Angels News: Tyler Anderson Should be as Good as Advertised, Says Dodgers Coach
Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior — who spent five years in the big leagues as one of the most highly touted young pitchers in baseball before injuries derailed his career — has found his calling in the coaching ranks. He spent three years as San Diego's minor-league pitching coordinator, before becoming L.A.'s bullpen coach in 2018. Two years later, when Rick Honeycutt retired from day-to-day coaching, Prior took over as the Dodgers' pitching coach.
In that role, Prior had a front-row seat to see the resurgence of left-handed pitcher Tyler Anderson, who had the best season of his career after signing a one-year deal with the Dodgers in 2022. Anderson signed a three-year deal with the Angels earlier this week.
Last week, Prior joined Christopher Russo on MLB Network's High Heat, and Prior had a lot of praise for Anderson.
"I’m not worried I think he’s going to go out and do exactly what he did again this year," Prior said. "I think as far as the consistency and the compete and what you’re going to see out of him, I think the Angels got exactly, they signed the guy that they saw last year for the most part."
He explained what made Anderson so dominant in 2022.
"He’s a command guy. He really commands his fastball to four quadrants. He can throw that changeup at any time. He manages contact, he manages the lineup, he prepares. I mean, he does everything that you would want out of a pitcher," Prior said.
"I don’t think you ever sleep on a guy who can command the baseball and he can manage contact and he can manage lineups so I think he’s going to go out and give the Angels exactly what they signed. It’s definitely a loss for us, as well."
That's good news for the Angels, who would benefit greatly from the quality and quantity Anderson provided in 2022.
