Ian Anderson (baseball)


Ian Theodore Anderson is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Atlanta Braves organization. Anderson was selected by the Braves with the third overall pick of the 2016 MLB draft. As of May 2019 he was ranked as the #31 prospect in baseball according to MLB.com.

Career

Anderson played in the 2013 14U Babe Ruth World Series in Moses Lake, Washington with his team from Clifton Park, New York. Anderson led their team to a 3rd-place finish and was named to the all-defensive team as a pitcher.
Anderson attended Shenendehowa High School in Clifton Park, New York. As a junior, he was 6–1 with a 0.66 earned run average and 91 strikeouts. In August 2015 he played in Perfect Game All-American Classic at Petco Park. That same summer he played for the 18U National Team that won the World Cup. In 2016, he helped lead his high school to a NYS Large School State Championship. He committed to play college baseball at Vanderbilt.
Anderson was considered one of the top prospects for the 2016 MLB draft. He was selected by the Atlanta Braves with the third overall pick and signed with the team for $4 million.
Anderson made his professional debut with the GCL Braves and was promoted to the Danville Braves on August 6, 2016. He finished the 2016 season with a combined 1–2 record and 2.04 ERA in ten starts between both teams. In 2017, he played with the Rome Braves where he went 4–5 with a 3.14 ERA in 20 starts. He began 2018 with the Florida Fire Frogs and was promoted to the Mississippi Braves on August 8. In 24 starts between the two clubs, he was 4–7 with a 2.49 ERA. Anderson returned to Mississippi to begin 2019. Anderson was named to the 2019 All-Star Futures Game. On August 5, 2019, Anderson was promoted to the Gwinnett Stripers, and made his International League debut the next day.

Personal

His twin brother, Ben Anderson, also played baseball for Shenendehowa and was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 26th round of the 2016 MLB Draft. Ben has committed to play baseball for Binghamton University. He eventually decided to attend Binghamton University instead of signing with the Blue Jays. He spent three seasons playing there before being drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 13th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. Anderson also has two brothers, Bobby and Isaac. His father, Bob, won multiple championships as a coach at Schalmont High School.