Tim Anderson

Early life

Anderson was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. His father, Tim Sr., was arrested on drug trafficking charges before he was born and served the first 15 years of Tim Jr.'s life in prison. His birth mother was already raising four children and was unable to care for Anderson as well, so he was raised by his aunt and uncle along with their three children. His grandfather took him to visit his father often, so that they could have a relationship.

Anderson attended Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Anderson played little league baseball as a kid but eventually cut the sport out of his life up until his junior year of high school. He focused on basketball in his first two years of high school, but broke both of his legs during his sophomore year. In his junior year, he played both baseball and basketball. As a junior, Anderson batted .333 as a left fielder. In his senior year, Anderson played as an infielder and batted .420. He was a part of the state basketball championship winning team in his senior year. Standing at 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m), Anderson decided that he was likely too short to play professional basketball.

College career

Anderson enrolled at East Central Community College in Decatur, Mississippi, to play college baseball. East Central was the only school to offer Anderson a baseball scholarship. In his freshman season, Anderson batted .360 with four home runs, 37 runs batted in (RBIs), and 30 stolen bases without being caught stealing. However, he received no interest from Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, and was not selected in the 2012 MLB draft. Returning to East Central for his sophomore year, Anderson had a breakout season, leading all junior college baseball players with a .495 batting average. He was named a first-team National Junior College Athletic Association Division II All-American. He committed to transfer to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

Professional career

Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox selected Anderson in the first round, with the 17th overall selection, in the 2013 MLB draft. Anderson opted to sign with the White Sox, rather than enroll at UAB, for a signing bonus of $2,164,000. Though expected to make his professional debut with the Bristol White Sox of the Rookie-level Appalachian League, the White Sox assigned Anderson to the Kannapolis Intimidators of the Single–A South Atlantic League instead, a higher level than rookie ball. He batted .277 with one home run, 21 RBIs, and 24 stolen bases in 68 games for Kannapolis.

In 2014, Anderson began the season with the Winston-Salem Dash of the High–A Carolina League. He broke his wrist in late June, requiring surgery. In 68 games, Anderson had a .297 batting average, six home runs, and 10 stolen bases. He also committed 31 errors. When he returned in August, the White Sox promoted him to the Birmingham Barons of the Double–A Southern League, where he batted .364 in 10 games. The White Sox assigned Anderson to the Glendale Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League after the regular season.

The White Sox invited Anderson to spring training in 2015. He spent the season with Birmingham, batting .312 with five home runs and 49 stolen bases, while also committing 25 errors. Invited to spring training again in 2016, the White Sox assigned him to the Charlotte Knights of the Triple–A International League at the beginning of the season. In 55 games for Charlotte, Anderson batted .304 with four home runs, 20 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases.

On June 10, 2016, the White Sox designated Jimmy Rollins for assignment and promoted Anderson to the major leagues. Anderson made his MLB debut that day, hitting a double off of Ian Kennedy of the Kansas City Royals in his first at bat. In the 2016 season, Anderson batted .283 with nine home runs in 99 games for the White Sox.

Before the 2017 season, Anderson signed a six-year contract worth $25 million, with club options for both the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He struggled in April 2017, batting .204 and striking out 24 times in 22 games. For the 2017 season, Anderson batted .257/.276/.402, walked in 2.1% of his at bats (the lowest percentage in the major leagues), and had the lowest walks-per-strikeout ratio in the majors (0.08). On defense, he led the major leagues in errors, with 28, and in fielding errors (with 16) and throwing errors (with 12).

Miami Marlins

On February 24, 2024, Anderson signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Miami Marlins. In 65 games for the Marlins, he batted .214/.237/.226 with no home runs, nine RBI, and four stolen bases. On July 2, Anderson was designated for assignment by Miami. He was released by the organization on July 5.

Los Angeles Angels

On February 4, 2025, Anderson finalized a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels. On March 25, the Angels selected Anderson's contract, putting him on the Opening Day roster. In 31 appearances, he batted .205/.258/.241 with three RBI and one stolen base. On May 28, Anderson was designated for assignment by the Angels. He was released by the team on May 30.

On August 10, 2026, Anderson announced his retirement from professional baseball. The White Sox announced that they would honor him before their game on September 17.

Personal life

Anderson and his wife, Bria (née Evans), have two daughters and a son. As of 2020, the family resided in Chicago year-round. In 2023, he acknowledged that he fathered a son outside of his marriage.

In 2017, Anderson's best friend was shot and killed in Tuscaloosa; they were godfathers to each other's daughters. This inspired Anderson to create a charitable foundation, called Anderson's League of Leaders, with the goal of supporting children in school and at home. The foundation financially supports interventions in various causes, including bullying and gun violence. Anderson has been known for doing charity work around the south and west sides of Chicago, which he calls his "adopted hometown". In 2019, Anderson brought 75 kids from the south side of Chicago to the theater to watch the film 42 (2013), a biopic about baseball player Jackie Robinson.