Filed under: Red Sox | Tags: Ellsbury, farm system, Lowrie, minor league, Pedroia, Theo Epstein, Youkilis
When Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein took over after the 2002 season, the team’s minor league system was razor thin. Players like Trot Nixon and David Eckstein had come through years before, but the front office hadn’t been able to turn that high pick into top big league talent in some time.
Epstein, who eventually replaced the forgettable Dan Duquette as GM, instantly changed the culture on Yawkey Way. In his first draft at the helm, Epstein spent a second round pick on a talented young left hander named Jon Lester. Lester, who no-hit the Royals earlier this season at Fenway Park, is a developing star and one of the most reliable starters in the current Boston rotation. Then in 2003, Epstein grabbed closer Jonathan Papelbon in the fourth round. A scrappy shortstop from Arizona State was Epstein’s first selection in ’04, Dustin Pedroia, now a second baseman, leads the American League in hitting. Last year’s AL Rookie of the Year, Pedroia started the 2008 All-Star game for the AL, and leads the Major Leagues in hits and runs scored.
Pedroia is solid with the glove, as well as the bat
Then came the 2005 draft, Epstein’s finest as Boston’s top decision maker. Five members of that draft reached the parent club by 2008, and two of them -Jed Lowrie and Jacoby Ellsbury- are members of the Sox’s everyday lineup. Clay Buchholz was a member of the rotation for much of this season, and righty pitcher Michael Bowden made his major league debut on Friday, going five innings in a win over the Chicago White Sox. Craig Hansen, who was sent to Pittsburgh as part of the Manny Ramirez deal (along with Brandon Moss, another Epstein pick) also showed potential in the Boston bullpen. In 2006, the Red Sox selected Justin Masterson in the second round, now a key part of the team’s bullpen and probably a future member of the starting rotation.
Of course, these are just the players that have made the big club so far. The teams’ A, AA, and AAA affiliates are stocked for the future as well. Pitcher Daniel Bard appears to have major league talent, as does first baseman Lars Anderson.
Currently, four of the nine players in the Red Sox starting lineup (Ellsbury, Lowrie, Youkilis, and Pedroia) were drafted by the team. Throw Jon Lester into the rotation, Papelbon, Manny Delcarmen, and Justin Masterson into the bullpen, and homegrown talent accounts for a huge portion of the Red Sox success.
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