Nick Anderson (baseball)

Nick Paul Anderson (born July 5, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, Atlanta Braves and Kansas City Royals.

Amateur career
Anderson attended Brainerd High School in Brainerd, Minnesota. He played college baseball at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota for three years (2009–2011). He transferred to NAIA Mayville State University in Mayville, North Dakota, for his senior season in 2012. In 12 games (11 starts) his senior year, he went 5–2 with a 1.95 ERA.

Independent Leagues
The Milwaukee Brewers selected Anderson in the 32nd round of the 2012 MLB draft. He did not sign with the Brewers and played in the independent baseball Frontier League for three seasons. He played for the Rockford RiverHawks/Aviators in 2012 and 2013, and for the Frontier Greys in 2015.

Minnesota Twins
Anderson's contract was purchased by the Minnesota Twins in August 2015. He played in 9 games for the Cedar Rapids Kernels in 2015, recording a 0.75 ERA in 12 innings. He split the 2016 season between Cedar Rapids and the Fort Myers Miracle, accumulating a 4–3 record with a 2.65 ERA in 57.2 innings. In 2017, he played for Fort Myers and the Chattanooga Lookouts, accumulating a 4–1 record with a 1.00 ERA in 53.1 innings. He spent the 2018 season with the Rochester Red Wings, going 8–2 with a 3.30 ERA in 60 innings.

Miami Marlins
On November 20, 2018, the Twins traded Anderson to the Miami Marlins for Brian Schales, and the Marlins added him to their 40-man roster.

Anderson made the Marlins' 2019 Opening Day roster. On March 28, 2019, he made his major league debut against the Colorado Rockies. Anderson retired Ryan McMahon, the only batter he faced.

Anderson collected his first major league win on May 21 in a 5-4 11-inning game against the Detroit Tigers. He pitched the final two innings allowing no runs while striking out a career-high five batters. Before July 31, 2019, Anderson had appeared in 45 games with 69 strikeouts in $43 2/3$ innings.

Tampa Bay Rays
On July 31, 2019, Anderson was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays (along with Trevor Richards) in exchange for Jesús Sánchez and Ryne Stanek. After the trade, he had an ERA of 2.11 in $21 1/3$ innings with 41 strikeouts.

In 2020, Anderson went 2–1 with six saves and an 0.55 ERA in $16 1/3$ innings over 19 games. In the 2020 postseason, as the Rays made their second World Series appearance in franchise history, Anderson made seven consecutive postseason appearances while allowing a run, breaking an MLB record. After the season, he was named to the All-MLB Team.

On March 25, 2021, it was announced that Anderson had suffered a partial tear of his elbow ligament and would miss time until at least the All-Star break. On March 26, Anderson was placed on the 60-day injured list. Anderson was activated from the injured list on September 12 to make his season debut. Anderson was able to work to a 4.50 ERA in 6 appearances for the Rays in 2021.

On October 27, 2021, Anderson underwent right elbow surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament with an internal brace procedure. The surgery was an alternative to Tommy John surgery, but Anderson was projected to remain out through the 2022 All-Star break.

On March 22, 2022, Anderson signed a $845,000 contract with the Rays, avoiding salary arbitration. On August 22, Anderson was activated from the injured list and optioned to Triple-A Durham. On November 9, 2022, Anderson was placed on outright waivers. After clearing waivers, Anderson became a free agent the next day.

Atlanta Braves
On November 11, 2022, Anderson signed a one-year, non-guaranteed split contract with the Atlanta Braves. Anderson was optioned to the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers to begin the 2023 season. However, after it was revealed that Raisel Iglesias would begin the year on the injured list, the Braves announced that Anderson had made the Opening Day roster as part of the bullpen. After posting a 3.06 ERA with 36 strikeouts through 35 games, Anderson was placed on the 60-day injured list with a right shoulder strain on July 13, 2023.

Kansas City Royals
On November 17, 2023, the Braves traded Anderson to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for cash considerations. In 37 relief outings for the Royals, he compiled a 3-1 win-loss record, a 1.40 WHIP and a 4.04 ERA with 29 strikeouts, 15 walks, 2 holds and 1 save across $35 2⁄3$ innings pitched. Anderson was designated for assignment by the Royals on July 13, 2024, after the team acquired reliever Hunter Harvey in a trade with the Washington Nationals. He was released by the organization on July 18.

Personal life
In 2010, while at St. Cloud State University, Anderson received a drunken driving charge and in 2011 he spent eight days in jail on an assault charge that involved a baseball bat and alcohol. He received probation and underwent mandatory Alcoholics Anonymous and anger management classes.