Former AL batting champion hits rock bottom with Marlins DFA

Two-time All-Star shortstop and former American League batting champion Tim Anderson may have hit rock bottom on Tuesday.

Insider Craig Mish explained the Miami Marlins' decision, saying that Anderson appeared to be a good teammate but struggled mightily on the field.

The 31-year-old was selected by the Chicago White Sox with the 17th overall pick in the 2013 MLB June Amateur Draft and made his big-league debut in June 2016. Anderson played his first eight seasons with the South Siders, winning the 2019 AL batting title with a career-high .335 batting average.

He won a Silver Slugger Award during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign and was an All-Star in 2021 and 2022.

Following a dismal 2023 season, Chicago let Anderson walk into free agency, declining their option on the Tuscaloosa, Alabama native. Anderson finished last year with a career-low one home run, adding only 25 RBI and a brutal .245/.286/.296 slash line.

He also posted an ugly 122-to-26 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his 493 at-bats, covering 123 games. Anderson missed three weeks in April due to injury and was later suspended six games for his role in a brawl with the Cleveland Guardians.

He was offered the starting shortstop gig in South Beach in late February and signed a one-year, $5M contract with the Marlins shortly thereafter.

Anderson finished his 65-game tenure with Miami with 0 home runs, nine RBI, three doubles, four stolen bases (and four times caught stealing) and a .214/.237/.226 slash line over 234 at-bats.