Shortstop Tim Anderson had three hits in the Chicago White Sox’s 11-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on June 28, 2022. It might have seemed like just another American League game in the summertime, but it has turned out to the dividing line of a puzzling change in the former Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa star’s Major League Baseball career.

The game was the 219th for Anderson since the start of the 2019 season. During those contests, Anderson had a .334 batting average and .504 slugging percentage. He accumulated 155 runs, 96 RBIs and 33 home runs in that span.

Since that game, Anderson has played in 220 MLB contests. In those games, he has a .236 batting average and a .277 slugging percentage. He accumulated 89 runs, 40 RBIs and two home runs in that span.

What happened to the two-time All-Star?

“Just a couple of injuries, you know, some bad decisions in life,” Anderson said during an appearance on “The White Sox Podcast.”

Anderson said playing in the big leagues is tough enough, and “if you have a lot of things going on, it makes it even a lot tougher. Just losing your head in such a detailed game like this, you definitely could be lost. And, you know, that’s something that I done witnessed and I’ve been a part of, so just being able to get to this point now to where I’m able to control the moment, control the breathing and really, really be what my feet are and just enjoy the moment.”

Anderson signed with the Angels in January. He’d been out of baseball since the Miami Marlins designated him for assignment on July 2, 2024.

“Definitely grateful,” Anderson said about being at spring training with Los Angeles. “Definitely happy to be where my feet are today.”

Anderson earned All-State honors at Hillcrest High School in 2011. He also helped the Patriots win the AHSAA Class 6A boys’ basketball championship that year.

The White Sox chose Anderson from East Central Community College at No. 17 in the 2013 draft, and he became Chicago’s regular shortstop during the 2016 season, a position he held for the next seven seasons.

The White Sox had signed Anderson to a six-year, $25 million contract before the 2017 season. He had hit .283 in 99 games in the 2016 season, and at that time, his deal was the most lucrative signed by a player with less than one full season of MLB experience. The contract included team options for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Chicago declined the 2024 option, choosing to pay Anderson a $1 million buyout to become a free agent rather than $14 million to play another season for the White Sox.

The Marlins signed Anderson to a one-year, $5 million contract as a free agent in February 2024 hoping he would regain his all-star form. But in 65 games last season, Anderson had a .214 batting average, a .237 on-base percentage and a .226 slugging percentage. With 68, he had 11 more strikeouts than hits and walks combined in the 2024 season.

“There’s still more that is in there somewhere,” Anderson said. “It’s just up on me to go find it and tap back into it. And where I am today, you know, I’m in such a way better spot and way better position and being around a lot of a lot of great people in this organization that really care about you — more so your mental and just really care about you as a person. That’s what definitely’s kept me going here, for sure.”

Anderson said he’s tried to start from zero.

“The biggest thing is really not forgetting what I have done in this game,” Anderson said. “And I’ve done some great things, so I have something to be proud of, you know, so trying not to whup myself up too much. But starting at zero, bro, it gives you a different grind and gives you a different hunger. I’m like super hungry again. You know, I still want to be great.”

Through 12 Cactus League games, Anderson has a .258 batting average with one home run for the Angels.

“I went back to the basics on understanding my swing and what I did special and just trying to get back to it,” Anderson said. “… It’s still there. All the tools that I had, they’re still there. It’s just about: How can I unlock them and get back to them, to activate them? And I think we’ve been doing a great job with the hitting guys and the infield guys, and just being around these guys and definitely, you know, kind of make me feel more of myself and finding myself.”

Anderson is working for a place on the Los Angeles roster when the Angels open the season against the White Sox on March 27. In addition to shortstop, he’s worked at second base and in the outfield.

“If I accomplish what I’m trying to accomplish, then the story is going to be so beautiful and so great,” Anderson said. “And I’m going to be so happy. But the biggest thing right now is just continue to keep going, keep trying to get better. Don’t look too far ahead. Just look right where my feet are. And just taking a step at a time. We’re in no rush nowhere. It’s just really build this thing back brick by brick.”

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.