GLENDALE, Ariz. — Tim Anderson is an open book, turning pages with each passing year as he matures as a player, as a man, as a face of the franchise personality.
That bat-flipping Anderson fans came to love? The one who actually ran a bat-flip clinic at Sox Fest? That might be a Tim of the past. Maybe, maybe not.
“I don’t have to,” Anderson told the Sun-Times. “I don’t have to do all that. Go back and look at my game the last three years, my game speaks for itself. Three years in a row it’s been consistent.”
Anderson won a batting title in 2019, a Silver Slugger and MVP votes in 2020 and was an All-Star in 2021.
His energy and swagger were as evident as ever last season, but chucking bats after homers was taken down a notch.
“What do I have to do that for?” he said. “It was a point, it was a moment and it was cool. I don’t have to flip the bat every time. If I feel it in the moment I will, but I don’t have to.”
Anderson has grown to respect 77-year-old manager Tony La Russa, who is no fan of the flip. He didn’t flip as much in La Russa’s first season but says it has nothing to do with his Hall of Fame manager.
“I told Tony when he first got here, ‘I’m not going to change anything because of you,’ ” he said. “Because if I change for you then you’re not going to get 100 percent out of me. And that’s going to suck, because I’m acting like I’m something I’m not.”
And La Russa is cool with that.
“I know he is, I know he is,” Anderson said. “He’s on whatever I’m on. He knows I’m not going to do anything to make him look bad or make the organization look bad. I’m mature enough, I’m on my own now, I’m a big kid. Mature enough to handle my business like you guys have seen for three years. How I represent myself.”
How Anderson represents himself, markets his brand and builds his fan base is a big deal to him. He is busy on social media, has his own YouTube channel and is very active in the community with wife Bria. A father of two girls, they live in the south suburbs year round.
The Sox are also promoting their biggest star. On Tuesday, they will release “TA7: The Story of Tim Anderson,” a five-part documentary series exploring Anderson’s baseball journey on the Sox YouTube channel.
“It’s pretty dope,” Anderson said Tuesday. “It’s going to be pretty cool. Giving a chance for people to get in-depth with things I’ve been through.”
There are interviews with Anderson, Sox vice president Ken Williams, Bo Jackson, Anderson’s family where he had a challenged upbringing in Alabama and his high school coach.
“It’s kind of good to hear from other people to see the journey I’ve been on and understand,” Anderson said. “Know what kind of person I am. Hopefully they will understand me a little bit better.”
While the Sox produced this one, so much of Anderson’s brand is built on sending his own message. He takes pride knowing it’s authentic.
“Nothing is fake. Everything I tweet is realistic, maybe a song, maybe off my feelings,” he said. “Everything I post is in the moment. Some content I shot that really fits me. I bring my best energy to it and it will echo around the room where I’m at. Now there are more fans and those fans are going to tell everyone else, ‘Man he’s so cool. Like, he’s real.’ ’’
Anderson says it would be cool to be a White Sox well beyond his $25 million, six-year contract that pays him $9.5 million this season. There are club options of $12.5 million and $14 million in 2023 and ‘24, bargains in today’s top shortstop market.
He is more than open to an extension but said he is unaware of any such discussions going on.
“I don’t know. Have you heard anything?” he said. “That would be nice if it did. Maybe if I get a new deal I can have some more kids. I can’t afford them right now.”
Anderson laughed his infectious laugh saying that. He has no regrets about signing his current deal well before his free agent year.
“I ain’t mad,” he said. “It was a good deal, a win-win. I’m still able to enjoy life. And just play.
“I think I performed up to it, so hopefully I get some more. So we’ll see.”
