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Lars Anderson spends time looking upward while reflecting – all part of the persona that will take him a long way.

By KEVIN THOMAS, Staff Writer August 20, 2008

With a rare day off last week, California native Lars Anderson ignored the threatening weather and took in the other coast, visiting the Portland Head Light.

As with everything he experiences, Anderson looked, learned and let his mind take over.

"The Atlantic Ocean is beautiful and terrifying," he said. "Dark, gray water. Big storm clouds. Reminded me of a song by a band called Brand New called 'Crack the Sky.' It's about shipwreck as a metaphor for love.

"That song was replaying in my mind while we were there. They make a reference to a Montauk Point. I think there's a Montauk lighthouse in New York. Kind of took me there for a little bit, which was pretty cool, to have music transport you like that."

Lars Anderson is 20 years old. He's a thinker, a poet, and maybe a future first baseman for the Boston Red Sox.

The young man who could eventually wow them at Fenway Park spends a few moments before every game at Hadlock field lying still in the outfield grass.

"Looking at the sky. Breathing and visualization," Anderson said. "It feels good, too, man. It's like a full body stretch."

Why the sky?

"You can find influence in anything. Just look in the sky and think about how far that goes, and what stops you?" Anderson said.

There is no reason to believe anything will stop Anderson, at least in his quest for the major leagues.

He has become a standout baseball player everywhere he's landed, including Portland, where he's batting .356 in 28 games for the Double-A Sea Dogs, with five home runs, a .459 on-base percentage and a 1.081 OPS (slugging average plus on-base percentage).

Anderson, the thinker, is 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, and knows how to play baseball.

As well as Anderson can interpret a Bob Dylan song or quote from one of his favorite authors (Charles Frazier, Barbara Kingsolver and David James Duncan, to name a few), Anderson also can analyze the situation when he steps into a batter's box.

"Lars is going to evaluate the pitcher a little bit and then decide how he's going to attack it," Sea Dogs Manager Arnie Beyeler said.

One simple example is last week's series against Altoona. After drilling an inside fastball over the right-field wall for a home run Tuesday, Anderson knew the pitches would be going outside. With the bases loaded Thursday, Anderson poked an outside fastball over the left-field fence.

But to go with the brain comes the physical gift.

"Lars has a very short, compact stroke to the baseball and power to all fields," Sea Dogs hitting coach Dave Joppie said. "He's blessed. He's got a lot of life in those hands, a lot of strength in that swing.

"He's just going to hit. He's a pure hitter."

According to Joppie, Anderson's quick swing allows him to wait on pitches a fraction of a second longer. He recognizes pitches well and "very rarely do you see him stray outside the strike zone."

Because of his swing, his discipline at the plate, his developing power and his quick hands playing first base, Anderson is considered the real deal.

The Red Sox don't claim to make projections on their minor leaguers, and they wouldn't make them public if they did. But one reasonable estimate, assuming Anderson's progression and health, is that he will reach Triple-A Pawtucket at some point next season. By the 2010 season, Anderson could be splitting time between Pawtucket and Boston.

By 2011, with third baseman Mike Lowell having played out his contract, Anderson could become the Red Sox regular first baseman, with Kevin Youkilis moving from first to third.

A starter for the Red Sox at age 23? It's the same age Dustin Pedroia was when he took over the second base job. Jacoby Ellsbury turned 24 last September; Jed Lowrie turned 24 in April.

If Anderson is so good, why was he an 18th-round draft pick in 2006 – the 553rd selection overall?

Teams were afraid to waste...