Lars Anderson On His Way To Boston

Yesterday news broke that Lars Anderson was on his way back up to the majors from Pawtucket. The move is now official, meaning that the most recent--and perhaps final--chapter in Lars Anderson's Red Sox career has begun.

Going back a few years, Anderson was of course the top man in the system--a surefire slugger who was going to be hitting homers for the Red Sox in no time. Then came 2009 in Portland, where his OPS dropped to .673, and things were never the same. Anderson would rebound, getting off to a tremendous start in 2010, but after almost two years in Pawtucket is still not putting up the results necessary for a player of his age, position, and skillset to remain a legitimate prospect.

What went wrong with Lars? The best answer seems to be a passivity at the plate combined witch a swing that never developed the loft or refinement needed to take advantage of his innate power. In his limited opportunities in the majors, he's looked overmatched.

In an effort to improve his value to both the Red Sox and possible outside suitors, Anderson has taken to playing in the outfield as well as at first, and it's likely in that spirit that he's been brought up in place of Nate Spears. Still, the most the Sox can hope for out of Anderson is to provide at least a little more hope from pinch-hitting appearances than Spears or Repko, and perhaps to get a team at least interested enough to take a flyer on a one-time top prospect.