It was hoped that better times were upon the Orioles and Brady Anderson entering the 2001 season. In 2000, Anderson had struggled mightily in the middle of the season after suffering various sprains and strains. A very strong September (.308 with a .477 OBP) had given hope that the injuries were the cause of the sub-par season, and that Anderson could be counted on for at least representative play for the 2001 year, acting as a table-setter and base theft maven for the newly younger Oriole crew.

This was simply not to be. Brady Anderson took one of the most severe career nose-dives in baseball history. Even though he was aging and was clearly only a shadow of the player he had been, Anderson could still be expected to provide a reasonable level of offense.

Anderson started in the toilet in 2001, hitting .194, while struggling to a .282 OBP. And from there, it only got worse. He had no power, he had no bat speed, and he had no excuses. He simply seemed to have lost the ability to hit a baseball.

There were no telltale issues. His strikeout ratio did not appreciate noticably, nor did his pitches per plate appearance, and he still added about .100 points to his OBP/BA ratio through his BB’s. He simply didn’t hit any more.

By mid-season, he was a part-time player, though fans often howled that he was still playing too much (He averaged 60 plate appearances for July-September.)

By the first of August, conjecture that Anderson would be released in the off-season rather than kept for the last year of his contract began to circulate among the media and fans. By the time the 40-man roster had to be set for the Rule 5 draft, Anderson’s name was not present. He was subsequently signed by the Indians, since the Orioles will bear the brunt of Anderson’s 2002 salary.

Brady Anderson’s career with the Orioles ended as the last batter of the 2001 season. Before a packed house and the awaiting Cal Ripken kneeling in the on-deck circle, Anderson flailed wildly at a neck-high fastball on a full count pitch. This was not the way for one of the Orioles’ best players of the Nineties to finish his tour in the Orange and Black, but it's the way it did happen. Orioles fans have seen their share of fairy tales over the years; the memories of the last year of Brady Anderson’s Oriole career serves as the nightmare.

Notes: Anderson finishes his Oriole career averaging 19 homers per season, and with an OBP of .365. He’s also the Orioles’ all time stolen base leader with 311. His slugging percentages, BA, and OBP were all their lowest since he became a regular in 1992.