Ian Anderson is finally healthy again and looking to make up for lost time.
The departures of proven veterans Max Fried and Charlie Morton created a pair of openings in the Atlanta Braves’ rotation, but a familiar face arrived at camp this spring hoping to get his career back on track and reclaim a spot in the starting five.
Once expected to become a fixture on the staff, Ian Anderson’s ascent was derailed by injuries in recent years. Nearly two years removed from reconstructive elbow surgery, Anderson will get every opportunity to help the Braves fortify their rotation in the early going this season.
Anderson, 26, last pitched in a big league game for Atlanta on August 13, 2022. Needless to say, much has transpired for the young right-hander and the team he hopes to rejoin this season. While his extended absence and previous command issues temper expectations, Anderson’s first-round pedigree and sparkling postseason resume are reminders of his promise.
Debuting for the Braves out of necessity in 2020, Anderson quickly established himself as one of the top young arms in the game. He posted a 1.95 ERA and averaged 11.4 K/9 in six regular season starts and then allowed just two runs across four postseason outings.
Anderson followed that up with a solid rookie campaign in 2021, posting a 9-5 record and a 3.58 ERA to go along with 124 strikeouts in 128 1/3 innings. Those numbers earned him a fifth place finish in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.
More importantly, Anderson was once again at his best in October as the Braves made an improbable World Series run. He allowed three runs in four starts, bolstering his postseason numbers to 4-0 with a 1.26 ERA in eight starting assignments.
Things began to unravel for Anderson the following season.
After struggling to a 10-6 record with an inflated 5.00 ERA in his third year with Atlanta, he was demoted to Triple-A Gwinnett to close the 2022 season and remained there to begin the following season. It was there where his career would take a turn.
Anderson made just one start for the Stripers before he was shut down with elbow soreness, an issue that had actually hampered him for some time. Though he initially attempted to pitch through that discomfort, Anderson underwent Tommy John surgery in April of 2023.
Back on the mound after losing 2023, Anderson posted a 3.44 ERA in 15 starts and 68 innings across four levels of the Braves minor league system last year. His 68 strikeouts were encouraging, but his 29 walks were the kind of mixed results that have plagued him at times during his young career.
Owner of a devastatingly effective changeup, Anderson will be looking for general consistency and perhaps a little lost fastball velocity in order to improve his arsenal and his chances of success for the Braves this season. A quality breaking ball is also on his to-do list.
Finally healthy but out of options and fighting for a roster spot, I caught up with Anderson to discuss his injury odyssey, the road back from elbow surgery, and his focus this spring training.
GM: It’s another year and another spring training, but this one for you has to feel different than those in the past. You have two years under your belt, working your way back from Tommy John surgery. How would you describe coming in here in 2025 and what you want to accomplish this spring?
IA: “It feels good. It was nice to have a normal offseason and just be able to do the throwing I want to do, do the training I want to do, and be able to relax too, a little bit. The rehab process is kind of everyday. But yeah, looking forward to coming to camp, feeling healthy and competing. There’s a good opportunity here, so I’ve just got to go out and do what I can do and hopefully get back to where I know I can be.”
GM: We’ve seen what you’re capable of doing. What have the last two seasons been like for you? I know it has to feel like a lot of lost time, but in all of that experience was the opportunity to learn a little more about yourself and perfect your craft. Could you walk me through what it’s been like mentally and physically on the road back from Tommy John?
IA: “Yeah, I mean, you have it in your head how you think it’s going to go, but it doesn’t always work out that way. It definitely wakes you up a little bit – not that it’s lost time, like you said, but it’s definitely time I wish I’d been pitching instead and learning things and working on my craft. I think mentally it helped me out a ton. If I struggle again or if things pop up, it’s that much easier now with what I’ve been through to kind of rally everything and figure things out.”
GM: Talk to me a little bit about 2024, getting back on the mound and back in that regular routine. How does your stuff feel and how do you feel physically now that you at least got to get that number of innings under your belt coming into 2025?
IA: “It felt good. It was nice to get almost 70 innings. It was nice to kind of get back on a regular schedule and just focus on competing again, making starts, getting innings, making pitches, kind of working through innings and working through lineups. Those innings, I’m going to be looking back on those come July and really realize just how important they were for me.”
GM: As far as the arsenal is concerned, I know in the lead up to injury things might not have felt quite right and the stuff wasn’t quite there. Now that you’ve been able to reset that and refine things, have you been working on any different pitches, any mechanical changes, things that could improve your overall output?
IA: “Yeah, I was just trying to get back to where I was. I think that was the main emphasis. Other than that, there might be a couple of new things that I showcase, but I’m still, for the most part, going to be the same guy. I just hope to go out there and attack the zone and compete.”
GM: You mentioned the opportunity that’s out there this spring. You pitched with Max Fried and Charlie Morton for a number of years. Both of those guys have moved on and that does open up spots in this Braves rotation. How do you approach that as an opportunity for you to not only reestablish yourself and your career but also help this club out?
IA: “Yeah, it’s a good opportunity. I think you look around the locker room and there are a lot of guys thinking the same thing. Alex (Anthopoulos) and the front office do a great job of putting a good team together and you know what levels you’ve got to be up to in order to be on that club. I know it’s going to be a competitive camp, but it should be fun to get out there and compete.”