40 days till FSU baseball: Jack Anderson in position for breakout sophomore year

Jack Anderson came into FSU as the Seminoles’ highest rated freshman pitcher, but was never really given an opportunity to make an impact last year. Anderson made just six appearances and one start, throwing 7.2 innings and giving up six runs. In Anderson’s one start, he put up four strikeouts in 2.1 innings while giving up 1 run.

This year, a new-and-improved arsenal of off-speed pitches will lead to more opportunities for the sophomore. Last season, Jack’s curveball was more of a 12-6, loopy action in the mid-70’s. This year, the breaking ball is a low 80’s slider which is effective versus righties and lefties. The changeup is also much more effective this year, he can throw it to either side of the plate in the high 70’s to low 80’s. The ball tails away from lefties and makes it hard for them to lay off and not roll over. The changeup was very rarely used for Anderson last year, but will be a key pitch for him in 2020. The fastball comes in the 89-92 range and tops out at 93 with some two-seam tail.

The key for Jack will be keeping the ball down in the zone. Last year, he didn’t struggle so much with command, but instead location. Coming out of high school and being a three-year ace, Anderson was a bit of a ‘thrower’ instead of a pitcher. This year, Anderson looks to be a completely different pitcher with a different mindset on the mound. Jack showed the improvement in fall, giving up just one run and two hits in five innings of work. The Tampa-native also struck out six batters compared to just one. Most importantly, Jack rarely missed his spots in the fall. If he continues to do that, he will see lots of action in the fall.

Anderson will likely be Mike Martin Jr.’s first option to start midweek games, just ahead of FR Bryce Hubbart. The righty is one of the top three candidates to fill in a weekend role next season, so the coaching staff would like to get him experience in a starting role. The Jesuit HS pitcher threw 184+ innings in his HS career and is used to starting every week. With polished off-speed pitches and more opportunities, FSU’s top sophomore pitcher should be in store for quite the breakout year.