Not only has White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson burned through the first month of the season with a .375/.394/.615 slash line and already compiled 1.3 WAR, he has made the most of his big moments with commensurately showy celebrations. He shouts to his teammates in the dugout, leaps in the air and twirls his bat, and we already know of one team taking old hardball exception to a guy happy about his own success like athletes are allowed or expected to be in all the other sports.
The opponents of this are simply on the wrong side of history, however, and both the White Sox and MLB would be wise to lean in and push forward. Anderson is a player on the rise who's currently throwing off all kinds of ebullient energy, and while his soft-spoken nature belies the volume of his game, he sure sounds ready for the increased attention he deserves.
"I kind of feel like today’s Jackie Robinson," Anderson told Sports Illustrated. "That’s huge to say. But it’s cool, man, because he changed the game, and I feel like I’m getting to a point to where I need to change the game."
Don't get him wrong -- he's not being disrespectful of Robinson or his legacy, merely confident enough to cast himself as a pioneer in a different regard, telling SI he wants to break the "have fun" barrier.
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One might argue validly that Jose Bautista, Javier Baez and Francisco Lindor already beat him to it, if not Bryce Harper or even Pascual Perez or Reggie Jackson or Sammy Sosa. But we're in very different times when it comes to both the game's tolerance level for such displays and fans' desire for more of it.
And Anderson matters more because of where he grew up. A large part of the increased acceptance of on-field swag has been a better understanding of different baseball cultures around the world. What's considered rude behavior in this country may not be so frowned upon in Puerto Rico, Venezuela or the Dominican Republic -- and may in fact be encouraged and anticipated. Tales of experiences in winter ball are replete with individual players learning this first hand, and even those of us skeptical about the World Baseball Classic now must admit that one of its greatest benefits has been exposure to the same great players now free to play expressively and joyously, showing us what we've been missing.
Anderson is from Alabama, not some more distant land. He developed in this more restrictive environment and still is comfortable in his own skin being who he is, making him a tremendous asset for a changing sport always looking for ways to sell itself to the next generation. He's young, dynamic, upbeat, good-looking, quick to smile and playing the best baseball of his life.
The current hot streak may not last, but his value to the sport could be bigger than his numbers.
Commissioner Rob Manfred has spoken openly about marketing baseball in a way that grows the number of African-Americans participating, saying he's "committed to engaging all groups of young people, especially African-American youth, in our sport."
"We are particularly focused on growing our grass roots and development programs," Manfred said, "and most importantly making sure kids have fun playing our game through the Play Ball initiative."
Anderson has already created his own youth outreach program on the South Side and recently hosted a group of kids to screen the movie "42" on Jackie Robinson Day. He's walking the walk and talking the talk.
It would be wise for baseball to really put him out there.