Oct. 10, 2016
By Jeff Shearer
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. - Josh Anthony's reputation precedes him.
That's what happens when you put up the kind of numbers in junior college that combine Ted Williams' batting average, Josh Donaldson's power and Rickey Henderson's speed.
In 65 games in 2015 at Western Oklahoma State, Anthony batted .444 with 25 homers and 49 stolen bases. He averaged nearly 2 runs scored per game.
Auburn coach Butch Thompson, while not expecting Anthony to duplicate those gaudy stats against SEC pitching, projects Anthony to make a sizable impact in 2017.
"To be a middle of the lineup guy for us," Thompson said. "Any team in our league would want him on their team, and would want him in the middle of the lineup."
"It's an honor, because I just finished two years of Juco ball," Anthony said. "And I had that same expectation at my old school. Having that experience coming over here it helps out a lot."
Anthony's path to the Plains took several twists and turns over the summer. Chosen by the Atlanta Braves in the 16th round of the Major League Baseball draft, Anthony pondered his options for several days before opting to continue his college career at Auburn.
"I felt like that was just God's way of showing me His path that He wanted me to go down," Anthony said. "It's a blessing that I ended up here at Auburn, because I made friends. I made family. And Auburn is going to help me progress to becoming that big leaguer I want to be."
"It's a blessing that I ended up here at @AuburnTigers " - @mlbJAye on his path to the Plains. Drafted by ATL after dominating Juco, no deal pic.twitter.com/BQm18mzjFK
-- Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) October 6, 2016
Professional baseball's loss is Auburn's gain.
"If I want to be drafted by professional baseball, I have to go through this first," Anthony said. "If I can handle this, I can handle anything."
Anthony played third base in junior college, impressing Thompson and assistant coach Doug Sisson at that position in Auburn's first three fall scrimmages.
"I know he's a threat," Thompson said. "I'm thankful he's here. We're going to do everything we can to allow him to stay on our infield. He's working really hard at that."
Anthony played high school baseball at Hardaway in nearby Columbus, Georgia.
"I'm ready to roll. It's been a long time coming," he said. "The season's finally kicking into gear. It's a good thing to be out here on the field."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @jeff_shearer