The plan seemed oh so simple.
Brian Anderson, one of the Miami Marlins’ top up-and-comers who finished fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting last season and is viewed as a fixture in the team’s rebuild, would be the team’s everyday third baseman.
It’s all he did in spring training. It’s where he played for the first 20 games of the season. It’s where he spent months honing his defensive skills.
But, as they often do, plans go awry.
Garrett Cooper, the Marlins’ Opening Day right fielder, went on the Injured List three games into the season after suffering a left calf strain.