Why Defensive Versatility Could Be Max Anderson’s Ticket to the Big Leagues

TOLEDO, Ohio — Keeping up on Nebraska baseball comes easily for Joba Chamberlain.

While his time as a member of the Cornhuskers baseball team may have been limited, he has remained an ardent supporter of the program since being drafted by the New York Yankees in 2006.

So, when the Detroit Tigers selected Nebraska infielder Max Anderson as their second-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, Chamberlain was watching from a distance and not a bit surprised that Anderson was being recognized.

“At Nebraska, we’re a very small, tight-knit community,” Chamberlain said. “With Max, there was always like, “Hey, have you seen this kid play?” Seeing the production he had as a freshman, his adaptability across the field, and his ability to just be a professional always stood out.

“It was the way he carried himself, I think, that showed why he’s beyond his years,” Chamberlain said. “He had a great group around him to help him do that. I think it was just his understanding of his ability to be a professional and go about his business and then just continue to get better every year.”

It wasn’t until 2025 that Chamberlain learned the admiration between the two was mutual.

Anderson’s brother sent a photo of Max wearing Joba’s jersey number through a Twitter direct message to Chamberlain, and Chamberlain has made it a priority to stay in contact.

“Growing up, I was always a fan of (Chamberlain) and Alex Gordon, because those were the guys,” Anderson said. “When I was young, that’s why I was watching in college, and then you just follow them in the big leagues. I wore number 62 for Joba when I was young, and I wore that all the way until high school.”

Did Anderson have hopes of matching Chamberlain’s talent for pitching?

“I did until I was about 12 years old and then, no,” Anderson said with a grin. “There was no chance.”

Keeping It Simple

Anderson estimates it takes about 15 minutes to drive to Fifth Third Field from his apartment. On this particular Sunday morning, his biggest decision was whether trying a new coffee shop along the way would be worth the stop.

Upon noticing the line stretching out the door, that idea was quickly squashed, and he continued to the field for the 4:00 pm start.

Anderson has a knack for remaining unbothered about most things. Whether it be studying ways to improve his launch angle or wondering if he has enough time to grab a coffee, he tends to approach most things with the same easygoing demeanor he always has,

In Anderson’s eyes, overcomplication will do you no favors.

The 24-year-old has maintained a strong sense of identity since his arrival with the Tigers’ farm system in 2023. Still, it wasn’t until 2025 that he began to establish himself as a household name within prospect conversations.

With Nebraska, Anderson’s ability to hit had never been a question.

During his final season with the Cornhuskers, Anderson hit .414 with a 1.224 OPS.

“(Max) has always known who he is,” a National League scout said. “I think a lot of guys could take a page out of his book. Doesn’t try to do anything fancy; he just hits. One of the purest hitters I’ve seen.”

Beginning the 2025 regular season with Double-A Erie, Anderson knocked a career-high 14 home runs before his eventual promotion to Triple-A Toledo. Over the course of the season, Anderson posted career highs in hits, runs, doubles, home runs, RBI, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS.

His offensive performance earned him an invitation to the Arizona Fall League to represent Detroit.

As you would expect, the offense didn’t slow down.

Over 14 games with the Scottsdale Scorpions, Anderson slashed an eye-popping .447/.609/.809 with a 1.418 OPS.

Believe it or not, he didn’t try anything largely new at the plate. It became more of a process of refining what has already proven effective.

“I think as you go up in the levels in baseball, you kind of figure out when to take your shots at the plate, so to speak, and when to dial it back a little bit,” Anderson said. “I think the more at-bats you get at the higher levels, the more you figure out when it’s okay to take your shots and not let those moments turn into something bad.

“When you try and do too much, I think that’s just a learning moment,” Anderson said. “It’s about growing up and figuring out that these guys are really good pitchers, so you’ve got to try and get them when they make mistakes. I think it’s just about taking what they give you and being able to be aggressive enough to go after it.”

Jump ahead to 2026, and the Midwest native is back for another look at the International League.

Offensively, not much has changed, and in his uniquely quiet way, Anderson is pacing for a career-high offensive season across the board.

Away from the plate, the focus has fallen to where Anderson will call home defensively. With a positionally heavy farm system, the Tigers have been presenting some new defensive assignments to a handful of players at different levels, in hopes that the exposure will breed versatility.

As always, Anderson has welcomed the challenge.

Before 2025, he had never played third base. Still, the combination of work at the hot corner during the 2025 regular season and in Arizona last fall has led him to find that the same uncomplicated approach he brings to the plate can also be applied to his defensive work, no matter where he’s required to play.

“I think it can only help,” Anderson said. “I think being able to play second and third is a huge plus for me. I think it’s becoming more normal for me to play third. It’s definitely a thing that you just have to get reps over there, and as many reps as you can in practice, and then in the games. I think the reps are just as important.

“I think defense is one of those things where you can take millions and millions of groundballs and keep on improving, and so much depends on your eyes and what you see out there,” Anderson said. “I think it’s been big for me to take a lot of groundballs and just to see all the types of different groundballs you can.”

Timing and Muscle Memory

Moving between second and third base, Anderson’s focus has been on both muscle memory and finding a pre-pitch stance that proves comfortable for him. The pre-pitch stance is how a player positions himself before contact.

For Anderson, it took a few revisions before he settled on a two-foot hop.

“I think that it goes with knowing your pitchers, with timing and everything,” Anderson said. “For me, I’m a two-foot hop guy now. Some guys have been trying out a split stance. There are different ways to do it. It’s something you need to be comfortable doing.

“For me, I’m comfortable doing the two-foot hop, and it keeps me locked in,” Anderson said. “I think being able to be comfortable at the start of defense, especially at third base, is big because then the ball can get on you really quickly.”

The two-foot position is both feet on the field, ending in a hop at contact. The split stance resembles that of a sprinter, with one foot slightly behind the other, allowing them to push off their back leg.

“It’s kind of the same for jumping,” Anderson said. “Maybe landing on your right foot if you’re better going to your back hand or if you’re better going to your forehand, landing on your left foot, and then kind of cheating the one way to help your disadvantages.

“I kind of messed around with (my stance) a little bit, but it’s kind of just another way for people that may not like the two feet to be quick and just another way to feel comfortable,” Anderson said. “I think having all the tools in your toolbox is a big thing in case something isn’t working out for you. For me right now, just the two feet is where I’m at.”

As for muscle memory? That is finding its rhythm, too, and, as always, Anderson isn’t approaching it at a pace he can’t handle.

“Second base and third base are so different,” Anderson said. “They’re about as different as infielder positions can get. I think, as I said, just taking those groundballs and building that muscle memory at third base is huge. Being able to have that memory just take over in the game, without having to think, is such a big thing in baseball.

“Just getting that in your brain that you’re going to be able to feel this ground ball, and you’ve done it before.”

From a distance, Joba Chamberlain continues to watch and hasn’t swayed in his belief that Anderson is exactly where he’s supposed to be, and that his character is already allowing him to make an impact.

“Max has always known that that’s his love language towards the game of baseball,” Chamberlain said. “He’s quiet, he’s reserved, very confident in the way he speaks and holds himself. You have to play to your ability and who you are. You can’t be somebody that you’re not, especially when trying to get to the highest level that you want to get to.

“He’s there, and that’s the hardest thing, knowing you’re so close, but yet you’re still kind of far away because it’s one thing to get there, it’s another thing to stay there.”