Brett Anderson: “I love baseball too much to be hurt”

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

I’m thinking Brett Anderson did his homework. He heard that he might be traded to the Colorado Rockies, and so he did some research on the men who could potentially be his bosses. He tried to get into the minds of Dick Monfort, Dan O’Dowd, and Bill Geivett (scary places to go). On his journey, he saw O’Dowd’s recent comments about Dexter Fowler:

"Dexter’s a great kid and he knows that we all feel that way about him. But I think he’s got to get tougher. No doubt. He’s got to show up and play with an edge every day, not just when he thinks he has to. It’s got to be that edge that he brings every day. He’s got to be a passionate competitor in the game. He has to love the game. He’s got to compete because he loves the game and he loves his teammates and he wants to win. It can’t be for anything the game provides. It’s got to be for those reasons."

So then he thought that a good way to get off on the right foot with them would be to express his love for baseball, a love so strong that he can will himself not to get hurt (unlike Fowler last season, who clearly was injured by his lackadaisical approach as much as he was anything that happened on the baseball field). In that spirit, Anderson said the following in response to his troubling injury history (quotes from the Denver Post):

"I know it sounds corny, but I love baseball too much to be hurt…The foot injury was frustrating because I was in a boot for eight weeks. I still believe I am a good pitcher and one of the better ones when healthy.”"

You’re right…it does sound corny. And if it were that easy to stay healthy, I feel like somebody would have figured that out by now. You know what else? I know somebody with whom he can be fast friends. Introduce this man to Troy Tulowitzki.

Seriously though, I do like Anderson’s attitude here, and I am excited to cheer for him to buck his brief history as an injury-prone player. It’s just a funny quote given the bizarre theories this front office has about injuries. Shoot, if he can solve the riddle of altitude-caused injuries for them, well, they might make him part-owner.

As for Geivett, he had the following to say about the decision to trade Drew Pomeranz in the deal for Anderson (also from the Denver Post):

"We liked Drew, but Anderson gives us a chance to improve our rotation right now…We feel like we are getting an impact starter.”"

Even though the A’s claim to see Pomeranz as a starter, it would still appear that his best chance to matter for them anytime soon is out of the bullpen. That detour in his development makes this a great trade for the Rockies; even if Anderson doesn’t stay healthy or it doesn’t work out, we should praise the process because they got this one right.

Plus, Anderson will be fun to cheer for. Here’s another quote from him:

"“I have done everything I can to prevent injuries…That’s good to see and sounds good on paper, but I am anxious to go out and prove myself because I believe in the type of pitcher I am.”"

One last thing: @Chuck_Nazty might have some competition for best Rockies follow on Twitter. Follow @BrettAnderson49 and see for yourself.