Brian James Anderson (born April 26, 1972) is an
American former
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
, who played 13 seasons for five teams, as well as a
sports broadcaster
In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio w ...
and
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
. Currently, Anderson is the
color commentator
A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main ( play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and ...
on the
Rays
Ray may refer to:
Fish
* Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea
* Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin
Science and mathematics
* Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point
* Ray (gra ...
TV crew on
Bally Sports Sun
Bally Sports Sun is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, a joint venture between Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios, and operates as an affiliate of Bally Sports. The channel broadcasts local coverag ...
.
Early life and education
Anderson was born on April 26, 1972, in
Portsmouth, Virginia. At
Geneva High School (Ohio), Anderson was a four-year letterman in
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
, a three-year letterman in
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...
, and a two-year letterman in
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
. He went on to attend
Wright State University in
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...
. In 1991 and 1992, he played
collegiate summer baseball with the
Wareham Gatemen
The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane Fie ...
of the
Cape Cod Baseball League.
Anderson was selected by the
California Angels in the 1st round (3rd pick overall) of the
1993 Major League Baseball draft
The 1993 Major League Baseball draft began with first round selections on June 3, 1993. Alex Rodriguez was selected first overall by the Seattle Mariners. Other notable draftees included Chris Carpenter, Torii Hunter, Jason Varitek, Scott Rol ...
.
Professional career
Anderson began his major league career with the
California Angels in 1993. Between 1993–1995, he was 13–13 with a 5.46 ERA.
He was traded prior to the 1996 season to the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...
for pitchers
Jason Grimsley
Jason Alan Grimsley (born August 7, 1967) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for seven teams during a 15-year career. He was a member of both the 1999 and 2000 World Series champion New York Yankees.
Major League career
J ...
and
Pep Harris
Hernando Petrocelli Harris (born September 23, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played for the California/Anaheim Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1996 to 1998.
Career
In the seventh round of the 1991 draf ...
. Anderson went 7–3 in two seasons with the Indians. He was on the 1997 playoff roster, in which he made six relief appearances, going 1–0 with 1 save.
Roughly a month after a solid performance during the
1997 World Series
The 1997 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1997 season. The 93rd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Cleveland Indians and the National L ...
, Anderson was the second pick by the
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...
in the
1997 MLB Expansion Draft.
In his first full season in the Majors, this time as a starter, Anderson went 12–13 with a 4.33 ERA in 32 starts and also pitched 2 complete games.
The following season, he switched between the bullpen and the rotation, totaling 31 appearances to go along with 19 starts. In 2000, Anderson was back in the rotation full-time, finishing 11–7 with a career high in innings pitched (213.1) and in strikeouts (104).
In 2001, Anderson went 4–9 with a 5.20 ERA, in the postseason, he went 1–1 in 4 games.
Anderson was a swingman in 2002 for the Diamondbacks, pitching 35 games while starting 24 of them. His record was 6–11.
In 2003, Anderson signed with his former club, the Cleveland Indians. In his 24 starts with the Tribe, Anderson permitted 27 unearned runs due to errors the Indians committed.
Anderson was acquired by the
Kansas City Royals during the 2003 season for three minor leaguers.
Between Cleveland and Kansas City, Anderson won a career high 14 games while also having a career low 3.78 ERA in 31 starts.
Anderson regressed in 2004, pitching poorly throughout the season. His record was 6–12 with a career high 5.64 ERA in 166 innings.
Anderson's season ended prematurely when he tore an elbow ligament, necessitating
Tommy John surgery. He attempted a comeback in with the
Texas Rangers. He re-injured it during his rehab program and had to undergo a second Tommy John surgery. During his
convalescence
Convalescence is the gradual recovery of health and strength after illness or injury. It refers to the later stage of an infectious disease or illness when the patient recovers and returns to previous health, but may continue to be a source of ...
in 2007, Anderson was a fill-in broadcaster for the Cleveland Indians.
On February 1, 2008, the
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...
signed Anderson to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. During spring training however, Anderson left the mound in the middle of a game, and followed that with an
MRI
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves ...
. The MRI revealed he had a torn
ulnar collateral ligament Ulnar collateral ligament (or UCL), may refer to:
* Ulnar carpal collateral ligament
* Ulnar collateral ligament of elbow joint
The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) or internal lateral ligament is a thick triangular ligament at the medial aspec ...
(for the third time), as well as a torn
flexor mass muscle, both in his left elbow. Rays manager
Joe Maddon
Joseph John Maddon (born February 8, 1954) is an American former professional baseball manager and coach. He has managed the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball.
Maddon began his coaching career in MLB ...
commented by saying, "It can't be repaired; he's done. It's really a big disappointment."
Post-playing career
Following the second Tommy John surgery, Anderson was out of baseball for the
2007 season, during which he occasionally filled in as a broadcaster for the Cleveland Indians on
SportsTime Ohio
Bally Sports Great Lakes is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, and operates as an affiliate of Bally Sports. The channel, which is a sister network to Bally Sports Ohio, broadcasts statewide coverage of professiona ...
, as well as doing several
spring training games and a weekly highlight show.
In
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, he served temporarily as a
color analyst for Rays television broadcasts during a ten-game West Coast road trip, teamed with play-by-play announcer
Dewayne Staats
Dewayne Staats (born August 8, 1952) is a sports broadcaster who has been the television play-by-play commentator for the Tampa Bay Rays since their inception in 1998. He is currently teamed with color commentator Brian Anderson.
Staats has ...
while regular Rays broadcast partner
Joe Magrane
Joseph David Magrane (born July 2, 1964) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals, California Angels, and Chicago White Sox between 1987 and 1996, and is currently a color commentary broadca ...
was away on assignment as an analyst for
NBC Sports coverage of
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
at the
2008 Summer Olympics. During the 2008 and 2009 seasons, Anderson was an assistant to the
pitching coach and worked in the front office for the Rays.
In
2009 and
2010, Anderson again worked as a part-time TV analyst for the Rays, calling about 50 games for which Magrane's successor,
Kevin Kennedy, was unavailable. In October 2010, the Rays announced that Anderson would become the team's full-time TV analyst beginning in
2011.
Personal life
Anderson and his wife Jessica Marie married on November 1, 2014. They reside in St. Petersburg, Florida with their daughter, Harper Marie, born November 2015, and son Baker James, born November 27, 2018. Anderson also has two children from a previous marriage, Rylyn Mae (14) and Jackson James (12).
References
External links
Brian Andersonat Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Professional Baseball League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Brian
1972 births
Living people
American sports announcers
Arizona Diamondbacks players
Baseball players from Virginia
Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
California Angels players
Cleveland Indians announcers
Cleveland Indians players
Kansas City Royals players
Lake Elsinore Storm players
Major League Baseball broadcasters
Major League Baseball pitchers
Midland Angels players
Omaha Royals players
People from Geneva, Ohio
Sportspeople from Portsmouth, Virginia
Tampa Bay Rays announcers
Tiburones de La Guaira players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Tucson Sidewinders players
Vancouver Canadians players
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
Wright State Raiders baseball players
Wichita Wranglers players
People from St. Petersburg, Florida
All-American college baseball players
Wareham Gatemen players