Analysis: The impact of Anderson's KBO experience on his Tigers return

FAN BOTS

Thank you for watching the video     Link:https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/drew-anderson-with-tigers-again     Important warning⚠️⚠️   My friend, please check the accuracy of the information. The information I provide may be  incorrect, late, or outdated.    #MLBReturn#KBOExperience

Transcript

00:00Hey Tigers fans, let's talk about a homecoming story.

00:04Drew Anderson left the Tigers farm system two years ago, taking a chance to prove himself

00:08overseas after making an impression with the big club in spring training back in 2024.

00:13But even as he settled in as an ace over in Korea, that hope to return to Detroit never

00:18really went away.

00:19Well, with that one-year $7 million deal he signed last month, he's officially back.

00:25And this time, the 31-year-old right-hander returns with the job security of a guaranteed

00:30MLB contract and the proven track record of a dominant season in the KBO, along with the

00:36full arsenal of pitches to back it up.

00:38Anderson is part of a growing trend of pitchers who go from MLB or the minors to Korea to refine

00:45their game, take that next step, and return to the States as improved players.

00:49But his case is special.

00:51He's the rare one who gets to do it with the exact same team he left.

00:55I was definitely hoping to come back, Anderson said, on a Zoom call with reporters last month,

01:01because I really like the Tigers.

01:03I watched them the whole year, both 2024 and 2025, going to the playoffs, and I definitely

01:09think this year they can probably progress into the playoffs even more.

01:15The organization's interest was mutual, dating back to what they saw from him in that 2024

01:19spring training.

01:21We all know spring training stats can be tricky, but Anderson's pure stuff showed real promise.

01:28Over six Grapefruit League appearances, he gave up seven runs in eight innings, but crucially,

01:35six of those runs came in just his final outing.

01:38He racked up 14 strikeouts, with five of them coming in a single impressive, two-inning, late-game

01:44appearance, not bad at all for a guy who was back in the States on a non-roster invite after

01:49two seasons in Japan.

01:50He carried that momentum to AAA Toledo, pitching fairly well with 16 strikeouts over 14 innings

01:56across nine relief outings.

01:58Again, five of the six runs he allowed there came in just one appearance, then the offer

02:02from the KBO arrived, and he took that leap.

02:05It's a great opportunity to go over there and solidify yourself as a starter, Anderson explained.

02:11Everybody wants to be the guy, and once you get to Korea, you're the guy, and that's

02:16always a good feeling.

02:17I was in Japan, and I already had a good feel for how Asian baseball is, so I thought, okay,

02:23I could go to Korea, be a starter the entire year, and have my own routine.

02:28That's the biggest thing, being able to be on your own routine and do what you need to

02:31do day in and day out.

02:33So, going over to Korea helped out a lot.

02:36Even after leaving, Anderson stayed connected, he followed the team closely and kept in touch

02:42with Toledo Mudhens pitching coach Doug Bochtler, a relationship that later played a key role

02:47in facilitating his return.

02:49Once on the mound for the SSG Landers in Korea, he settled in fast.

02:53In his first season, he went 11-3 with a 3.

02:5789 ERA and 158 strikeouts over 115.2 innings.

03:02He topped that in 2025, posting a 12-7 record, a stellar 2.25 ERA, and 245 strikeouts over

03:10171.2 innings.

03:13A big part of that success?

03:14A new sweeper he added to his mix, which became a legitimately nasty out pitch.

03:19I messed around with it a little bit in 2024, just because it was the new trendy pitch and

03:23I'm sure everybody has tried it, Anderson said.

03:26Threw it sometimes in 2024.

03:28Nothing crazy.

03:28But it was like my second or third game in Korea, where I just thought, screw it.

03:33I'm just going to throw it as much as I can.

03:35I got a lot of good outcomes with it and started to get more comfortable.

03:39Last season, he found himself in a thrilling neck-and-neck race with fellow American Cody

03:43Ponce.

03:44For the KBO single-season strikeout record, Anderson fell just 7 strikeouts short, but finished

03:50with a slightly better strikeout rate at 12.8 per 9 innings compared to Ponce's 12.6

03:56K-9.

03:57We might see that duel continue stateside this year, as Ponce signed a three-year, $30

04:01million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays last month.

04:04I was just going out there and doing what I could do, Anderson said, downplaying the record

04:08chase.

04:09I was definitely keeping track of everybody in the league, but it wasn't like, I want

04:13to beat this guy.

04:14He's a pitcher, and I don't need to beat him.

04:16So, Tigers fans, what's your level of excitement seeing Drew Anderson return with this kind of

04:21experience and proven performance under his belt?

04:24How do you see him slotting into our pitching plans for this coming season?

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended