This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin's White Sox Beat newsletter. Subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- I’ve had hundreds of interviews with Tim Anderson since he was taken 17th overall in the 2013 Draft. Maybe thousands?

So, when I talked to him this past Wednesday, I initially tried a different approach: If Anderson was interviewing himself, what would be the questions he wanted answered?

"That’s a tough question," said Anderson with a laugh.

Hey, that’s why I’m here. The veteran shortstop quickly presented a response.

"I wouldn’t know what to ask me because you never know what you may get," Anderson said. "I probably would ask myself small things: What’s your favorite color? What’s important to you? I would probably ask questions like, What drives you? What pushes you? What motivates you?"

Favorite color? We left that crucial inquiry to the end of the interview. But what motivates Anderson becomes a key concept for a player who is the driving force for this team. He is the energy and excitement for the White Sox.

"What motivates me is just where I come from and, like, my family. Just my background," Anderson said. "Everything hasn’t been always like this, so just trying to keep it like this so I can continue to keep taking care of the people that I am."

Anderson has hit a combined .318 over 374 games since 2019, when he won the American League batting title. The 29-year-old has arrived on the national stage, whether it’s through his entertaining bat flips, his "stalk-off" home run at the Field of Dreams contest in Iowa or earning the starting nod for the 2022 American League All-Star team.

But there’s still a feeling within Anderson that what he has could go away.

"That’s why I work so hard," Anderson said. "I know the ultimate goal. I know what my mission is. I definitely do think about it.

"It keeps me motivated because I like to see my family happy. That definitely drives me to keep going and keep getting thirsty for more. It keeps getting better and better, so I keep working."

Staying healthy is key for Anderson, who has not played more than 125 games since 2018. He only played 79 in '22, with surgery to repair a tear in his left middle finger ending his season in Texas on Aug. 6. It was a contributing factor to a year with tough moments for Anderson.

"We are back, and we are better now," Anderson said. "So, we are just going to continue to keep pushing. There’s no guide in this thing about life. They don’t give you a book and say, 'You have to live this way.' This is my first spin in it.

"I’m still learning, I’m still maturing and I’m still growing. I’m still learning from all my mistakes for sure. They just throw you out there and they just say, 'Go.' But yeah, definitely learning and growing and maturing."

As for a favorite color, after talking about his life, approach and future contract outlook, Anderson went with: "Black."