Re: 5tps "ON THE RADAR hall of famer" thread. Today's HOF candidate: GARRETT ANDERSON
http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-braves/anderson-consistent-during-100772.html
Anderson consistent during Braves' winning stretch
By
CARROLL ROGERS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
8:41 p.m. Saturday, July 25, 2009
Milwaukee ? Garret Anderson isn?t as flashy as Yunel Escobar and hasn?t caused quite the stir of Martin Prado, but he has given the Braves a nice lift during their recent stretch of success.
Anderson hit .455 (10-for-22) on their recent 6-2 homestand and backed that up with a 3-for-5 night in the series opener against the Brewers on Friday night.
As the Braves were winning 10 of their past 14 games, Anderson was hitting .349 (15-for-43) with two homers, four doubles and six RBIs.
That got him up to .293 on the season, which is about right for a career .296 hitter.
?Just playing is fun,? said Anderson, who hit only .200 in April after missing time with both a calf injury coming out of spring training and later a quadriceps strain. ?The way I started the season off, being hurt and not playing well, the thing that bothered me most is that I just couldn?t get on the field for those two weeks and having some nagging things.?
Casey Kotchman, who was a teammate of Anderson with the Angels and has known him since Kotchman was a kid, said this is what he would expect from Anderson.
?He?s always hit,? Kotchman said. ?You wouldn?t expect anything different. He and Manny Ramirez are the only guys to hit .280 [or better] for the last 14 years. That?s pretty consistent. You just don?t hear a whole lot about him, being on the west coast for so long, and he?s quiet. He doesn?t seek attention.?
Anderson missed the first part of spring training because he signed late (Feb. 24) and after hurting his calf, rushed back for the start of the season.
?You have an artificial deadline to get on the field by Opening Day because you want to be out there,? Kotchman said. ?The game is hard enough when you feel good.?
Gonzalez says he?s ready
Reliever Mike Gonzalez saw marked improvement overnight in the bone bruise on his left forearm and declared himself ready to pitch Saturday.
Originally the Braves had wanted Gonzalez to wait until Sunday before even playing catch and to hold him out until the Marlins series that starts Tuesday. But an anti-inflammatory patch helped reduce the swelling to the point where Gonzalez was ready to throw in the bullpen Saturday, and he felt confident he would be able to pitch Saturday night.
