Does Lars Anderson Fit Anywhere?

Lars Anderson is trying to make a statement this spring.  His numbers are impressive so far, .455 avg, 1 HR and 6 RBI’s.   Anderson crushed a grand slam in his first spring at bat.  The problem is clear; there is no place for Lars to play.

Anderson watched his dream of being the Red Sox starting first baseman vanish the day they inked Adrian Gonzalez to a long term deal.  What next for the 25 yr old first baseman?  The Red Sox did have high hopes that he was going to be a power hitter.  Anderson has been anything less then spectacular the last two seasons he was called up.  In his brief major league career, Anderson has been to the plate 40 times with 7 hits, 0 HR’s, 4 RBI’s and a paltry .175 average.

Even if Gonzalez goes down with a major injury, Anderson won’t fill the position.  The most logical move would be to slide Kevin Youkilis over to first and call Will Middlebrooks up to play third.  Where does that leave Anderson on the organizational chart?  The best scenario is to find a new home for Anderson.  The Sox almost traded him last year for Pitcher, Rich Harden.  But, when Harden failed his physical the trade was voided.   If Anderson can demonstrate some consistency down in Pawtucket this year, maybe they can move him during the July trade deadline.

The only other possibility is what is the Red Sox succession plan to replace David Ortiz when the time comes?  Ortiz is really the last true DH around.  Will the Red Sox follow other teams and utilize the DH to give their regulars a breather and rotate players?  Does Anderson want to be a full time DH at the ripe old age of 25 or 26?  If the Red Sox thought there was a possibility to convert Anderson to an outfielder, wouldn’t they have started that experiment this spring?  All of Anderson on field action has been at first.  So that door appears to be closed also.

Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.  That is where Anderson and the Sox stand, even if he continues with a strong spring, the only place Anderson can go is down to Pawtucket or out the door.  There doesn’t seem to be much chatter about other teams calling Ben Cherington about Anderson’s availability.

Whatever path the Sox choose, they should decide by the middle of this year.  Anderson has potential to be a good player and I would hate to see him get stuck in the minors forever.

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