Angels' Tim Anderson Reveals Difficult Family Issues Over Last Few Years

Mar 2, 2025; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Angels shortstop Tim Anderson bats against the San Francisco Giants during the third inning at Scottsdale Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

It was August 5, 2023 when Tim Anderson and Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez got into a brawl on live television.

Ramirez slid hard into second base and the two exchanged punches. Only one landed and Anderson fell to the ground.

That was the beginning of Anderson's drop-off, but his performance declined sharply because of a combination of factors, including a difficult family issue.

“It was a little of everything," Anderson told Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports. “I had a lot going on. And we’re talking about things that not only you guys [media] see. I had a whole lot of stuff going on behind the scenes. Losing my grandmother. A whole lot of stuff, man, that I’d rather not share.

“But, you know, it’s life, man. Life comes at you hard."

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Nobody bothered to pick up Anderson once the Miami Marlins let him go, but the Los Angeles Angels tossed him a lifeline this winter, offering him a minor league contract with no guarantees. If he makes the big league roster, he could make $1.25 million.

“I told him that when he first got here this is a new start," Angels manager Ron Washington said. "If your head and [stuff] gets [messed] up, you caused it. You don’t need to get your head [messed] up. You need to stay in the process, work and get better just like you always did when your game was tight.

"The last couple of years, there’s reason why your game wasn’t tight as it used to be. You had personal issues, all kinds of [stuff] was going on, and your game got lost in the shuffle.

"Now you got a chance to find your game by staying in the process and easing into it. Don’t try to prove anything to anyone. Just get the work you need every single day, and your game will come back.

“And it has. He’s really in a good place mentally."

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Anderson topped the majors with a .335 batting average in 2019 and earned American League All-Star selections in 2021 and 2022.

Selected 17th overall by Chicago in the 2013 draft, he has a career .278 batting average with 98 home runs, 347 RBIs, and 121 stolen bases across 960 games.

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