Pirates A to Z: Tanner Anderson's lone relief appearance was appreciated for saving bullpen

During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z: An alphabetical player-by-player look at the 40-man roster, from outfielder Anthony Alford to pitcher Miguel Yajure.

Player: Tanner Anderson

Position: Relief pitcher

Throws: Right

Bats: Right

Age: 28

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 203 pounds

2021 MLB statistics: Anderson was 0-0 with a 3.60 ERA in one appearance.

Contract: Not eligible for arbitration.

Acquired: Signed to a minor league contract July 5 after being released by the Oakland A’s.

This past season: After playing for the Sioux Falls Canaries of the independent American Association in 2020, Anderson toiled in Triple-A this past summer until late September.

Despite going 3-0 with a 3.60 ERA in 12 games for Las Vegas, the Oakland A’s released Anderson in mid-June. He signed a minor league contract with the Pirates on July 7, returning to the organization that drafted him in the 20th round out of Harvard in 2015.

Anderson made his major league debut for the Pirates in July 2018, going 1-0 with a 6.35 ERA in six appearances. He was traded to Oakland for then-18-year-old right-hander Wilkin Ramos but designated for assignment in September 2019.

In 17 appearances for Indianapolis, including four starts, Anderson was 2-4 with a 4.17 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in 36⅔ innings. The Pirates added him to the taxi squad for a late September road trip then selected his contract Sept. 30.

Anderson’s only major league appearance was a long one, as he replaced Miguel Yajure after he gave up seven runs in two innings in a 9-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs. Anderson retired the first six batters he faced, drawing five groundouts, before giving up four singles in the fifth inning. That included a pair of back-to-back RBI singles by David Bote and Sergio Alcantara before inducing a double play ball.

Anderson pitched five innings, allowing two runs on five hits with one strikeout while throwing 45 of his 64 pitches for strikes. With the Pirates’ pitching staff depleted by injuries, manager Derek Shelton showed his appreciation for Anderson’s ability to go deep in his first outing since Sept. 15 and spare the bullpen.

“He saved our butts,” Shelton said. “He did a really good job. He came in, pitched effectively, pitched to contact, worked really fast. This guy hadn’t thrown in 14 days. He really did a nice job and really saved us.”

Anderson finished the season on the 10-day injured list with a right foot contusion, as the Pirates promoted No. 1 prospect Oneil Cruz to the roster to make his major league debut.

The future: Anderson’s return to the majors was more out of desperation than anything, given that the Pirates placed four pitchers on the IL in the final week of the season.

But the bullpen lost Austin Davis, Clay Holmes and Richard Rodriguez at the trade deadline and had a revolving door of relievers in the final two months of the season.

What Anderson has going for him is a starter’s pitch repertoire and the ability to induce nine groundouts and three flyouts. In his lone appearance, he relied heavily on his sinker (40.6%) and split his workload between his slider and four-seam fastball but also showed a cutter and a change-up.

Anderson is likely to lose his spot on the 40-man roster when the Pirates are forced to protect prospects from the Rule 5 Draft. But his performance should at least get Anderson an invite to spring training, where he can get a longer look at a reliever’s role.