Renteria: Anderson can get untracked at big-league level

SHARE Renteria: Anderson can get untracked at big-league level
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Tim Anderson, left, can’t hang on to a ground ball by Tampa Bay Rays’ Evan Longoria while trying to get Corey Dickerson, right, at third base on June 7, 2017, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Anderson was charged with an error, one of 16 he’s made this season. (AP)

MINNEAPOLIS — Shortstop Tim Anderson’s struggles during his second season bear watching, and while they came to a head during the White Sox’ 4-2 loss Wednesday to the Twins, manager Rick Renteria suggested a demotion to Class AAA Charlotte isn’t being considered.Moments after Renteria discussed the scrutiny surrounding Anderson’s poor start, the Cubs sent struggling Kyle Schwarber and his .171 batting average to Class AAA Iowa on Thursday.Schwarber, three months older than Anderson (who turns 24 on Friday), is also a first-round pick who more than passed his initial tests in the majors, in even more dramatic fashion with a heroic World Series performance last season — his second year in the majors.The Cubs are in a different, win-now position than the rebuilding Sox and can’t afford to carry on with Schwarber’s lack of production.Anderson, though, is battling offensive problems with a .258/.285/.377 batting line as well as leading the majors with 16 errors. The combination of the two has opened the discussion about whether the minor leagues would be the best place to get his game corrected.Asked before the Sox played the Twins if Anderson’s issues can be corrected at the big-league level, Renteria said, “absolutely.’’“What happens is, when things don’t work out as well as you’d want them to on a particular day, it’s there for everybody to see,’’ Renteria said.“That’s why everybody takes notice, and that’s natural. The one thing we have to do as a staff and players is step back and stay away from the fray of that attention and stay focused on what you have to do. Minimize how all the noise affects you and continue to play the game.’’Renteria ardently backs his players and is rarely critical of them with the media, but after Anderson failed to turn a key double play Wednesday, Renteria was obviously perturbed.“We needed that double play,’’ he said. “He was deep, came across in the same motion and wasn’t able to get a grip on the ball. Probably should have been a little more aggressive coming to the bag, but he wasn’t.“You have to play clean baseball. We just didn’t play clean baseball.’’That’s about as strong as it gets for Renteria, who talked things over with Anderson after the game. Bench coach Joe McEwing also has kept close tabs on Anderson, working to fix footwork issues and mixing tough love with encouraging pats on the back.“For them to point it out and come to me and tell me, to see what’s happening in my career, for it not to go down the wrong way, speaks a lot of them,’’ said Anderson, who went 2-for-6 with a double and an RBI in the finale against the Twins.The Sox signed Anderson to a $25 million extension well before his arbitration-eligible years, so they have a significant stake in seeing him develop. Anderson knows it.“There’s a little frustration on both sides [offense and defense],’’ he said. “I’m just trying to manage it, balance it out and separate it from each other.’’A late bloomer who did not play baseball till his junior year in high school, Anderson was drafted out of junior college in 2013 and was promoted to Class AA Birmingham in 2014.He played 55 games at Charlotte in 2016 before the Sox promoted him to the majors on June 10. Anderson hit .283/.306/.432 with nine homers in 99 games and committed 14 errors.This sophomore slump is concerning, but it might be too soon to panic.“Well, give him some time,’’ an American League scout said Wednesday. “He was rushed, just like most top draft picks.’’Renteria showed confidence in Anderson by inserting him in the leadoff spot, and he responded by starting a five-run first against Nik Turley with a single to center. He ended the inning with a flyout to the warning track in center.Follow me on Twitter @CST_soxvan.Email: dvanschouwen@suntimes.comRELATED STORIES

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