In retrospect, Portland's 6-4 victory over the Connecticut Defenders was a microcosm of the season for Aaron Bates and to an extent for Lars Anderson.
Bates cracked three singles in five at-bats and drove in two runs while Anderson was 2-for-5 (single, double) with an RBI.
And manager Arnie Beyeler continued his "mix-and-match" routine Sunday with T.J. Large and Bryce Cox who combined to make a winner out of starter Jarod Plummer (4-1).
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| David Ortiz - Samara Pearlstein |
Last December, Sox Director of Player Development Mike Hazen released a statement to announce that the ultra-versatile Casey Kelly will both pitch 100 innings and play shortstop in a way that provides both the team and himself greater flexibility for the long haul, and help increase the likelihood that his professional career will ultimately progress at the position at which he is most valuable. Recently and similarly, another announcement was made that top prospect Lars Anderson will get a cup of tea as an outfielder when he gets promoted to Pawtucket some time this year.
Recently, ESPN ranked the Sox system 7th in all of baseball. This was quite a compliment to a team that just this past season graduated four of Baseball America's top five Sox prospects (Buchholz, Ellsbury, Masterson, Lowrie). Led by Director of Amateur Scouting Jason McLeod, the Sox quickly stocked up their system through the amateur draft and international free agency. Their 2008 draft class has arguably the highest potential of any team, and all of that was made possible by the Sox willingness to go over the slot to obtain guys that are considered to have signability issues. Part of the reason that has caused this has been the emergence of top prospects Pedro Alvarez and Matt LaPorta, two unsigned draft picks in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Spending over the slot should be a continuing trend for a team as rich in resources as the Sox, allowing them to remain as one of the top systems in baseball.
In my interview with Peter Gammons, he mentioned the possibility of Lars Anderson playing the outfield should the Sox sign Mark Teixeira. But did Lars have outfield experience? I asked him. He says: "I played left for two years in high school but they haven't mentioned it...I haven't really concerned myself with much of that talk this offseason."
Peter Gammons stops by Fire Brand to answer a few questions. He cautions not to write off David Ortiz and muses about an Eric Byrnes and Miguel Montero to Boston trade.
Baseball America came out with the Top 10 prospects. Lars Anderson is unsurprisingly ranked first, but what's with leaving Will Middlebrooks off? A surprise: pitcher Nick Hagadone third. Casey Kelly and Ryan Westmoreland, despite lack of experience, rank high.
The Red Sox are in a great position to win the Peavy sweepstakes due to their depth and the Padres' asking price. That may seem like a steep price -- Bowden, Masterson and Anderson for Peavy -- but for a 27-year old who is as immensely talented as he is, it's completely logical.
Josh Reddick, 21, was named a California League Post-Season All Star after hitting .343/.375/.593 in 312 at-bats, 17 home runs…
Lars Anderson, the top position player prospect for the Red Sox, is currently demolishing Double-A at the young age of…