Prime-time player: White Sox's Anderson steps up in big games
When it comes to revisiting the 2016 White Sox, there's not much to see there.
A miserable season, it was marked by Chris Sale throwing a tantrum and cutting up throwback uniforms before a scheduled start.
The timing was noteworthy. Sale snapped a week before the trade deadline and his actions were undoubtedly an over-the-top plea to be shipped off an underachieving team.
Sale got his wish, after the season.
The disastrous Fernando Tatis Jr.-for-James Shields trade also went down in 2016, and manager Robin Ventura was not asked to return after the Sox, who were viewed as contenders in the preseason, went 78-84 and finished fourth in the AL Central.
There was one bright day in '16, June 10. That's when Tim Anderson joined the White Sox from Class AAA Charlotte.
A raw hitter and far from a sure thing to stick at shortstop, Anderson never said too much as a rookie. He identified his flaws, went to work and started blossoming as the Sox blew things up after the 2016 season and launched a rebuild.
Properly identified as a core player moving forward, Anderson was offered a six-year, $25 million contract extension in the spring of 2017.
He accepted what at the time was the most lucrative deal ever signed by a player with less than one year of major-league service.
The value of the contract could double in price if the White Sox exercise two club options on Anderson - $12.5 million in 2023 and $14 million in 2024.
Quick prediction ... they will.
The first sure sign of Anderson's capability came in 2019, when he hit .335 and won the American League batting title.
In 2017, his 28 errors were the most in the majors. This year, Anderson has only made 6 in 97 games.
Now a proven two-way threat, Anderson has another valuable attribute.
The bigger the game, the better the results.
More than a few baseball fans outside of Chicago weren't too sure about Anderson before Thursday night's "Field of Dreams" game. That's likely changed.
"These are the moments you want to be in," Anderson said after hitting a 2-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Sox to a 9-8 win over the Yankees in Iowa. "Big games like this, this is the time to show up."
On losing White Sox teams for his first four seasons, Anderson helped the White Sox finally get to the other side last year.
The Sox made it to the playoffs for the first time in 12 years and lost to Oakland 2-1 in the opening round.
Don't blame Anderson. After finishing second in the AL batting race, the Sox's first-round draft pick in 2013 had 3 hits in all 3 postseason games.
As this year's playoffs come into view, Anderson is gearing up for a lengthier stay on baseball's biggest stage.
That's been one of his goals since spring training opened back in mid-February.
"Continue to keep proving I'm one of the best shortstops in the game," Anderson said. "Continue to keep leading these guys in the right direction. Be ready every time I step on the field. Come to play every single day."