers and the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts, registering a combined a 4–1 record with a 1.00 ERA, 57 strikeouts, and 11 saves over innings pitched. Anderson spent the 2018 season with the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings, going 8–2 with a 3.30 ERA, 88 strikeouts, and four saves over 60 innings of work.Miami Marlins
On November 20, 2018, the Twins traded Anderson to the Miami Marlins in exchange for Brian Schales; the Marlins subsequently added him to their 40-man roster.Anderson made the Marlins' 2019 Opening Day roster. On March 28, 2019, he made his major league debut against the Colorado Rockies. Anderson retired Ryan McMahon, the only batter he faced.
Anderson collected his first major league win on May 21 in a 5–4 11-inning game against the Detroit Tigers. He pitched the final two innings, allowing no runs while striking out a career-high five batters. By the end of July, Anderson had appeared in 45 games with 69 strikeouts in innings for the Marlins.
Tampa Bay Rays
On July 31, 2019, Anderson was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Jesús Sánchez and Ryne Stanek. After the trade, he had an ERA of 2.11 in innings with 41 strikeouts. He was named to the Baseball America All-Rookie team and won the Dick Siebert Award, given by Minnesota baseball writers to the best player from the Upper Midwest, in 2019.In 2020, Anderson went 2–1 with six saves and an 0.55 ERA in innings over 19 games. In the 2020 postseason, as the Rays made their second World Series appearance in franchise history, Anderson made seven consecutive postseason appearances while allowing a run, breaking an MLB record. After the season, he was named to the All-MLB Team.
On March 25, 2021, it was announced that Anderson had suffered a partial tear of his elbow ligament and would miss time until at least the All-Star break. On March 26, Anderson was placed on the 60-day injured list. Anderson was activated from the IL on September 12 to make his season debut. Anderson was able to work to a 4.50 ERA in 6 appearances for the Rays in 2021. On October 27, Anderson underwent right elbow surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament with an internal brace procedure. The surgery was an alternative to Tommy John surgery, but Anderson was projected to remain out through the 2022 All-Star break.
On March 22, 2022, Anderson signed a $845,000 contract with the Rays, avoiding salary arbitration. On August 22, Anderson was activated from the IL and optioned to Triple-A Durham Bulls. On November 9, Anderson was placed on outright waivers. After clearing waivers, Anderson became a free agent the next day.