Anderson working to cement spot in White Sox's future

Tim Anderson is going to:

A. Stick with the rebuilding White Sox and remain the starting shortstop when the good times ultimately arrive.

B. Stick with the Sox but move to the outfield when new first-round draft pick Nick Madrigal is ready for the major leagues.

C. Be traded.

The answer remains to be seen, but Anderson knows what he wants.

"I'm honored and blessed to be in the position that I am," he said. "Hopefully, we can bring something special to the South Side."

Anderson's all-around play has been special throughout August, and only an ankle injury was able to cool him off.

The 25-year-old shortstop collided with left fielder Nicky Delmonico in Tuesday's loss to the Yankees. Anderson was not in the White Sox's starting lineup for Wednesday night's game at New York, but the injury is not considered serious and he's day-to-day.

When looking at the future, the Sox likely see Anderson as a dangerous hitter with standout speed.

One of five major-league players with at least 15 home runs and 25 stolen bases, Anderson is on pace to become the third player in franchise history to hit 20 or more homers and steal 30 or more bases in a season.

Alex Ríos accomplished the feat in 2010 and Tommie Agee reached 20/30 in 1966.

"The more I grow, the better hitter I become," Anderson said. "I'm going to keep going."

The White Sox also see a hitter that has plenty of room to improve.

Anderson has drawn 27 walks this season, up from 13 last year, but he has also struck out 122 times in 474 at-bats and that's dragged his on-based percentage down to .291.

Defensively, Anderson led the majors with 28 errors last year. He's cut that total to 15 this season and hasn't made an error in his last 17 games.

Going to his right was Anderson's biggest problem, but his range and overall fielding has steadily improved.

"You see him gaining a lot of confidence," manager Rick Renteria said. "He's made some really nice plays. He's attacking balls, he's reaching balls that most guys probably won't get to. It's nice to see him continuing to perform and hopefully, he continues to develop."

General manager Rick Hahn is quick to point out Anderson is still a young player nearing the end of only his second full season.

While there is still chance he moves to the outfield or gets traded down the road, Anderson has shown signs he's going to stay right where he is for the foreseeable future.

"Yes, there will be a few inconsistencies in the field from time to time or a couple of at-bats that don't quite go the way you draw them up," Hahn said. "But the improvements he's shown on a nightly basis pitch to pitch both offensively and defensively have been fantastic. He continues to develop along a path where you can very reasonably project him to be a shortstop on a championship club."