Lars Anderson keeps it simple.
Two years removed from his prep career at Jesuit High School, Anderson has reached his third minor-league level and is one of the youngest players in the Double-A Eastern League at age 20.
But that doesn't mean things have changed much.
"It's a round baseball with seams on it, and it's still white," joked Anderson, who was promoted to the Portland (Maine) Sea Dogs, the Double-A team for the Boston Red Sox. "It's the same game, just a little bit different."
Anderson started the season at "high-A" Lancaster, where he made his first appearance a year ago this month. His time in the California League has landed him among baseball's best hitting prospects.
"It's kind of a wild league," Anderson said. "It's out in the desert, the wind's blowing, dust devils kind of swelling up."
Anderson's wild west is in the past. However, he left a lasting impression.
"This guy's unbelievable," Lancaster manager Chad Epperson said of his former first baseman. "The way the young man conducts himself on and off the field, it's pretty impressive. You've got a true professional."
Anderson, who Epperson calls the top hitting prospect in the Red Sox system, earned his way to Lancaster after batting .288 with 10 home runs and 35 doubles as a first-year pro in "low-A" Greenville (S.C.).
He didn't disappoint in his JetHawks debut, hitting .343 in 10 games to close out 2007. The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder kept hitting in Lancaster this season, posting a .317 average with 33 extra-base hits in 77 games.
Anderson acknowledges the fact there are high expectations of his play, but he's learned to cope with them by simplifying things.
"It's things like, 'Oh, man, you should hit 50 homers, have ridiculous numbers, do ridiculous things,' " Anderson said. "I kind of broke it down, made the issue a little bit smaller.
"I just go have fun and try not to worry about that stuff anymore. I know that it's there, but don't worry about it."
Entering Saturday, Anderson is batting .365 through 26 games with the Sea Dogs. His on-base (.455) and slugging percentages (.647) are also higher in the Eastern League than they were in the California League.
Thursday night, Anderson had four RBIs against Altoona, and Friday night, he went4 for 4 against Harrisburg.
"I don't care if we're playing in the Cal League or in Yellowstone, this guy can flat-out hit," Epperson said.
Anderson has five homers in Portland after hitting 18 in the Cal League. Anderson admits he has power, but doesn't want to be labeled a home-run hitter.
"I've never wanted to get painted with that brush," Anderson said. "That's never been my style of hitting … I've always just tried to be a mature hitter, try to hit the ball in the gaps and see what happens."
But with Fenway Park on the horizon, his gap-to-gap approach could change slightly.
"I don't know, man. It goes pretty deep to right field," the left-handed hitter joked. "I've never been to Fenway, so I'd like to see it. I'd love to hit there."
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.