From The Dugout: A Work Ethic Like None Other
From The Dugout: A Look At Tyler Anderson
May 6, 2011
Current Oregon student and journalism major Kris Anderson examined the unprecedented work ethic of Oregon junior left-hander Tyler Anderson, providing this in depth look for 'From The Dugout.'
Kris will continue to provide features on the Oregon baseball team throughout the remainder of the 2011 season.
Don't forget the Ducks host UCLA for a three-game series this weekend. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. Friday night from PK Park.
A Work Ethic Like No Other
Kris Anderson, UO Journalism Student
Tyler Anderson's starts are generally routine. As he crosses the white lines and takes the mound, the next
three hours usually consist in upward of half-a-dozen strikeouts, maybe a rare
run or two, and a unique ability to mow down the best hitters the Pac-10 has to
offer. What was once considered remarkable, has now become expected from the
projected first-round draft pick. Just like his starts, there's something else that is
generally routine about Anderson. When the spotlight is turned off and the roar of the crowd
is long gone, that's when you'll usually find Anderson crossing the white
lines, once again. Anderson will come out of the locker room after games,
remove the tarp that covers the mound, and again, he gets to work. Whether he's
working on field drills or his pickoff move, Anderson knows that there's always
an area that he can improve. For a guy constantly trying to perfect his craft,
it's just another day at the office. "In the 11 years I've been coaching, he's got the best work
ethic of any pitcher I've ever had," says Oregon pitching coach Andrew
Checketts. Anderson has been the anchor of the Ducks pitching staff in
the three years he's been with the program. In 2010 as a sophomore, he led the
Ducks in earned run average, innings pitched and set a new school record for
strikeouts in a season. With that performance, the accolades followed. He was
the first Duck to be named to the Pac-10 All-Conference Team, and was voted as
the team's Most Valuable Pitcher. This season, the junior from Las Vegas has lived up to his
off-season billing. Ranked as the 16th college prospect in 2011 by
Baseball America, Anderson is currently among the conference leaders in earned
run average, strikeouts, opponent's batting average and wins. But as a freshman, Anderson wasn't immediately touted as the
staff ace. In fact, he entered the program at No. 13 out of 14 pitchers on the
depth chart, and wasn't even supposed to be a Duck. Anderson was ready to
attend junior college before he signed with Oregon a month before school
started. The Spring Valley High School star had excelled based on his
natural ability, but his legendary work ethic wasn't created until he faced a
harsh reality. "In high school, I was one of the lazy kids," Anderson said.
"In high school, I always felt like I was better than most people. Almost
anyone who's playing Division I baseball, when they were in little league, they
were usually one of the best on the team. And when they were in high school,
they were one of the best guys on the team, and it just kind of came that way
for me. "Then I got to Oregon and realized I was probably the worst
guy on the team, and that had to change. The only way that was going to happen
was if I worked for it. That's just something that's been ingrained in me." Anderson's work ethic is something that breads success-and
how can you argue with the results? He lives by the idea that each day is a
chance to get better at something, and that's why he will be found at a gym at
6:30 a.m. the morning after a start while the team is on the road. Or if the
Ducks are home, he can be found running the stairs at Autzen Stadium. The
bottom line is, even with the stats, even with the accolades, even with the
success, Anderson is never satisfied. "I think a lot of that (work ethic) is the mentality; never
get complacent no matter what," he said. "You can get better at something
everyday... No matter what it is, there's something you can do everyday to get
better." Anderson draws from one of the best to play his position
when he needs a reminder of what it takes to be great. "Instead of being happy with where your at, I think Roy
Halladay said it best when he said, 'If you feel like your on top of a
mountain, then go find a bigger mountain to climb.' And that's kind of the way
I look at each day," Anderson said.
But Anderson's drive and determination has rubbed off on the entire Oregon pitching staff in the time he's been a Duck. For a team dominated by underclassmen, coaches will often point to Anderson as an example of how a college baseball player should push himself.
"We have a lot of guys here that are better because of him," Checketts said. "They see the work ethic and see the development.
"Scott McGough is a perfect example. He and Scott are best friends, and they've rubbed off on each other. He's really helped Scott with the work part of it, and how to pay extra special attention to all those details."
McGough, now a junior, is one of the leaders of the bullpen. As a freshman, McGough looked at Anderson as an example of how everyday is a chance to become better at your craft.
"There's nothing that's going to get in his way. I found that out my freshman year," McGough said. "I wasn't really friends with him in the fall and then kind of slowly, as we came back after the new year, we started hanging out and I just saw how hard he worked and how much he wanted it.
"That kind of pushed me toward him, because I wanted it too. I give him all the credit in the world-him and coach Checketts-for the pitching staff, where we've come and all the things we've done, because (Anderson) is our lead dog."
Anderson says that it's the other way around. He uses the rest of the pitching staff as motivation to keep pushing himself even when feels like clocking out for the day.
"I think I build off my teammates work ethic more than anything," the 6-foot-4 ace said. "Sometimes there are days when I'm tired, and I look around and all the pitchers are together. I'll see someone else next to me, and if I feel that I want to be better than him that day, then I better step it up."
While Anderson is home in the off-season, his training regimen includes working with mixed martial arts trainers who also work with Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters. Anderson will even bring a few of his teammates to train with him-at least the ones who feel like they can keep up with Anderson.
Anderson's work ethic does have a tendency to get him in trouble on occasion. He's one of the few players on the team that Checketts has to make sure he's not overworking himself. Anderson says that a bad outing or a mistake during a start will hang over him. His ambition to be perfect is what's at the core of his work ethic. And while striving for perfection can seem like a daunting task, it's been Anderson's recipe for turning himself into one of the best pitchers in college baseball.
"I'd say I'm guilty of that at times," he said of working too hard, "especially when I run into a bad outing or do something wrong. I feel like I want to make up for that by working even harder that week and that's when I run into trouble sometimes.
"I'll lift harder and run harder, which I probably shouldn't be doing because I'm already pushing myself as it is. So through that anger I'll keep doing more and keep throwing more, and then I end up being a little bit tired the next week. A lot of times Checketts has helped me with that, and he makes sure I tone it down and don't over do it."
Even though that personal drive can drain him, physically, it has been a welcomed problem amongst the rest of the pitching staff.
"I would say the positive out of that is that the younger guys, especially, see that," Checketts said. "He had one bad inning against Washington, and he was out there working even harder than he did before. The younger guys see that and they're like, 'man, there's a correlation between the hard work and the success that's Tyler's had.' It's good for the team, especially for the pitching staff to see him do that. He does work too hard sometimes, but that's a good problem to have. It's not a bad one."
In a couple of months Anderson will have the opportunity to join baseball's most elite and selective class of talent. The pitcher who entered the Oregon baseball program as one of the last guys on the depth chart, is now a largely self-made success that has Major League Baseball scouts ogling at his potential.
His ambition has influenced his team as much as Checketts and the Oregon program have influenced him. For a team where 21 of its 35 players are underclassmen, Anderson has been a role model. Oregon is a team of players with their own major league potential, and those players have the opportunity to learn from Anderson who takes advantage of each day.
Crossing the white lines and working late into the night, or early morning runs to the gym will always be routine for Oregon's ace. Anderson continues to see himself as a work in progress, and pushes himself like few do to be a step above the rest.
But with his type of motivation, who knows what the limits of his potential are.
