Following a season lost to an elbow injury, Anderson came into spring training healthy and ready to compete for a major league rotation spot. Unfortunately, his comeback hit a roadblock almost immediately, as the left-hander suffered an oblique injury in March that sidelined him until May. Once he did make his way back, Anderson showed why the Rockies spent a first-round draft pick on him. He dominated hitters at both the Double-A and Triple-A levels, prompting his promotion to the big leagues just over a month after his activation. He even found some success during his time in the majors, sporting a 3.54 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over 19 starts. Anderson certainly doesn't overwhelm hitters with his low-90s fastball, as his 7.8 K/9 shows, but his 50.9 percent groundball rate is a welcome sight considering many of his starts come at Coors Field. As long as Anderson can stay healthy, he should be a mainstay in the Rockies' rotation.

Expected by many to make a run at a back-end rotation spot for the Rockies, Anderson was unable to prove his worth to the organization due to an elbow injury that lingered from September 2014. The plan then changed to have Anderson partake in extended spring training in order to ease him into game action, but his elbow refused to comply. He was forced onto the 60-day disabled list in July, and finished the year without throwing a single pitch in a game. The former first-round pick will have a chance to join the big league rotation at some point this year, given his success with Double-A Tulsa in 2014 (1.98 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 106:40 K:BB), but he'll have to prove that he can stay healthy for a couple months in the minor leagues before that opportunity presents itself.

Though he possesses a first-round pedigree, Anderson hasn’t received much buzz in prospect circles due to a lack of premium velocity along with his relatively slow climb through the Rockies’ system for a three-year college pitcher. Despite those shortcomings, Anderson has managed to thrive at every level he’s pitched, and nowhere more so than at Double-A Tulsa in 2014. The left-hander submitted a 1.98 ERA and saw his strikeout rate jump up to 22.4% across 118.1 innings, earning Texas League Pitcher of the Year honors in the process. Anderson, who turned 25 in December, was added to the Rockies’ 40-man roster after last season and will probably compete for a rotation spot with the big club in spring training. He likely profiles as little more than a mid-rotation or back-end starter over the long haul, but a quality changeup and an improving breaking ball aided by a deceptive delivery could allow Anderson to experience a dose of success in the majors at some point in 2015.

Expected to serve as a main cog in the High-A Modesto rotation last season, Anderson shined in the early going before shoulder soreness set in, sidelining him for nearly three months. Anderson returned to Modesto in August and immediately picked up where he left off in early May, finishing the season with a respectable 3.25 ERA and 63:24 K:BB ratio over 74.2 innings. Even so, Anderson’s successes in the California League were overshadowed by those of fellow Colorado first-round selections Eddie Butler and Jonathan Gray, who dominated the level at younger ages and enjoy greater prestige among prospect gurus. Anderson, 24, will more than likely spend the full season at Double-A Tulsa in 2014 and could be knocking on the door for a back-end rotation spot with the parent club by next spring.