Rick Anderson
Baseball Coach

Rick Anderson, a 1975 Mariner High School graduate, was an All-State high school pitcher. During his senior high school season, he pitched a no-hitter. Rick went on to play baseball at Everett Community College and was a two-year 19 game winner. Following his 2-year career at EVCC, he was recruited by the University of Washington to play baseball. As a junior in 1978, he led the Huskies in starts (13) and complete games (10) and was 5-6 with a 4.23 ERA and helped the Huskies record their first winning season in 12 years.

The New York Mets drafted Anderson in the 24th round of the 1978 MLB Draft and began his professional pitching career with Little Falls of the NY-Penn League. He spent over eight years as a minor league pitcher. In 1986 the New York Mets called him to replace an injured pitcher, thereby he made his MLB debut. He won a World Series with the New York Mets in 1986. After playing for the NY Mets for a season, he joined the Kansas City Royals, where he played until 1988.

Anderson retired as a player and accepted a job as a pitching coach for the Gulf Coast League Twins. He spent thirteen (13) seasons as a minor league coach and spent the last seven years of those 13 seasons at the AAA level. During this time, Rick was named the Minor League AAA Pitching Coach of the Year.

In 2002, he was named the Minnesota Twins’ pitching coach. He remained the pitching coach with the Twins until 2014. From 2002-2010, Twins pitchers posted the 3rd lowest ERA in the American League at 4.11. The Twins reached the postseason six times in the first nine seasons under Ron Gardenhire and Rick Anderson. Anderson was named the Detroit Tigers bullpen coach for the 2018 season. Later in 2018, he was promoted to pitching coach for the Tigers and he served as the Tigers pitching coach through the 2020 season.

In following Rick’s outstanding athletic and coaching career, Anderson is an inaugural inductee of the Everett Community College Athletics Hall of Fame. Rick Anderson is currently retired with a well-earned MLB pension and is continuing to inspire others in the community.

GALLERY