'Lil Unit' Makes first start in four years

Published on June 1, 2005 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Brevard County Manatees News Release


Former Seattle Mariners and Minor League Baseball #1 prospect Ryan 'Lil Unit' Anderson will make his first start in over four years tonight in game 1 of a 5:00 doubleheader with the Daytona Cubs.

Anderson, the former first round pick, has been on the shelf with major injuries to his throwing arm since last throwing in a game on September 4, 2000.

It's been four years since Ryan Anderson has pitched an inning of competitive baseball. Nicknamed the ‘Lil Unit' because of his similarities to Randy Johnson, Anderson has been struggling through major injuries over the last for years in the Seattle Mariners organization. After being released earlier this year by the Mariners, Anderson was singed by the Milwaukee Brewers and assigned here, to the Brevard County Manatees to make his comeback.

Last Thursday night Anderson pitched one inning of perfect ball, striking out two Lakeland Tigers batters. Though this is far from the 162 strikeouts he recorded in 1999 with the New Haven Ravens, it's a start and that's all anyone, Anderson included, could ask for.

The fireballing left hander was a first round selection in 1997 by the Mariners and was the 19th selection overall. During his senior year of high school Anderson struck out 133 of the 154 batters he faced while picking up three no-hitters in just seven starts all of which he completed. After being selected in the draft by Seattle he started his first full season with single-A Wisconsin.

It was during this first full season that his injury problems began to creep up. After starting the first month pitching lights out he landed on the disabled list for a month with a strained left tricep. Even after sitting out from May 12 through June 9 he still finished the year with 152 strikeouts averaging 12.29 per nine innings.

In 1999 he earned a promotion to AA-New Haven where he pitched his only full healthy season. He led the Eastern League with 162 strikeouts, though he missed most of July pitching in two All-Star games and then for Team USA.

Even after racking up 13 losses in New Haven his pure pitching and strikeouts where enough to garner him another promotion in 2000, this time to AAA-Tacoma. He made 20 starts for Tacoma, though he did once again miss part of the year on the DL with a strained left shoulder. Anderson finished 2000 with 146 strikeouts in just 104.0 innings giving him his best ever ratio of 12.63 strikeouts per nine innings. After the season Baseball America listed Ryan as the top Pacific Coast League prospect.

It was after 2000 that the major injuries would begin to plague Anderson. In 2001 he missed the entire season after tearing his rotator cuff in his left shoulder during Spring Training. 2002 saw him recovering from the surgery and then had another surgery in March of '02 to clean up the injury. The following year was a near repeat of 2002. He spent the early part of the year rehabbing from the rotator cuff injury and then underwent exploratory surgery in June of 2003. He missed his fourth consecutive season in 2004 rehabbing from his surgery.

But now it's 2005 and Anderson looks to put all of his injuries behind him. He is with a new organization, with a new outlook on the game. As one ‘Unit' comes to the end of his career we look for the new ‘Unit' to try to fill his spot.

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Florida State League Stories from June 1, 2005


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