Just hearing the name Lars Anderson conjures a certain image, like someone pulling a trolley in the World's Strongest Man competition or skating up the wing for Denmark.
Physically, anyway, the Red Sox prospect fits the description. He's 6-foot-4, blond, and powerfully built with room to grow, albeit more in the mold of a caber tosser than trolley puller. These are welcome characteristics for a power hitter, one Sox fans hope someday eases the sting of losing free agent Mark Teixeira to the Yankees.
And not until Anderson opens his mouth does it become apparent he has a lot more going for him than physical gifts.
The 21-year-old is a number of things most Baseball players are not - intellectually curious, aware of his small place in a big world, unwilling to be defined solely by the game he plays.
He's Gabe Kapler with a hint of Johnny Damon and Bill Lee, and if he's able to realize the potential that already has landed him on the cover of Baseball America as the Red Sox' No. 1 prospect, he could become a certified character in Boston.
``I guess people have those expectations,'' Anderson said of his projected stardom. ``I just want to be me.''
The product of a painter mother and sculptor father, Anderson received ``an arts-based, liberal education'' growing up in California. He plays guitar, spent part of his offseason hiking alone to clear his mind, and explored Maui while visiting his brother.
He counts Jimi Hendrix and the Grateful Dead among his favorite musicians, was wowed by the true story of ``Into the Wild,'' admires the socially conscious writings of Barbara Kingsolver, and nearly attended prestigious Cal Berkeley before signing with the Red Sox as the 553rd overall pick (18th round) of the 2006 draft for $825,000.
``I think in an athletic world my interests might be a little bit different,'' Anderson allowed. ``It has kept me balanced. I love art. I love music. I also love Baseball. It lets me use a different side of my brain, and I love it.''
An intellectual with no pop would be of little interest to Sox fans, but Anderson can mash. The team's minor league player of the year after batting .317 with 18 home runs and 80 RBI between Single-A Lancaster and Double-A Portland, Anderson is the total package at the plate.
The left-handed hitter's .417 on-base percentage suggests an advanced understanding of the strike zone, while his .934 OPS points to a potential elite all-around bat.
For now, Anderson realizes potential is all it is. When he was cast as a future savior following the collapse of the Teixeira talks, he took it in stride. He laughs at suggestions that the Sox first baseman of the future could see Fenway Park sooner rather than later.
``I'm not even in the big leagues yet,'' he said. ``Is the path open right now? You've got Kevin Youkilis there. He's pretty good. There are always going to be great players and obstacles in Boston. The only thing you can control is how you prepare and work. I'm taking tiny steps to improve myself.''
If there's anything Anderson would like to improve upon, it's learning to shake off poor at-bats.
``I need to have a shorter memory,'' he said.
If the price of having a mind is using it, then so be it. Anderson's success might partly be explained by his belief that there's more to life than the game.
``I'd probably rather be thought of as a person with different thoughts and feelings than just a Baseball player,'' he said. ``I understand that when you play Baseball you're going to be thought of a Baseball player, but I'd embrace being thought of as a person people consider a decent guy. That's what I'd embrace.''
- jtomase@bostonherald.com
