Lars Anderson Heat Check

David Ortiz is not the only Sox slugger heating up after a slow start. Lars Anderson, the Red Sox top prospect in the organization, has seen a dramatic increase in his numbers in recent weeks.

Over the last 2 weeks, he has hit .340 with a babip of .421. His line drive percentage is up 4.3% during this span (17.9% compared to a season average of 13.6%). He seems to have responded positively to a recent drop in the lineup to the 5th spot. When batting 5th, Anderson has an OPS of 1.118, compared to .728 when hitting 3rd in the order.

Some other interesting observations regarding Anderson. He is a much better hitter against relievers than starters. His OBP against starters is a pedestrian .274, but against relievers its .427. His BB-K ratio versus starters is .23 (17 BB-31 K) compared to a ratio of 1 (17 BB-17 K) against relievers.

Lars has also drawn noticeably more walks at home this season. He has walked at a rate of 13.4% per PA at home compared to just 7.8% per PA on the road. Perhaps this is why he has had more success batting at home this season.

Statistics obtained from minorleaguesplits.com