The View from Landsdowne Street: Grading the Boston Red Sox Minor League System

Any conversation though has to start with Lars Anderson. Drafted in the 18th round in 2006, Anderson is now just 20 years old, but he has the highest ceiling of any other first baseman prospect in the system. He is an extremely tall and long player with prodigious power, but his best attribute may be his ability to hit the ball the other way.

After a great season with Greenville last season, Anderson has ridden that momentum to an even better season with Lancaster. In almost 300 at-bats, Anderson is hitting .317/.411/.916 with 11 home runs. He strikes out often but makes up for it with a lot of walks and a high OBP.

Although he still a few years away, the Red Sox aren't letting him go anywhere.

Behind Anderson, there is Chris Carter, the player the Red Sox received in return for Wily Mo Pena. But due to his atrocious defense at first, the Red Sox seem devoted to turning him into an outfielder now.

The next best option is either Aaron Bates or Chad Spann.

Spann is the AAA first baseman, and although he has a track record of being on a gradual learning curve, he has really struggled against AAA pitching, hitting under .200.

He is only 24, so there is a chance he can still recoup some of his hitting ability and turn into a solid first baseman, but he probably isn't much better than a utility player in the Majors.

Bates is playing for AA-Portland right now after a monster season with Lancaster last season in which he hit 24 home runs. At 6'-foot-4 and 230 lbs., Bates hits some really long baseballs, and he draws a lot of walks. But his swing has some hitches and can be long, which he will need to fix if he plans on progressing.

He is the player who most reminds me of Daubach in his ceiling and potential.

Grade: C-

Middle Infield:

Jed Lowrie is the best of a mess of players with potential that the Red Sox have at second base and shortstop.

Lowrie has already played some with Boston and performed admirably in his short stint there. People in Boston would love to see him come up and replace Julio Lugo as the starting shortstop right now, but the club seems intent on leaving him down for seasoning until the roster expands.

He reminds me a lot of David Eckstein but has a much more fluid swing.

Behind Lowrie, the Red Sox have a glut of talented players who are long on potential and short on experience.

The group of Oscar Tejeda (18), Argenis Diaz (21), Michael Almanzar (17), and Yamaico Navarro (20) were all signed as international free agents in the past two years and now are littered through out the organization.

Diaz is the most advanced of the four.  He plays for Lancaster, and although he struggles with the bat, he has everyone in the Red Sox organization convinced that defensively he could be among the best shortstops in baseball right now.

Tejeda is probably the player with the highest ceiling. Being only 18, there is obviously time the Red Sox can wait out before they call upon the youngster, but his tools are second to none among middle infielders and has impressed with his mature approach to hitting. Must improve plate discipline a lot before he progresses.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?