PAWTUCKET, R.I. – Told that Red Sox manager Terry Francona approved of his acquisition, especially because of their shared University of Arizona pedigree, Brian Anderson just laughed.
“I know. That’s great,” Anderson said. “I was hoping they would maybe trade for me for my ability, but I think it’s just a favor because I’m a fellow Wildcat.”
While Anderson, who was acquired July 28 in a trade with the White Sox for Mark Kotsay, was clearly being facetious, knowing it would take more than the right college for the Sox to bring him in, he is looking forward to a fresh start and a chance to show the Sox his ability.
“I figured something was going on,” Anderson said of the trade. “I have a really good relationship still with those guys over in Chicago, and I just kind of appreciate the opportunity of being able to play somewhere else and the same goes for the Red Sox, showing confidence in me and picking me up and giving me another chance.”
As the White Sox’ No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft out of Arizona — where he was as a pitcher — Anderson, 27, quickly developed a reputation with the White Sox as a strong defensive outfielder. But his innings and at-bats in Chicago were limited. This season, he had appeared in 65 games for the White Sox, making 49 starts in center field with 185 at-bats. He has never appeared in more than 134 big league games in a single season, with 365 at-bats, as he did in 2006, starting 106 games.
Immediately upon being acquired, Anderson, who last appeared in a big-league game July 19, was assigned to Triple-A Pawtucket.
“Obviously, they have a tremendous bunch of outfielders up there [in Boston],” he said. “But hopefully I’ll get up there in the near future and any way I can help them win games — they’re already very, very successful as it is, so hopefully I can just add on to that.
“Every baseball player at this level is confident in their abilities, and those guys are proven players and they’re very, very good. At the same time, you got to believe in yourself that, given the opportunity, you’ll have the chance to do something great up there.”
Anderson will likely be a September call-up, if an injury to one of the Sox’ outfielders does not necessitate an earlier move.
“He’s a plus defender,” said one scout, who has seen a good deal of Anderson throughout his career. “He’ll get a ball for you late in a game. He’s got a lot of range. He’s a plus runner. His swing can get a little long, but he’s going to run into a few [hits]. He’s a solid fourth guy on a major league club. He can really help a team. He can do a lot of things — he can hit a ball out of the yard for you, he’s a solid defender, he knows how to run.
“His approach is big league. He’s a solid offensive player if he uses the whole field. He’s a great kid, just a solid guy.He’s played a lot of baseball.”
And it doesn’t hurt that Anderson shares a common bond with the big-league manager.
“He’s very athletic, defensively very gifted,” Francona said. “He has a University of Arizona background, which certainly helps. I actually don’t know him. I’m kind of looking forward to meeting him. He was a very high draft selection and got to the big leagues with a lot of fanfare, and it didn’t work right away. So I think he gives us some insurance in the outfield, especially defensively.”
In eight games with the PawSox, Anderson, a .225 career hitter with 20 home runs and 75 RBIs, is hitting .280 (7-for-25) with two home runs and three RBIs. But it is his defensive ability that has impressed.
In Buffalo July 31, Anderson scaled the outfield wall, nearly pulling back Andy Green’s fifth-inning home run off Billy Traber in Pawtucket’s 4-3 win.
“Seeing where he started and when he got to the ball in left-center field, he’d only got to the wall, but his belt was at the top of the wall and he was reaching over and came within this far of catching it,” said PawSox manager Ron Johnson. “It was so impressive to me to see that athleticism on the field…What made it interesting was off the bat everybody thought it was gone and then you see the attempt to make the play, and you go, ‘Whoa.’
“He’s done a nice job. A good acquisition. [I’m] really glad to have him here. It’s been fun to watch him play. He has lived up to the reputation defensively, and has hit some balls very well. He’s going to be really good help for this organization.”
With the trade, Anderson has been reunited with Chris Duncan, a teammate at Canyon del Oro High in Tucson, Ariz. The Sox acquired Duncan, a No. 1 pick by the Cardinals in 1999, in a trade with St. Louis on July 22 which made Julio Lugo a Cardinal.
“He’s a great defensive center fielder,” Duncan said of his former teammate. “He’s got a good bat and I think given the opportunity to play a lot at the big league level he could be an impact player.”
That opportunity, if and when it arrives, is what Anderson is hoping for.
“Once I get up there, just hopefully take advantage of the opportunity,” Anderson said. “It’s nice to have a fresh start. They already have a long unbelievable tradition of baseball up there. So, it’s nice just to be a part of it.”
