No. 5 prospect's defensive strides impressing Tigers

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Max Anderson has always been a glasses guy on the baseball field.

“Always worn them,” the Tigers’ No. 5 prospect said of his signature look with specs. “I struggled to get [comfortable putting in] contacts and then wore glasses and just never went back. I wear glasses around.”

At the same time, he’s not really a sunglasses guy, either.

“I played with sunglasses in high school for a little bit and struggled on defense,” Anderson explained. “So I called it quits on those and went straight glasses.”

Which makes plays like George Springer’s popup that took Anderson into right field Sunday all the more impressive, despite the Tigers’ 5-0 loss to the Blue Jays at TD Ballpark.

Anderson started the game at third base but traded spots with second baseman Zach McKinstry as manager A.J. Hinch began doing in-game switches to get players used to situational moves. No sooner had Anderson moved to second for the fourth inning than Springer hit a high pop fly that carried from second base into shallow right. Anderson followed it the whole way, fighting the sun with his glove, until he was just in front of Matt Vierling in medium-depth right field.

“Just kinda knowing that it's a really tough play for first base and Matt was kind of in the gap,” Anderson said, “So just go and try to get the ball as much as you can. I was just lucky enough to run under it.”

It was Anderson’s second standout play of the day. A couple innings earlier, he charged in front of shortstop Trei Cruz to handle a Jonatan Clase chopper. His momentum carried him closer to third base and allowed him to strong-arm a throw that just beat the speedy Clase at first base.

“Good runner, just gotta be able to get the ball and get it out as quick as possible,” Anderson said. “I think that's just knowing who's the hitter and knowing your timeline when you're at third base.”

For a prospect who has tried to counter the “bat-only” label since his college days at Nebraska, it was a generally good day in a generally good camp, though he inadvertently found himself nearly colliding with shortstop Woody Hadeen on a ground ball to the other side of second base in the sixth inning.

“He’s working on his range, which is something that I think has been pointed out to him since the day that he was drafted,” Hinch said. “We keep trying to fixate him on the balls that he can get to, just field them. He’s trying to make the great play, which is one of the mistakes today. But generally, you have to remind him of the good, too. He’s a good player who I think sometimes focuses on his deficiencies more than he realizes that he can make the plays.”

It’s understandable why. The way the Tigers’ roster lines up, there’s an opportunity at some point this season for a right-handed hitter who can crush left-handed pitching and play around the infield. Anderson, who slashed .341/.391/.626 against southpaws last year, and Hao-Yu Lee both fill that job description. With Lee away at the World Baseball Classic and now sidelined by a left oblique strain, Anderson has been getting regular opportunities.

Ironically, Anderson’s defense has gotten more rave reviews than his offense. His bat hasn’t come around yet this spring, but he hasn’t had great fortunes either. He has hit five balls with triple-digit exit velocities so far in Grapefruit League play, but only one for a base hit: a Statcast-projected 394-foot double against the Rays on Feb. 28.

“I feel like I'm seeing the pitches, just sometimes the ball doesn't go your way,” Anderson said. “You're just trying to put a good swing on the ball. Sometimes you hit it hard and it goes right at guys. Sometimes you're getting those swinging bunts to third and you're hitting .300. Just trying to hit the ball as hard as I can, and whatever happens, happens.”

For now, he’ll gladly live with the good defense first.

“It's awesome,” he said. “I think it just shows the work that the coaches and all the guys in the Tigers’ organization have [done to help] me to grow and just become a better infielder throughout the time that I've been here. I know it's been of big importance to them, big importance to me. It feels nice when in a game you're not really thinking about all those things and it starts to pay off.”