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White Sox shortstop Anderson 'not even close' to reaching potential

By most accounts, Tim Anderson is tracking in a positive direction.

Still trying to prove he has the skills to stick as the Chicago White Sox's starting shortstop in the future, Anderson had already drawn a career-high 14 walks this season heading into Wednesday night's game against the Orioles.

He was also tied for third in the American League with 11 stolen bases and ranked third on the Sox with 7 home runs.

Throw in improved defensive play at the most difficult position on the field, and maybe you are looking at the White Sox's shortstop for the foreseeable future.

Anderson is happy with where he's at as he moves deeper into his second full major-league season, but far from satisfied.

"It's way up there," the 24-year-old Anderson said when asked how much higher his ceiling is as a player. "Way up there. I'm not even close. I still do things that I can't even believe. I feel like I've got a high ceiling and I'll keep working and bust through."

Manager Rick Renteria was the Sox's bench coach under Robin Ventura in 2016 when Anderson arrived from Class AAA Charlotte on June 10. He has seen steady progression.

"He's not at the top of what we expect and hope he will ultimately become as a major-league shortstop in all facets of his game," Renteria said. "He continues to improve. From the first year I was here, seeing him when he first came up, and then last year and this year, we've seen a lot of gains both in the field, on the bases, offensively.

"I know he's been in a little bit more of a slowing trend right now with the offense. But just in general, he's gaining a lot more knowledge in playing the game of baseball at the major-league level. That experience is going to continue, hopefully, to bode well for him in terms of his continued growth."

Anderson was back in the lineup Wednesday night after Renteria gave him a day off to rest. Mired in a 10-for-64 slump, Anderson started 43 of the White Sox's first 44 games.

"The goal wasn't to play all of them, but play as many as I can," Anderson said. "I'm not going to argue with (Renteria). It's just a good time to reset and start fresh."

The walks are up, as are the stolen bases. Anderson's .230/.291/.398 hitting line is down, but seeing more pitches should eventually boost those numbers.

"It's helped me be more patient," he said. "I'm learning. I'm learning a lot about the (strike) zone and laying off the balls away and low, and all that junk they're throwing me. I'm still learning and I know I'm taking steps. I've got to keep working."

Defensively, Anderson has made noticeable improvement over last year, when he led the majors with 28 errors in 145 games. Anderson has 5 errors in 44 games this season.

"He gets to a lot of balls, but I think he's completing a lot more balls," Renteria said, "He's coming through balls a little bit better. I do think that he's improving a little bit more to his backhand side, which is one of the things that he's been working on a lot. I think he's trying to maintain arm strength throughout a long season.

"As he continues to see more and more groundballs, more and more action, with all the adjustments in the defense with the shifts and things of that nature, I think you just continue to improve because you're experiencing it more."

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