Now that we’ve got that whole “Please God, let them win it before I’m dead” thing out of the way with the Red Sox, it’s time to shift at least some of our focus north to the baby BoSox in our own front yard.
That would be the Portland Sea Dogs, and never since their inception 12 years ago have there been more reasons for Red Sox fans, or even plain old baseball fans, to pay close attention.
Coming off two rather non-descript seasons as a Boston affiliate, the Sea Dogs are stocked with talent. The roster is dotted with five of the top six prospects in the organization and three of the top 91 prospects in all of the minor leagues.
Anyone who’s followed the Red Sox for any amount of time knows that it’s not every year that the entire organization has three of the top 901 prospects in all of the minors, let alone three of the top 91 on the same team.
Not that the Red Sox haven’t developed their share of Major League talent over the years, but most of the blue chips that they’ve had were dealt for established big league talent before they saw Fenway Park or even McCoy Stadium at Triple-A Pawtucket. The occasional Mo Vaughn or Nomar Garciaparra would climb up the organizational ladder, but rarely has Boston had so much talent on the same rung at the same time.
The most talked-about Sea Dog may be shortstop Hanley Ramirez, a five-tool player rated the No. 10 prospect in baseball by Baseball America.
If the Sox need to go after a top-flight starter in July, chances are they’ll be dangling Ramirez to entice potential trading partners. If the 21-year-old Dominican shortstop isn’t traded, he’ll probably have to learn a new position to find a spot on the Major League roster with Edgar Renteria seemingly ensconced at shortstop for the next four years. Some have suggested he may be the successor to Johnny Damon in center field if Damon, a free agent after this year, isn’t re-signed.
If Ramirez does indeed switch to the outfield, he’ll probably be playing alongside Brandon Moss, another five-tool player and the No. 2-rated prospect in the organization who’s now patrolling right field at Hadlock Field. For now, at least, Ramirez is teaming with double-play partner Dustin Pedroia, a converted shortstop playing second for the Dogs who was Boston’s top pick in last year’s draft and has been compared to Cardinals’ shortstop David Eckstein.
Rare as their talents may be, Sea Dogs fans get to take in an even rarer sight this season – two quality pitching prospects named Jon Papelbon and Jon Lester. Save for the occasional Brian Rose-Carl Pavano or Bruce Hurst-Bob Ojeda combo, Boston hasn’t had many duos as promising as this one coming up through the organization.
Papelbon, the No. 3 prospect in the organization and No. 91 overall in the minors, boasts a blazing fastball that helped him fan 153 batters in 129.2 innings last year at Single-A Sarasota. The converted closer out of Mississippi St. looked sharp and confident in the Dogs’ season-opener Thursday, showing poise and good command of the strike zone. Following him in the rotation and in Baseball America’s prospect rankings is Lester, a southpaw with similarly overpowering stuff.
While those are the big names, there are several other Sea Dogs who merit following. Coming out of the bullpen is Manny Delcarmen, a Boston native and second-round draft pick in 2000 who’s trying to bounce back from Tommy John surgery. Outfielder David Murphy, a first-round pick in 2003, and David Pauley, a pitcher the Sox picked up in the Dave Roberts-Jay Payton trade in the winter, are also touted talents.
Double-A is a critical step in the development of any prospect. Knowing this, the Red Sox promoted Todd Claus, who managed many of these players last year at Single-A Sarasota, to Portland.
Of course, if Claus and his coaching staff do their jobs right, these kids won’t be around for long, so catch them while you can. On the other hand, more top 10 prospects are on the way, including Luis Soto and Ian Bladergroen.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a steady stream of prospects come through Maine on their way to Boston? It would make both the Sea Dogs and Red Sox even more interesting to watch. And let’s face it, the Sox bought the world championship last year. Trot Nixon was the only regular contributor who came up all the way through their system.
As great as that was, wouldn’t it mean a little more the next time the Red Sox win it all to see guys like Hanley Ramirez, Brandon Moss, Jon Papelbon and Jon Lester spraying each other with champagne and be able to say “We knew them when”?
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