White Sox Claim Lars Anderson

Today, the White Sox claimed first baseman Lars Anderson off of waivers.  Anderson was involved in a trade between the Indians and the Diamondbacks just last December after being traded from the Red Sox to the Indians in July.  The White Sox now have added a left-handed bat, which they can't have enough of.  However, unless there are injuries to both Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn, don't expect to see Anderson on the South Side for any extended period of time.

Anderson was once a highly touted prospect with the Red Sox.  He was the top prospect with the Red Sox and a top 20 prospect overall in baseball earlier in his career.  Anderson hasn't lived up to the hype and his career so far can be summed up in one word; bust.  Yet, Anderson is only 25-years old so there is still a glimmer of hope that he can become a productive player.

Last year, he batted .250/.353/.396/.750 with 9 HRs in AAA.  He'll be back in the International League with Charlotte again this year.

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AFL Preview: Carlos Sanchez

(dashboard.mlblogs.com)

Position:  Infield

Height/Weight:  5'11/175

Throws/Bats:  Right/Both

Age:  20

Reviewing 2012:  Sanchez wasn't talked about much heading into the season, but thanks to an incredible season by the 20-year old, he is probably the top INF prospect in the White Sox system right now.  Sanchez went through the farm system extremely fast.  He started the last season in rookie ball and worked his way all the way to AAA Charlotte before the 2012 season ended.  He was the youngest player to play for Charlotte since 2000.  Sanchez put up his best numbers when he spent 30 games in AA with the Barons (.370/.424/.462).  Overall, Sanchez batted 323./378/.403 in 133 games with three different teams this year.  Pretty amazing for a 20-year old.  Another thing that stands out is the fact that he drew 41 walks which shows he has discipline which is a rarity for young, Latin players.

Arizona Fall League Preview:  If Sanchez can have a decent year in the AFL, he could pose a serious threat for the 2B job sometime next year if Gordon Beckham struggles.  Beckham won't have competition entering the season, but if his struggles continue, I would be surprised, but not shocked if Sanchez gets the call-up to the majors.

The biggest knock on Sanchez is his power.  This year he only had a single homer in 588 PAs.  Keep in mind, he is only 20 years old and hopefully the power will come with age.  Another question mark surrounding Sanchez is his speed and base-stealing ability.  He stole 26 bases this year, but was also thrown out 15 times.  It will be interesting to see how Sanchez does stealing bases in the AFL.

It seems that Sanchez's defensive ability is unclear.  I've read some saying that he is a below average defender while others insist that he is actually a decent fielder.  Hopefully this can clear up when there will be more attention on him in the AFL.