February 18, 2009 at 11:28 AM
February 18 Fort Report
News and notes from the Sox Minor League Complex: Felix Doubront missed a few days of practice last week with a sore back - no word on whether the injury continues to linger ... A slimmed-down Chris Carter is back taking grounders at first base after strictly playing left field and designated hitter in 2008 ... He's still having a few issues with the glove at first, but we've heard several raves about Carter's conditioning and work ethic over the off-season and this Spring ... Josh Reddick appears to have bulked up some over the off-season, and he's been driving the ball well to all fields in batting practice ... To no one's surprise, Lars Anderson still loves to hit to the opposite field - can't wait to see him lining balls off the Green Monster on a regular basis ... Zach Daeges' frame is looking solid, and he continues to smoke liner shots in batting practice, but without a lot of home run loft ... Michael Bowden has hinted to Nick Cafardo that the Sox might be working on adding a new pitch into Bowden's arsenal ... Paul McAnulty, signed to a minor league deal in November, was originally signed by Red Sox amateur scouting director Jason McLeod in June 2002, who at the time was a scout with the Padres ... According to Alex Speier of WEEI.com, McAnulty was McLeod's first-ever signing ... The Brad Wilkerson signing became official earlier this week, and he's working out with the major league club hoping to fill the void left by Mark Kotsay, who reportedly hopes to return from his back injury in early May ... Jed Lowrie, back to full form from his wrist injury, indicates that the injury hampered his ability to turn on the ball, direct his swing, or hit with any sort of power in the final months of the 2008 season ... Lowrie opted to take some time off over the winter to let the injury heal, rather than surgery, which would have caused him to miss spring training ... According to SoxProspects community reports, Jacoby Ellsbury looks bigger muscularly across the back and shoulders ... David Ortiz looks to have lost about 10-15 pounds ... According to other community reports, Justin Masterson, Jonathan Papelbon, Justin Masterson, Hideki Okajima, Manny Delcarmen, Wes Littleton, and Hunter Jones took lots of time out of their schedules to sign autographs for several young fans.