Chicago White Sox Anderson was drafted by the
Chicago White Sox in the first round (15th overall) of the
2003 Major League Baseball draft. He made his major league debut on August 16, 2005 against the Minnesota Twins, finishing the game 2-for-7 in a 16-inning loss. Anderson appeared in 13 games for the White Sox, batting .176 with two home runs and 3 RBI. That offseason, Chicago traded
Aaron Rowand to the
Philadelphia Phillies in a deal that brought
Jim Thome to Chicago, clearing the way for Anderson to become the starting center fielder. In 2006, Anderson showed himself to be a gifted defensive outfielder, though he struggled offensively, finishing with a .225 batting average, eight home runs and 33 RBI in 133 games. Anderson did not commit an error at the Major League level until August 18, 2006 against the Minnesota Twins, ending his streak of 110 errorless games. On May 20, 2006, Anderson was ejected from an interleague game against the
Chicago Cubs for fighting with Cubs first baseman
John Mabry. He was fined and served a five-game suspension. Anderson lost his starting job to
Darin Erstad in 2007, and after only 17 at-bats was sent down to the White Sox' AAA affiliate, the
Charlotte Knights. At Charlotte, Anderson hit for a .255 average before his season ended with an injury, a disappointment in contrast to his 2005 season in which he hit .294. He eventually earned a spot back on the major-league roster in 2008 as a backup outfielder after a superb spring training changed the organization's negative perceptions of his effort. Anderson again made the major-league roster in 2009 as a backup outfielder, with
DeWayne Wise starting in center field. However, Anderson retrieved the starting job after Wise was injured in April.
Boston Red Sox On July 28, 2009, Anderson was traded to the
Boston Red Sox for
Mark Kotsay and cash considerations. He was non-tendered after the season.
Transition to pitching Kansas City Royals On December 22, 2009, Anderson signed a one-year, $700,000 contract with the
Kansas City Royals. After spring training, Anderson informed the Royals that he wanted to become a pitcher. The Royals allowed Anderson to become a pitcher in the low minors. Anderson began the 2010 season with the Rookie-level
Arizona Royals and was later promoted to the
Burlington Bees, followed by the
Omaha Royals. He started off the season with the Double-A
Trenton Thunder, recording one win, three holds, and a 1.17
earned run average (ERA) in seven appearances.
Los Angeles Dodgers On February 26, 2012, Anderson signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers with an invitation to spring training. On March 31, he was released. He was released eight days later. He was released on April 2. ==Coaching career==