Tim Anderson showing he will stick as White Sox shortstop

Tim Anderson

What positives can we take out of this lackluster White Sox season that likely will end with about 100 losses?

Here's one: Tim Anderson is proving that he deserves to stay at shortstop over the long haul, quieting critics who have suggested that a move to the outfield is in his future.

Anderson put a stop to the Sox's seven-game losing streak Wednesday night. He hit a two-run homer in the top of the 12th inning to provide the winning margin in Chicago's 4-2 win over the Kansas City Royals. Then, he made a sick play in the bottom of the 12th, ranging deep into the hole to throw out the speedy Whit Merrifield to end the game.

Most fans would like to see Anderson hit a bit better, but right now, he's a streaky hitter who plays plus defense at a premium position. His 2018 WAR is a very respectable 2.8, according to baseballreference.com. We can live with that, right?

I think so, given some of the other failings the Sox have had in trying to develop position players.

Here's the side-by-side comparison of Anderson's numbers from 2017 to this season:

2017: .257/..276/.402, 17 HRs, 26 2Bs, 4 3Bs, 56 RBIs, 15 SBs, 162 Ks, 13 BBs
2018: .248/.290/.420, 19 HRs, 27 2Bs, 3 3Bs, 62 RBIs, 26 SBs, 137 Ks, 28 BBs

It would be nice to Anderson hit about .270 or .280 one of these days, but let's take what we can get. The on-base percentage is up. The slugging percentage is up. The stolen bases are up. The extra-base hits are up. The walks are up. The strikeouts are down.

The Sox could do a whole helluva lot worse than a 20-20 player with a good glove at shortstop.

Indeed, Anderson is starting to earn praise from the Sox pitching staff for his stellar work in the field. He's committed only five errors since July 1. He ranks sixth in the league in defensive runs saved, and according to fangraphs.com, he's tied for the league lead with 16 plays made on balls that have an out probability of 0 percent. His fielding percentage is .970, up from .952 in 2017, and he ranks second in the league with 366 assists -- a sign that he's getting to more balls than a lot of shortstops.

As we come to the end of a difficult and disappointing season, the Sox still have many of the same question marks that they had at this time in 2017:

• Is Yoan Moncada really a future star, or just another guy?
• What should the team do with Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia? Trade them? Sign them to extensions? Do nothing and see how things develop?
• Are Reynaldo Lopez and Lucas Giolito long-term pieces for the starting rotation?
• Will Adam Engel's bat ever catch up to his elite defense in center field?

So on and so forth.

But, at this time last year, we were asking whether Anderson is the shortstop of the present and the future.

I think we have our answer. He is that, so let's move on to other debates and concerns.