Minor Leagues
He made his professional debut in April 2007 with the Greenville Drive. "He really understands the strike zone well, and he recognizes balls and strikes early," said Gabe Kapler, the former Sox outfielder who was Anderson's manager at Greenville. "e was way ahead of the game because he was already recognizing balls and strikes and had a plan, an approach at the plate that was advanced. He had planned on not swinging at breaking balls until he had two strikes on him."
In September 2008, Anderson was named the Minor League Offensive Player of the Year for the Red Sox, following a season of a combined 18 home runs and 80 runs batted in while hitting over .300 for both the Lancaster JetHawks and Portland Sea Dogs.
In 2009, his first full season at AA Portland, Anderson struggled, batting just .233 with 9 home runs and 51 RBI.
Anderson started the 2010 season with the Sea Dogs. He was promoted to the AAA Pawtucket Red Sox on April 29 after hitting .355 with five home runs and 15 RBIs in 17 games in Portland, and batted .262 with 10 home runs and 53 RBIs in 113 games.
Despite making his major league debut in September 2010, Anderson returned to Pawtucket for the 2011 season and batted .265 with 14 home runs and 78 RBIs. On July 30, 2011, Anderson was nearly traded to his hometown Oakland Athletics, along with a player to be named later for starting pitcher Rich Harden. However, the deal fell through, with the Red Sox citing issues with Harden's health.
Read more about this topic: Lars Anderson (baseball)
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