PHOENIX — The Rockies’ hot prospects heading into last year’s spring training were right-handed pitchers Jon Gray and Eddie Butler. They’ll reprise that role in three months when the club reports to Scottsdale, Ariz.
And you can add Tyler Anderson to the list.
At Double-A Tulsa last season, the left-handed Anderson was the Texas League pitcher of the year. The Rockies’ 2011 first-round pick was very impressive down the stretch, going 4-1 with a 0.93 ERA in his final 10 starts. But in the second game of the playoffs, Anderson was lifted after three innings because of elbow pain.
That raised red flags, but general manager Jeff Bridich said Wednesday that Anderson should be fine come spring.
“There are no major issues. His elbow is healing as expected,” Bridich said. “The expectation is that all will go well during the offseason.”
If so, what does that mean for 2015?
“Hopefully he will put himself on the radar,” Bridich said.
So it’s conceivable that Anderson could make the 25-man roster out of spring training?
“I think conceivable is the right word,” Bridich said.
The other Anderson. One of Bridich’s first big decisions as the new GM was to decline Brett Anderson’s $12 million contract option, making the oft-injured left-hander a free agent. Bridich expounded on that decision Wednesday.
“Brett has a lengthy injury history in his career to this point,” Bridich said. “But when he pitched for us, he was pretty good, so a lot of it was about timing. If the (deadline) had been deeper into the season and he’d had more chance to rehab, things might have been different. Maybe. But the contract was what it was.”
Anderson started eight games last season for the Rockies and has only 19 starts in the past three seasons.
Footnotes. Catching prospect Tommy Murphy, whose 2014 season was wrecked by shoulder issues, has been working out in Boston. According to Bridich, Murphy is back to throwing at 100 percent. … First baseman Ben Paulsen, who shined when he was called up late last season, could once again get a chance to play right field next season. He started two games there and played well.
