Ian Anderson takes the mound Saturday against the Mets
Ian Anderson makes his fifth career appearance with tonight’s start. • Is ranked by MLB.com as Atlanta’s top pitching prospect, and as the Braves’ No. 3 prospect overall...He is rated as the No. 42 prospect in baseball. • Has never faced the Mets. • Has pitched in two career intradivision games, combining to allow just one earned run in 10.0 innings (0.90 ERA) against Miami and Washington. • Last started on September 12 vs. Washington, and set career highs in innings (7.0) and strikeouts (9) while holding the Nationals scoreless over 7.0 one-hit innings. • Anderson also allowed one hit over 6.0 innings in his MLB debut...He became just the second pitcher over the last 120 seasons to allow one hit or less in two starts of at least 6.0 innings within his first four career appearances…The only other pitcher to do so was Philadelphia’s Marvin Freeman in 1986.
Anderson’s 7.0 innings against the Nationals were the most by a Braves starter this season and marked the longest outing by a Braves starter since September 20 of last season, when RHP Mike Foltynewicz went 8.0 shutout innings as the Braves clinched the National League East title. • Won each of the first three decisions of his career, going 3-0 and allowing just four earned runs in 22.0 innings (1.64 ERA) over four starts.
Anderson’s three-game winning streak to open his career is the longest by a Braves starter since 2015, when Williams Perez opened his career with four straight wins. • Became the first Braves rookie to start his career with wins in each of his first two starts since Kyle Davies did so in 2005...Since the club moved to Atlanta in 1966, no Braves pitcher has opened their career by winning three straight starts.
Atlanta selected Anderson with the third overall pick in the 2016 draft...He was Atlanta’s highest draft selection since 1991, when the Braves took Mike Kelly second overall. • With his debut earlier this season, Anderson became the 18th first-round pick from the 2016 draft to debut, and just the fourth high schoool first-rounder to do so. • He split the 2019 season between two levels of the Braves minor league system, beginning with Double-A Mississippi before finishing the year with Triple-A Gwinnett. • Combined to go 8-7 with a 3.38 ERA (51 ER/135.2 IP) in 26 starts. • His 172 strikeouts ranked fourth most in all of minor league baseball.