Local youth and prep star eyes Texas Rangers debut

Published 12:04 am Wednesday, May 31, 2023

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Former West Orange-Stark High School standout and Port Arthur native Grant Anderson is in line to make his Major League Baseball debut with the Texas Rangers.

According to mlb.com/rangers, Anderson was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on Monday.

The right-hander has gone 2-0 with one save and a 3.54 ERA over 15 appearances between Round Rock and Double-A Frisco this season. He has struck out 47 of 116 (40.5 percent) batters faced in 2023, including 38 of 88 (43.2 percent) at the Triple-A level, good for the highest strikeout rate in the Pacific Coast League (minimum 20 innings pitched).

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Anderson attended McNeese State University and got drafted in the Major League Baseball Draft in June of 2018 after going in the 21st round with the 628th pick to the Seattle Mariners.

Anderson, a junior that season, was 4-7 on the mound for the Cowboys with a 3.86 ERA. He worked 81 2/3 innings and had 72 strikeouts.

In 2017 Anderson was one of the top bullpen pitchers in the Southland Conference. All of his appearances came out of the bullpen in which he finished with a 8-0 record with a 2.30 ERA in 31 appearances.

Anderson was a key cog in helping West Orange-Stark reach the Class 4A State Championship Game in 2015.

He started all four years for West Orange Stark varsity and batted .374 as a senior with 46 hits, 15 runs, 35 RBI, 16 doubles and five home runs.

Holds a 1.80 pop time and threw out 86.2% of all runners attempting to steal in four He complied a 7-3 record on the mound his senior year and was selected team captain 2013-15.