From the Phillies:
Right-hander Matt Anderson signed a minor league contract with the Phillies, the club announced today. He will report to minor league camp in spring training.
Anderson, 34, last pitched professionally in 2008 when he went 0-0 with a 5.60 ERA in 15 relief appearances for triple-A Charlotte. His last major league appearance came on July 1, 2005 at Busch Stadium for the Colorado Rockies. He appeared in 12 games for the Rockies that year.
The first overall selection by the Detroit Tigers in the 1997 draft out of Rice University, Anderson spent parts of seven seasons in the major leagues for the Tigers (1998-2003) and Rockies (2005). His career major league record is 15-7 with 26 saves in 257 games, all in relief.
Anderson made his major league debut in his first professional season (1998) after starting his minor league career with a 0.65 ERA in 30 games and 45 strikeouts in 41.0 innings (9.9 SO/9.0 IP). In 42 major league appearances that year, he went 5-1 with a 3.27 ERA.
The Phillies must be hoping to either catch lightning in a bottle here or he’s back to his flamethrowing ways. Anderson would routinely throw in the upper 90’s to 100 mph, but arm injuries derailed an already underwhelming career. He figures to add depth to the farm system, if he’s able to stay healthy and perform at all.
Bottom line: you probably won’t be seeing Matt Anderson anytime soon, but if he does rediscover his heat, I’m all for it.
