Los Angeles reliever Anthony Vanda was a 5.69 ERA pitcher before his first season in LA in 2024. At just 30 years old, Southpaw was seriously considering retirement.
Vanda talked with Matt Hannaford on his most valuable agent podcast about not only returning to the mound, but also about doing so at a high level that comes in October.
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“When the offseason went (2023-24) I said, ‘I’m not sure if I want to do this again. I really don’t,” Bunda said. “It was up to the point where I was talking about hanging.”
Banda explained his struggle and his inability to kick out major league batters.
“I go out there and I absolutely stitch mine together. This isn’t funny. I don’t enjoy surpriseing people,” Banda said. “I just grab the ball, turn around and throw it at the wall and tell the guy to run. It feels like it’s embarrassing. If I keep doing this, what value would I bring?
As a team barber during his extensive time in the minor leagues, Banda found inspiration from unlikely sources.
“I remember watching videos on . I always have this ASMR theme with haircuts. I love haircuts. I love cutting hair. On , these people were so fascinating whether to turn their vans into camp vans or mini houses. I know you can find fun from baseball.”
Banda’s agents invited scouts from various organizations to watch him pitch and reached the Cleveland Guardians Triple A team and signed a two-way contract with an upward mobility clause. The picked him up after Cleveland decided not to put him on the major league roster despite a 2.12 ERA in 17 innings work.
As they say, the rest is history.
Banda was solid during his first 48 regular season outings as a .
During his 10 postseason appearances, Banda was ERA 1.12. Of the four World Series appearances, Southpaw allowed only two hits without a run he scored.
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Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Immagn Image
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