Lars Anderson

[Plumpamania]

Career Stats
year team lg level org age g ab r h 2b 3b hr rbi tb bb so sb cs avg obp slg ops
2005 Jesuit HS HS 17 24 70 25 26 6 1 5 28 49 10 9 1 0 0.371 0.458 0.700 1.158
2006 Jesuit HS HS 18 29 78 39 33 2 1 14 33 89 24 11 6 3 0.423 0.574 1.013 1.587
2007 Greenville SAL A Bos 19 124 458 69 132 35 3 10 69 203 71 112 2 4 0.288 0.385 0.443 0.828
2007 Lancaster Cal A Bos 19 10 35 13 12 2 0 1 9 17 11 9 0 0 0.343 0.489 0.486 0.975
2008 Lancaster Cal A Bos 20 77 306 58 97 19 1 13 50 157 46 64 0 0 0.317 0.408 0.513 0.921
2008 Portland East AA Bos 20 41 133 27 42 13 0 5 30 70 29 43 1 0 0.316 0.436 0.526 0.962
2009 Portland EL AA Bos 21 119 447 50 104 23 0 9 51 154 63 114 2 0 0.233 0.328 0.345 0.673


It was my understanding that he did play most of last year pretty injured...Any predictions for Mr. Anderson coming up?

[Dipre]

If he's healthy:

.308/.410/.512 .922 OPS.

If he's not:

.250/.338/.412 .750 OPS, and we all cry (specially Doiji "Don't sign Teix, Anderson will be awesome !!!111!!!") and he falls off the prospect map.

That is all.

[Spudboy]

Injured?

It's my understanding that his problems were "Mental". I've read that several times.

[Plumpamania]

I still love Anderson, he tore up AA at age 21, and hurt put up mediocre numbers. He still has 3 years until his prospect status wears off. I think we'd honestly have what Casey Kotchman was predicted to be years ago. I can see Anderson doing a .850 OPS if he continues his age 21 season trend with 20 HR and 100 RBI.

[jacksonianmarch]

Predicting MiLB numbers, especially for a kid who regressed the yr before is a fool's game. I have predicted Lars to improve, but we all know that it is a crap shoot. But this yr will be huge for him. If he doesnt get back to the forefront of the prospect map with a yr akin to Dipre's projection, he'll get passed by.

[Plumpamania]

FROM MLB.COM via MiLB.com: (and this is after the 2009 season)


Statistically speaking: Left-handed hitters are supposed to struggle against southpaws. That hasn't been the case with Anderson. He's managed to hit .307 against southpaws in his two years as a pro, a touch better than his .302 mark against right-handers.
Scouting report: He has an advanced approach to hitting, simple mechanics, knowledge of strike zone and plus power to all fields. He should hit for average and power in the big leagues and he's worked hard on his defense to the point where he's a good first baseman.

Upside potential: All-Star-caliber first baseman that will contend for batting titles and RBI crowns, with plenty of homers to boot.

They said it: "We're happy with the progress that he's made. He's always shown the ability to hit from the day he walked into the organization. He's continued to improve in his discipline and his ability to drive the ball. He's also made strides defensively, so there's a lot of things to like here. He's somebody we're very excited about." -- Red Sox Farm Director Mike Hazen

He said it: "For me, there's nothing more enjoyable than hitting a ball well, and seeing that trajectory, and having that feeling in the bat where it's almost a feeling of nothing, yet it's something. It's almost like magic." -- In Baseball Prospectus Q&A

[jacksonianmarch]

I still love Anderson, he tore up AA at age 21, and hurt put up mediocre numbers. He still has 3 years until his prospect status wears off. I think we'd honestly have what Casey Kotchman was predicted to be years ago. I can see Anderson doing a .850 OPS if he continues his age 21 season trend with 20 HR and 100 RBI.

He did not put up mediocre numbers last yr, he was absolutely abysmal last season. For a slug first 1b, a sub .700OPS is terrible. Also, I havent seen mention of injury, just a tweak in mechanics that he didnt take to well.

[Dipre]

His plate discipline remained, though, which is huge for him.

I agree with Jacko that trying to predict his performance is like trying to find a needle in a haystack with your mouth, but my post translates to this:

If he's healthy, and regains his confidence, he'll be awesome and post a 900+ OPS, if not, he'll suck, and put up a below .800 OPS and fall off the prospect map. It's really that simple, there's no middle ground with a kid as talented as Anderson, he'll either flame out or start thriving again.

[Plumpamania]

His plate discipline remained, though, which is huge for him.

I agree with Jacko that trying to predict his performance is like trying to find a needle in a haystack with your mouth, but my post translates to this:

If he's healthy, and regains his confidence, he'll be awesome and post a 900+ OPS, if not, he'll suck, and put up a below .800 OPS and fall off the prospect map. It's really that simple, there's no middle ground with a kid as talented as Anderson, he'll either flame out or start thriving again.

Agreed 100%

[rhet]

Predicting big league performance after an off minor league year can be tricky.

Hanley Ramirez' last minor league season:

PA 519
HR 6
Avg .271
OBP .335
Slug .385
OPS .720

[Spudboy]

I think it would be wise for the Sox to have Pedroia spend as much time with Anderson as possible.

If 30-50% of what Pedroia says to him is absorbed, Lars will make it to the bigs and contribute.

He's just a Bill Walton type without the drive.

[Imperial59]

He has incredible potential and he's still only 21 years old. I think we should give him at least a couple more years to right himself before we consider him a bust.

[Dojji]

Predicting big league performance after an off minor league year can be tricky.

Hanley Ramirez' last minor league season:

PA 519
HR 6
Avg .271
OBP .335
Slug .385
OPS .720

That's a pretty decent point. It doesn't do to completely dismiss the impact of one bad year, but overstating it is probably equally unproductive.

[Dipre]

While the point is good, a .700+ OPS SS with plus speed is not the same as a sub-.700 OPS lumbering 1B.

Anderson's year was simply atrocious.

[vic vinegar]

He has incredible potential and he's still only 21 years old. I think we should give him at least a couple more years to right himself before we consider him a bust.

for all of our sakes lets hope he can get it together

[Dojji]

I suspect it'll be an up and down season for Anderson, in all seriousness. He'll climb back to .800 OPS, and he'll finish strong, but we'll get mixed messages from him this year.

I understand that there's people who think that Anderson's swing doesn't lift the ball enough. I've heard plenty of talk that Anderson may have struggled last year because he's trying to approach the ball differently. If that's the case look for his recovery to be a process more than an event.

[jacksonianmarch]

Wouldnt be surprised if he exploded this yr. I have predicted a big yr for him this yr

[Eck20and8]

if he OPSs .850 or so, he'll be right into trade bait territory