JUPITER, Fla. — This is Cardinals catcher Bryan Anderson's sixth big-league camp and fourth as a member of the winter 40-man roster. To date, he has played only 15 games in the major leagues, all of those in 2010.

But here he is again, trying to snatch the job of backup to Yadier Molina, a spot which has become available with the signing of Gerald Laird by the Detroit Tigers.

Anderson, apparently not highly regarded by former manager Tony La Russa or pitching coach Dave Duncan, has drawn the praise of former Cardinals catching instructor Mike Matheny in past years. Now that Matheny is his manager, the lefthanded-batting Anderson may have his best chance to stick in the majors.

"It's pretty obvious this is probably the best opportunity I've had coming into spring training," said Anderson, still only 25. "I worked real hard in the offseason and tried to come in really prepared."

The other catchers bidding for the backup position are young Tony Cruz, who did well several times last year in Molina's stead, and former Chicago Cubs catcher Koyie Hill, who is a non-roster invitee. Steven Hill, who homered in his only big-league game in 2010, is an outside shot.

Matheny said Friday he thought Anderson's conscientiousness and understanding of the catching position were two of his best traits, but added,  "You've got to have the others — catch, throw, call a game."

The latter two areas probably have been weak points for Anderson, who generally has hit. Last year, Anderson averaged .281 at Class AAA Memphis with eight homers.

"He's put up some pretty good numbers and he's shown some durability," Matheny said. "You don't necessarily give up on (him). You just wait to see how he develops.

"And I've seen him continue to develop. One of the biggest knocks against him is how he relates to the pitching staff and takes the bull by the horns behind the plate. This isn't real natural for him and he's kind of had to work on that and almost force the issue. But he's made great strides with that.

"He's been an everyday catcher and, in all fairness, Cruz has never caught more than 70 games (72 in 2009 at Springfield) in a season in his life. So, you've got a guy (in Anderson) who you know is durable in case something does happen to Yadi. He's a guy who's done a good job at the Triple-A level but hasn't won the confidence of the big-league guys, and it's my job to keep working with him to try to understand what that looks like — how to win their confidence."

Matheny said Anderson "has kept a great attitude. He's just put his nose down. He's a tough kid. A lot of it is just kind of a perception. He gives that perception of being laid-back and not really caring, which just isn't true. That's just his personality.

"A lot of it is just faking it a little bit. You know you've got to be different."

Anderson has spent parts of or all of the last four seasons at Memphis. "If I knew I was going to be there that long, I'd have bought a house," he said, half-jokingly.