Farm Hens: Lars Anderson

Here is a kid that could be great. Lars Anderson is the Red Sox prime corner infield prospect. He is a 19 year old lefty first baseman. He stands 6' 4" and 240 lbs. The Red Sox drafted him in the 18th round last year. He went so late because of sign ability, he had sandwich round talent. In High School he was a complete monster, posting a line of .423/.574/1.013.

Lars has spent this year playing A ball at Greenville. He has posted pretty good numbers, .284/.381/.448. To go along with those he posts a nice 16% Line Drive rate and 13.4% walk rate. Those are very encouraging numbers for a young kid. He has yet to reach his huge power potential. With the way he is built, there is almost no end to his power. He has played acceptable defense, which is what they thought they were drafting.

Anderson has a lot of potential and has done a good job of showing that at Greenville. I don't think we will be seeing this kid for awhile, so it's a little early to pronounce him the future. I would guess that he starts next season at Portland. After that, I'd assume he would get a full year at Pawtucket. Best guess, he'll be a late season call-up in 2009 and starting for the big club in 2010. There is a lot of time between than and now, but keep an eye on him.