Clown hair is where it's atI've been a huge Brian Anderson supporter since day one. It's not just that he's the only legit CF that the Sox have, but it's also that he's good at what he does. Anderson is a great fielder, and he's really a great hitter.
And it pains me to see him succeed like this.
See, Anderson has been tearing it up in Spring Training. He's gotten at least one hit in every game, and has been on par with Alexei Ramirez in terms of eye-catching. Lots of good contact, and he's turning heads.
Problem is, Anderson is fighting for a backup spot. The Sox committed themselves to Ramirez (who has practically won the 2B job) and Carlos Quentin, and they're not about to let some 2006 failure take those spots away from them. The outfield is packed, really. They have Swisher and Dye as locks, and Owens and Quentin are probably the last two slots. Anderson (and Crede) are both expected to be traded, and as good as Anderson is playing, it just makes him more likely to be trade bait.
Anderson can't win here. The better he plays, the more we can get from a trade. If he plays worse, he gets traded for sucking. There's no way Anderson can displace Owens because Owens is the master of the infield hit (which equals Ozzie love). Ozzie loves speed and energy, two things Owens has (along with Ozuna). Anderson is already in the doghouse, and shows signs of becoming the next Joe Borchard.
More importantly, Kenny Williams has his hands full with people he needs to trade before opening day. Uribe, Crede, Day, Macdougal, and Massett will all likely find new homes by the end of March. What more could Anderson do to make himself an attractive toss-in? He's young, full of potential, and about to be someone else's problem.
I'm just hoping he makes the roster as a reserve outfielder so that when Owens has his usual injury at some point, we can use Anderson in CF.
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