Braves Ian Anderson Takes Solid Step Forward in Lastest AA Start

Some positive news on Anderson's season as he continues his quest to return to the Braves' big league roster

Some positive takeaways from Anderson's latest start | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Ian Anderson showed significant progress in his latest start for Double-A Columbus on Sunday. The Atlanta Braves right-hander pitched four innings, allowed two runs and three hits with no walks while striking out five.

Both runs came on a two-run home run in the top of the fifth, and Anderson was out shortly after. His pitch count was up to 66 from 57 pitches in his first start back. Since his pitch count is still on the lower end, the short leash can be somewhat attributed to that. 

An important note from this start is that he threw four scoreless innings before getting into trouble at the end. 

It’s easy to look at the overall numbers and think he had another shaky day, but when looking in closer detail, it marked a step in the right direction. 

Through two starts, he has allowed four runs, three earned, in six innings pitched this season. It’s hard to project what can happen for Anderson going forward. It’s likely that the plan for the rest of the way is to see how he does in Columbus and go from there. 

Entering Spring Training, Anderson had been poised to rejoin the Braves rotation for the first time in over two years. However, command issues caused him to lose out, and he was traded to the Los Angeles Angels toward the end of March.

During his brief stint out in Anaheim, he allowed 12 earned runs across 9 1/3 innings pitched (11.57 ERA) over seven appearances. He was designated for assignment on April 23, and the Braves claimed him on April 27 and outrighted him to Gwinnett.

It's been a long and winding road for a once-promising member of the rotation. In 2021, he was part of the Braves rotation that won a World Series. He had a 1.59 ERA in four postseason starts that year, including a scoreless outing in Game 3 of the World Series in front of the home crowd in Atlanta.

In 52 career regular-season starts with the Braves, he has a 3.97 ERA in 272 1/3 innings pitched. His last appearance in the Majors with the Braves came Aug. 13, 2022, during a doubleheader against the Marlins.

Anderson missed nearly the entire 2023 season and the first few months of the 2024 season due to undergoing Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL. His return to the mound last season was more than respectable. He had a 3.96 ERA in 10 starts with Triple-A Gwinnett last season. Something from then just hasn't translated yet this season.