Red Sox Report: June

After returning home from a successful road trip, the Sox had to face the surprising AL-West leading Texas Rangers for a weekend set (6/5-7). Josh Hamilton was out of the lineup with an abdominal strain, though his absence didn’t appear to slow down the potent Texas offense.

Brad Penny got the call in the series opener (6/5) against Kevin Milwood and the visitors had the better of it. After a scoreless four innings, Marlon Byrd singled (Lugo flubbed the ball), Chris Davis singled and Elvis Andrus drove in Byrd with a base hit. Ian Kinsler followed with a three-run bomb and essentially that was it, and the Sox lost 5-1.

On Saturday night (6/6), Jon Lester was (nearly) unhittable as he carried a no-hitter into the seventh, when Michael Young doubled. The Sox pummeled Rangers’ starter Derek Holland en route to an 8-1 thumping. Lowell homered in the bottom half of the second, then the Sox broke it wide open with seven runs in the fifth and sixth (including Ortiz’ second homer that curled around Pesky’s Pole). But the story on this night was Lester (5-5), who went the distance, allowing only two hits and two walks while striking out 11.

Daisuke (1-4) started the finale (6/7) and reverted to his defective mechanics and maddening style of nibbling at the corners. It cost him, as the Rangers scored four runs in the first three innings and the Sox couldn’t get to Vicente Padilla and they lost 6-3. Daisuke threw 107 pitches over 5 ⅔, giving up 10 hits and walking eight (!)…awful, just awful. The only highlight of the day was a spectacular catch by Ellsbury in center, who appeared to have injured his shoulder on the play and had to leave the ballgame.

Red Sox-Yankees Round 3:

After a day off on Monday, the Yanks came to town for three games, with their full lineup intact and on a big-time roll. Ellsbury was labeled “day-to-day” which probably means he’ll be a spectator for this series. The Yanks ought to feel invincible coming into Fenway, as it looks like they’re on pace to shatter the existing single-season record for home runs by one team. Although the dimensions of the new Stadium mirror the old, it has been positioned differently and now has wind current advantages that the old one didn’t have. To date, balls have been flying out of the new park at an alarming rate.

The series opener (6/9) was played on a cold, misty night (more like April than June).
Josh Beckett started for the Sox and the Sox spanked the Yanks 7-0. Burnett lasted only 3 ⅔, allowing five runs (3ER) on five hits, capped off by Big Papi’s 3rd homer of the year. But Beckett completely shut down the Yankee batters, going six, allowing only one hit while striking out eight. On a miserable night for baseball, the Sox played “Hotter Than July”.

The middle game (6/10) was more typical of Red Sox-Yankees, a see-saw affair that saw the Sox build an early lead only to withstand a ferocious challenge by the Yanks in the final three innings. Wakefield started against the struggling Chien-Ming Wang, who had control troubles early and his two walks led to a run. Posada tied the score in the second with a leadoff bomb into the bullpen, but the Sox went up by a pair in the bottom half when Green led off with a single and Kottaras and Pedroia followed with back-to-back doubles. Lowell led off the third with a homer and Wang departed shortly thereafter in favor of phenom-in-waiting Phil Hughes. The Yanks clawed a run back in the fourth, but in the bottom half, Drew tripled off the wall and Youkilis hit a two-run shot into the bullpen. Teixeira doubled and scored in the fifth, then Damon and Teixeira hit back-to-back homers off of Ramon Ramirez to make things really interesting. Okajima came on with two outs and whiffed Matsui. Papelbon closed things out in the ninth and the Sox took a one-game lead over those hated New Yawkahs. Wake ran his record to an impressive 8-3 while Papelbon picked up his 15th save.

The series finale (6/11) was one for the ages. It was Goliath (CC Sabathia) v. Gargantua (Penny), and both pitchers had their best stuff going. Ortiz led off the bottom of the second with a homer to centerfield. The 1-0 lead held until the seventh when Penny handed things off to Delcarmen, who really struggled. Cabrera singled leading off and scored on Cervelli’s double off the wall. After a one-out walk to Damon, A-Fraud doubled off the wall, scoring two and giving the Yanks what seemed to be an insurmountable 3-1 lead, given Sabathia’s outstanding night. By the bottom of the eighth however, Sabathia was over 120 pitches and the tank was empty. Green singled leading off and Pedroia walked. Drew followed with a base hit up the middle that scored Green and Sabathia was finished for the night. All the bullpen needed to do was get three outs before turning things over to Rivera, but-- Alfredo Aceves allowed a base hit to Youkilis and Bay’s single tied the score at three. Lowell drove in Drew with the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly to center. Sabathia deserved a much better fate. Saito earned his first Red Sox win and Papelbon picked up his 15th save. Most importantly, the Sox swept them dreaded Yankees and have beaten them eight straight times (best since 1912) and are two games up in the AL East.

On to Philadelphia, for a weekend date with the World Champions and the resumption of Interleague play. Jon Lester got the start in the opener (6/12) against Joe Blanton, who always pitched the Sox tough when he played in Oakland. Lester has been dominant is his last two outings and is looking to keep his momentum going.

The Phils have a four game lead over the Mets, and their power bat so far has not been Ryan Howard, but former Mariner Raul Ibañez, with 21 homers. With no DH, Lowell was given the night off, Youkilis moved to third and Ortiz made his first start of the year at first. Ellsbury also returned to the lineup after a three-game absence.

While it’s always a novelty to see teams and parks that the Red Sox see infrequently, National League teams at home have a decided advantage, as AL pitchers aren’t accustomed to swinging a bat and 99.9% of the time the ninth spot in the order is an automatic out. Those of us who go back to the “good ol’ pre-DH” days (prior to 1973) could not have been happier to see the new rule in effect.

In the opener (6/12), Lester blew away Chase Utley on strikes in the first, which hopefully bodes well for the night. Papí led of the second with a ringing base hit, as it appears that he’s working his way out of the awful slump that has plagued him and the team so far. In the second, Ibañez led off with a slashing single to right and got to third on Victorino’s double. Carlos Ruiz knocked in the first run of the game on a grounder to second. Victorino followed the hit with a spectacular diving catch off of Drew’s line drive in the third. In the fourth, Youkilis started things off with a long homer to right to tie the score.

Drew put the Sox ahead 2-1 in the fifth with a line drive homer to left. (As many are aware, Drew is reviled in Philly for refusing to sign after the Phils drafted him years ago). Lester struck out the side in the fourth and fifth. Lester had another strong outing, going seven while striking out 11. The 2-1 lead held until the bottom of the ninth when Ryan Howard hit a solo bomb off of Ramon Ramirez with one out. Masterson and Saito held down the fort as the game wound deep into extra innings. The Sox finally broke through in the top of the 13th, as Bay and Lugo singled and Varitek walked to load ‘em. Ellsbury singled, driving in Bay with the go-ahead run. Green hit a sacrifice fly to left that scored Lugo and Lowell drove in Varitek with a line drive up the middle. Daniel Bard came on and allowed a walk and an HBP, but struck out the side to pick up his first Big League save.

A video of Saturday night’s game (6/13) won’t be used as a pitching and/or fielding clinic anytime soon. Antonio Bastardo started for the Phils and the Sox torched him for five runs in the top of the first. The game started with light rain that quickly enveloped into a downpour. With one out, Ellsbury walked, stole second and advanced to third on a bad throw by the catcher. Youkilis walked and Ellsbury scored on a pick off throw that went awry, then Bay hit a two-run homer to the deepest part of the ballpark. Lowell doubled, Baldelli walked and both scored when Lugo lined a base hit up the middle that Victorino misplayed and rolled all the way to the warning track. Three errors by the Phils- ugh! The umpires had seen enough after one inning and called out the grounds crew. After a 90-minute rain delay, Daisuke came back out, but again had bad stuff, going only four, allowing four runs on seven hits. The Sox put three more runs on the board in the fifth on four singles and a double. It was just ugly baseball all the way through, as the Sox won 11-6.

Sunday afternoon’s finale (6/14) was another episode of Bad Baseball, as the Phils salvaged a win with an 11-6 triumph. Things were looking good for Beckett as he carried a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth before the roof caved in and the Phils knocked him around to tie the score. Beckett tied things up at five when he led off the sixth with a home run, but the Phils hung a six-spot in the bottom of the seventh and that was that. Sure, it was an ugly way to close the week, but going 5-1 makes things more palatable.

After a day off on Monday, the Florida Marlins came to town for a three-game set. Despite having one of the lowest payrolls in MLB, the Marlins always seem to put forth a competitive team. Their featured attraction is Hanley Ramirez, the one-time hot Sox prospect who was flipped to Miami in the Beckett/Lowell trade. While the Sox got the better of the trade in the short term, Hanley has developed into one of the best-hitting shortstops in the game. They also have some pop with Dan Uggla at second and outfielder Cody Ross. Otherwise, it’s a team comprised of former farmhands and castoffs from elsewhere.

Wakefield got the start (6/16) and got Coughlan looking, Gload swinging and Hanley on a grounder to short to start things off. Chris (6’8”) Volstad started for the Marlins and got through the first with no problem. He has a nasty curve and slider, and the Sox appeared baffled. Cantu led off the second with a double, and Hermeida walked. Uggla grounded into a double play and Wake was able to get out of the jam unscathed. With one out in the bottom half, Ellsbury singled, stole second and scored on Green’s infield Baltimore Chop that bounced over the pitcher’s lunge and died in no-man’s land. The Marlins manufactured a run in the third as Bonificio singled, stole second and scored on Coughlan’s line drive to right. After being down by a run early, the Sox chipped in a pair of runs in the second and third before blowing things wide open with a six-spot in the fourth. In the second, Ellsbury singled, stole second and scored the tying run on Green’s infield single. After the Marlins went ahead 2-1 in the top of the third, the Sox came back to tie in the bottom half when Drew singled and scored on Bay’s two-out single.

Ortiz led off the bottom of the fourth with a homer above the bullpen. With one out, Ellsbury singled, stole second and scored on Green’s double off the wall. Green scored on Kottaras’ base hit to right. Pedroia followed with a base hit into the hole. With two outs (after a pitching change and a walk), Ortiz drove in two runs on a line drive single to center. Wake was through after six and Delcarmen, Saito and Bard pitched clean ball the rest of the way, in a satisfying 8-2 win.

Brad Penny started the middle game (6/17) against one-time Tiger prospect Andrew Miller, who has yet to show more than flashes of his predicted greatness. This game did not feature one Big Bang inning, but a methodical beat down of the visitors as the Sox coasted 6-1. After Penny recorded two quick strikeouts in the first, Hanley Ramirez walked and scored when Cantu reached on Ellsbury’s first career error in center. The Sox went ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the second when Lowell singled, Ortiz doubled, Baldelli singled and Varitek grounded into a double play with Ortiz coming in the back door. In the bottom of the fourth, Ortiz walked, Baldelli and Green singled and Pedroia followed with a line drive base hit to right to make it 4-1. Ellsbury homered in the seventh, and in the eighth (after the Marlins’ Kiko Calero loaded the bases on walks) Pedroia laced a single up the middle to score Ortiz. The big story was Brad Penny, who went five very good innings and the bullpen (Masterson, Okajima, Ramirez and Papelbon) who slammed the door shut over the final four innings.

The series finale (6/18) was marred by rain. Lester started for the Sox and allowed two solo homers in the second and the Sox lost 2-1 when the umps called time then made everyone sit through a 2 ½ hour rain delay before pulling the plug. Everyone was livid about this, save the owners, who made a small fortune on concessions while everyone waited things out.

The 1914 World Champion Braves came to town for a weekend showdown with their former neighbors. After a year spent re-loading, the Bravos have built another team that will contend in the über-competitive NL East. In the opener (6/19), the newly-acquired Nate McLouth took Daisuke’s first pitch out of the yard and it was all downhill from there as the Braves thumped the Sox 8-2. Daisuke couldn’t even make it through five, as the Braves had a 6-0 lead when he left the ballgame. Kenshin Kawakami had a great outing for the Braves, going six innings, allowing only two runs on two hits.

After the game, the “brain trust” rubbed their heads and determined that Daisuke had to be taken out of the rotation to get his act together. The talk shows were going wild over Daisuke and his difficulties. After the game, Daisuke was placed on the 15 day DL

In the middle game (6/20), old friend Derek Lowe got the start against Beckett (7-3, 3.15) (coming off a tough outing last Sunday in Philly). After losing two in a row, the Sox really needed a quality start from Beckett. And did they ever get it, as he went the distance in a 3-0 shutout, allowing five hits while striking out seven. All of the offense came from single runs in the sixth and seventh innings. When Lowe was removed from the game in the bottom of the seventh inning with two runners aboard, he received a standing ovation from the crowd and recognition of his many fine years pitching for the Red Sox and being part of the 2004 World Championship team.

The series finale (6/27) may be recalled as "The Father's Day Thriller", as Nick Green broke open a 5-5 tie by taking Jeff Bennett's first pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning around Pesky's Pole for thrilling walkoff homer to conclude the homestand. Wakefield started against youngster Jair Jurrjens, as McLouth and Escobar started off with base hits and McCann drove both runners in with a one-out double. The Sox came back with a three spot in the bottom of the first as Pedroia led off with a double, Youkilis reached on Jurrjens' fielding error, Bay hit a sacrifice fly and Ortiz followed with a two-run bomb to center. With the Sox ahead 4-2 in the top of the seventh, the Braves tied the score with four singles off of Wakefield and Ramon Ramirez. The Sox came back to take the lead in the bottom half of the inning when Kottaras doubled off the wall leading off and scored on Drew's base hit up the middle. Kelly Johnson doubled leading off the top of the eighth and scored the tying run on Garret Anderson's base hit to right. Jonathan Papelbon entered in the top of the ninth and loaded the bases on two walks and a single before striking out Diaz swinging. Then Green stepped up to face Bennett and he sent the fans home happy with one swing of the bat.

After Nick Green’s thrilling walk-off homer to end the homestand, the Sox hit the road for a nine-game trip that would take them to Washington, Atlanta and Baltimore.

Off To the DC:

For those of you who frequent this column, there are no surprises with respect to my opinion about franchise relocation. The Washington Nationals were the Montréal Expos for over 30 years before MLB sold out the fans of Québec and orchestrated a transfer of the franchise to DC, enriching a couple of Selig’s cronies (who presently own the Florida franchise) along the way. If MLB actually supported the Expos’ franchise and allowed for stable and viable ownership, there is little doubt that they would’ve remained and would be playing in a beautiful downtown stadium. One of the things that could’ve been done to “save the Expos” would’ve been allowing them to transfer to the American League, where there are already a number of regional rivalries, just like when Selig moved his Milwaukee franchise to the National League for precisely the same reason. But Selig hung out the Expos to dry and a consortium of investors grabbed the franchise at a rock-bottom price and relocated it to Washington, a city where two franchises were located and subsequently moved away (Twins and Rangers). A beautiful new facility was built for the Nats, but because they’ve been horribly mismanaged since having moved, the average attendance/game is about 17,000 (third worst in baseball). That’s no better than the average was during the final years in Montréal, despite MLB’s overt and fervent efforts to sabotage the franchise.

Granted, there were a few franchises that warranted relocation (Boston Braves, Philadelphia Athletics and St. Louis Browns) that historically underperformed on the field and at the gate during the first half of the 20th Century. Even though each of these teams had a devoted following, there was no tremendous outpouring of community support when they moved away. But the fans of franchises like Brooklyn, New York and Montréal did not deserve to have their teams ripped away from them but for greed and political incompetence. There is a social compact between a ball club and the citizens of a town that extend beyond political, religious and other social considerations where the team and its followers become interwoven in the fabric of the community. Brooklyn has never recovered from losing the Dodgers. Included among MLB’s greatest sins (along with the refusal to integrate until 1947) was to allow O’Malley to move the highly-profitable Dodger franchise to Los Angeles.

Markets like Southern California and the Bay Area are unquestionably economically viable for Major League Baseball, but could’ve have been granted expansion franchises in the late 1950’s or early 1960’s when America’s westward shift was already well underway. Washington is a stone throw from Baltimore, and many DC-area residents had already strongly identified themselves with the Orioles. As far as the “National Pastime/Nation’s Capitol” argument goes, Washington had a continuous presence in the American League from 1901-71 and neither franchise proved to be economically viable over the long term. Why should the third time be a charm?

When the Nats were established, it seemed as if they wanted to clean house and start over almost like an expansion team, erasing every link to their prior existence. They went from semi-respectable to a joke within a few years. They were terribly mismanaged, and now are, in fact, an expansion team. Provided new management has a clue, they’re at least five years from being competitive.

In the series opener (6/23), the Sox played like the best team in baseball while the Nats played like the worst, as Boston won going away, 11-3. Give Washington a little credit for making things tight over the first six innings, as the Sox were locked in a 3-3 tie before breaking things wide open with eight runs over the final three innings. Brad Penny had another good start, going 5 2/3, allowing three runs on six hits ball striking out six. With the Sox ahead 4-3, in the top of the eighth, Baldelli singled leading off. After a pitching change and with one out, Pedroia and Youkilis walked. Bay knocked in two runs with a single to left. With two outs, Varitek lined a base hit up the middle, bringing in Youkilis. Ellsbury followed with a triple to the gap in right-center, and he scored on Green's base hit to left. Ellsbury and Bay each had four hits in the effort as the Sox ran their record to 43-27. So the first game of the series went according to plan.

In the middle game of the series (6/24), Jon Lester picked up his sixth win of the year, as he went six innings allowing three runs on six hits while striking out six as the Sox won 6-4. The Sox got homers from Varitek and (three-run) Ortiz (#7) and the bullpen (Masterson, Okajima and Papelbon) held down the fort over the final three innings. It was a well played game, as the Nationals' youngster Craig Stammen pitched a lot better than his scoring line indicated.

In the series finale (6/26), John Smoltz made his long-awaited debut for the Sox against phenom Jordan Zimmermann. After recording a quick out, Smoltz hit Nick Johnson in the leg with a split-finger that went awry and Ryan Zimmerman followed with a line drive double down the left field line. With runners in scoring position, up stepped Adam Dunn, who walked to load ‘em. Willingham smacked a single into the hole in short and Johnson limped in with the first run. Josh Bard singled to right, driving in Zimmerman. After a timely visit by the pitching coach, Wee Willie Harris lined to right, then Anderson Hernandez laced a line drive single to left, bringing in Dunn and Willingham, 4-0 Nats. (They started getting loose in the Boston bullpen…) It wasn’t quite the start that Smoltz or the team had anticipated. Smoltz had a rockin’ chair 1-2-3 inning on three ground balls in the second.

Zimmermann had a pretty easy go of things, allowing only three singles. With one out in the bottom of the third, Willingham doubled and scored on Bard’s single to right. Harris reached when Ortiz was eaten up by a grounder (E3) then Hernandez grounded into a 5-2 force. The Sox pushed across their first run in the sixth when Drew and Bay singled and Ortiz hit a sacrifice fly to left. Ryan Zimmerman made another spectacular grab of a line drive to put an end to any rally. Smoltz was through after five innings, and though he was disappointing, he did pitch better with each successive inning, having retired the last eight hitters he faced (5 IP, 7H, 5ER, 1BB, 5K).

Bard entered in relief and stunk, as it was 7-1 after six. Saito fared no better, allowing two more runs in the seventh. Rocco Baldelli hit a two-run homer in the ninth, but this horse left the barn a long time ago. Nats win, 9-3. Some nights even the worst baseball team can play like world beaters, so you tip your cap and move on to the next one.

Hot ‘Lanta:

And was it ever hot down in the Southland, with temperatures in the high 90s (not to mention high humidity) as the Sox closed out the interleague portion of their schedule with three against the Braves. In the series opener (6/26), Josh Beckett and Jair Jurrjens renewed acquaintances, and once more Beckett had the better end of things going seven shutout innings (despite having a stomach bug) as the Sox won easily, 4-1. The game was scoreless tie until the top of the fifth when Ortiz led off with a bomb (#8) off of Jurrjens.

The Sox pushed across another run in the sixth when Pedroia doubled leading off and scored on Drew’s grounder to second. Things stayed 2-0 until the top of the eighth when Green walked then (after a pitching change) Pedroia drove in Green with a base hit and Drew singled. A balk and a passed ball brought in Pedroia to make it 4-0. Atlanta finally got on the board in the bottom of the ninth when Ross homered off of Papelbon with one out, but it was too little too late for the home team.

After the ballgame, it was announced that Mike Lowell’s surgically repaired hip had become aggravated and he’d be sitting out the rest of the series, and was expected to return to Boston for injections to alleviate his discomfort. Obviously, this isn’t good news…

Saturday afternoon's game (6/27), was the Fox Game of the Week. Tim Wakefield and Javier Vazquez hooked up in a pitcher’s duel with the Sox squeaking by 1-0 when Youkilis and Ortiz walked with two outs in the sixth inning and Kotsay drove in the go-ahead run with a base hit to left. Both pitchers were outstanding, though the Braves made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth when Garret Anderson doubled to the gap in left-center, but Papelbon was able to close things out by getting Kochman on a routine groundout.

At last, the final interleague game of the season was played on Sunday (6/28) in what was another 90+° broiler at the ball yard.
Braves’ phenom Tommy Hanson was handed the ball and he delivered big-time, going six shutout innings while holding the Sox’ batters to only a pair of hits. Chipper Jones homered in the bottom of the first off of Brad Penny and the 1-0 score remained until the Braves picked up another run in the bottom of the fourth when Garret Anderson led off with a homer. Penny pitched well enough, but Hanson had downright filthy stuff out there, and the Sox were on their heels all afternoon. The Sox did have a shot in the seventh with runners on the corners and one out, but Nick Green grounded into a double play. They did push across a run in the ninth and had the tying run in scoring position, but Mike Gonzalez struck out Ellsbury and that was that. The Yankees swept the Mets over the weekend, so now they’re only three games behind and moving fast…

“Oh, Baltimore…”

With the Yanks breathing down their necks, the Sox wound up the road trip with their first trip to Camden Yards this year. In the opener (6/29), rookie Jason Berken started for the O’s against Jon Lester (6-6, 4.68). The manager dropped the slumping Pedroia to the two-hole in the order and the move paid immediate dividends as Drew led off the ballgame with a triple off the centerfield wall and scored on Pedroia’s single up the middle. Ortiz and Kotsay led off the second with base hits to right. Ellsbury reached on a 3-6 force and stole second. With two outs, Green was hit by a pitch to load the bases but Berken got out of the jam by getting Drew to pop out to center. The Sox had runners on the corners with two outs in the third, but once more Berken got out unscathed. Ellsbury was hit by a pitch leading off the fourth, then stole second and scored on Varitek’s base hit up the middle. With one out, Drew clocked a two-run shot to right and the Sox were up 4-0. With two outs, Adam Jones robbed Youkilis of a home run when he perfectly timed his jump and pulled in the ball as it was going over the wall. Lester had another great night, going seven shutout innings before turning things over to the ‘pen. Sox won, 4-0.

Prior to Tuesday night’s game, the Sox placed Mike Lowell on the 15 day DL.

This move will enable Lowell ample recovery time. A funny thing happened on the way to a 10-1 blowout win…the Red Sox lost 11-10. The Orioles scored five runs in the seventh and the eighth due to a cataclysmic failure of the bullpen- Masterson, Delacarmen, Okajima, Saito and Papelbon- all failed to get anybody out. It was a shame, because Smoltz pitched lights out over the first four innings before heavy rains shut things down in the fifth inning for about an hour and a half. Afterward, it seemed as if the Red Sox stopped trying as the O’s mounted their greatest comeback victory in franchise history. There really isn’t much more to say about this shocking defeat. What a lousy way to end the month...

MLB Draft/Sox: If you thought that NFL mock drafts are all over the map, you ought to try the baseball variety. Beyond Stephen Strasburg, the consensus #1 phenom out of San Diego State, who’s ticketed for the Nationals, the mocks are wildly divergent. Here’s how the various “experts” have the Red Sox picking at #28:

Rich Poythress, 1B Georgia
Jake Marisnick (CF), California High School
Sam Dyson, South Carolina, RHP
AJ Pollock, Notre Dame, OF
Jared Mitchell, OF, LSU
Tony Sanchez, C, Boston College
Jacob Turner, RHP, Westminster Christian Academy, St. Louis, Mo
Max Stassi, C, California HS

And the winner is…Reymond Fuentes, CF, Fernando Callejo HS, Manati, P.R.

Fuentes is a speed burner and a cousin of Carlos Beltran. Whether he can play at or near that level is the $64M Question. In Round 2, the Sox tabbed Alex Wilson, RHP, Texas A&M and in Round 3, they drafted David Renfroe, SS, South Panola HS, Miss.

Of the four major sports, the MLB 50-Round Draft is the biggest crapshoot, but its importance to a team’s success is crucial. A draft shouldn’t be evaluated until four or five years have passed. It generally takes that long for those few picks to work their way up the organizational ladder to The Show.

Look at 2004’s first round: only 2-3 players have made an impact. Last year’s MVP (Dustin Pedroia) was not chosen until the 65th pick in Round 2. The average fan knows little if anything about these 1,500+ young men who will hear their names called the draft. Theo & Co. have done a great job selecting players during his tenure as GM.

Last year, they signed their first 17 picks, 16 of whom remain in the organization. Additionally, there are nine more ’08 picks who are playing in the organization. There are 22 players from the ’07 draft still in the system. From the ’06 draft, there are 20 players still under contract, with Daniel Bard and Justin Masterson having graduated to the majors. From 2005, 14 players remain in the organization, including graduates Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie and Clay Buchholz.

There are now 81 players drafted from 2005-08 currently in the organization. Considering the contributions of Pedroia, Youkilis, Ellsbury, Lester and Papelbon, the management/scouting team gets high marks around here. The only time previous when the farm system bore such fruit was the late ‘60’s- mid ‘70’s when the late Dick O’Connell’s team brought in the likes of Fisk, Rice, Evans, Lynn and Burleson. So all of this hot air about this year’s picks is just that –hot air.

On Days 2 and 3 of the draft (where the Rounds zip by at a ten-minute clip), we venture deeper and deeper into a world known only by bird dogs, immediate family and friends.
Here is the Red Sox’ remaining Draft Class of 2009 (players in bold have already signed):

Round 4: Boston takes Jeremy Hazelbaker (CF) from Ball State.
Round 5, Sox pick Seth Schwindenhammer, LF, Limestone CC
Round 6, Sox pick Brandon Klein, RHP, Governor Thomas Johnson HS, Frederick, MD
Sox Round 7, Pick 228 - John Youngener, RHP, Malden HS South Carolina
Sox Round 8, Pick 258 - Shannon Wilkerson, RF, Augusta State University
Sox Round 9, Pick 288 Sox take William Volz, RHP from Baylor.
Sox Round 10, Pick 318 - Brandon Jacobs, LF, Parkview HS, Snellville, GA
Sox Round 11, Pick 348 - Sox take Jason Thompson, SS, Germantown HS, Tennessee.
Sox Round 12, Pick 378 - Sox take Michael Thomas, C, Southern A&M
Sox Round 13, Pick 408 - Sox took Chris McGuinness, 1B from the Citadel, SC.
Sox Round 14, Pick 438 - Sox take William Holmes, RF, Chaffey College
Sox Round 15, Pick 468 - Sox take Michael Bugary, LHP, UC - Berkeley
Sox Round 16, Pick 498 - Red Sox select Luke Bard, RHP, Charlotte Christian School
Sox Round 17, Pick 528 - Kraig Sitton, LHP, Oregon St. (reliever
Sox Round 18, Pick 558 Red Sox: RHP Reynolds Parthemore
19th round (588) - Thomas Ebert, RHP, Florida International University
20th round (618) - Alexander Hassan, RHP, Duke University
21st Round (648) - Randall Fant, LHP, Texas HS (TX)
22nd Round (678) - Jordan Flasher, RHP, George Mason University
23rd Round (708) - Christopher Court, RHP, Stephen F Austin State University
24th Round (738) - Daniel Kemp, SS, Tantasqua Regional HS (MA)
25th Round (768) - Austin House, RHP, La Cueva HS (NM)
26th Round (798) - Miles Head, 3B, Whitewater HS (GA)
27th Round (828) - Reed Gragnani, SS, Mills E Godwin HS (VA)
28th Round (858) - Eric Curtis, RHP, Miami Dade CC
29th Round (888) - Cody Stubbs, 1B, Tuscola HS (NC)
30th Round (918) - Jeremiah Bayer, RHP, Trinity College
31. (948) Shaughn Webb 6'0 175 LHP Palm Beach CC
32. (978) Michael Clark 6'3 LHP American Heritage School (FL)
33. (1008) William Tart 6'3 193 RHP The Pendleton School (NC)
34. (1038) Jimmy Patterson 6'0 195 LHP Central Arizona College
35. (1068) Matthew Milroy 6'2 RHP Marmion Academy HS (IL)
36. (1098) Michael Yastrzemski 5'11 185 RF St. John's Prep (MA)
37. (1128) Matthew Koch 6'3 185 RHP Washington HS (IA)
38. (1158) Ezekiel Devoss 5'10 170 CF Astronaut HS (FL)
39. (1189) Frank McCourt 5'9 160 OF Harvard-Westlake HS (CA)
40. (1218) James Dykstra 6'4 195 RHP Rancho Bernardo HS (CA)
41. (1248) Kyle Rutter 6'3 176 RHP NC State
42. (1278) Gera Sanchez 6'0 170 RHP New Mexico JC
43. (1308) Luke Maile 6'3 195 C Covington Catholic HS (KY)
44. (1338) Derrick Thomas 6'4 205 RF Roswell HS (GA)
45. (1368) Kyle Arnsberg 6'5 205 C Arlington Lamar HS (TX)
46. (1398) John Pivach 6'3 215 RHP New Orleans
47. (1428) Jordan Sallis 5'8 165 2B Arkansas-Fort Smith
48. (1458) Brian Heere 5'11 175 RF Kansas
49. (1488) Chris Constantino 6'3 235 3B Bishop Hendricken School (RI)
50. (1518) Drew Hedman 6'1 200 1B Pomona-Pitzer College

The selection of Michael Yastrzemski in the 36th round opened a few eyes, as Yaz’ grandson is a talented hitter who has accepted a scholarship to play at Vanderbilt. He should go the college route and get the education. (You know you’re getting old when the grandchildren of your childhood heroes are getting drafted). The Sox signed Yaz out of Notre Dame in the ‘50’s and required Old Man Yawkey to pay for the rest of his college education at Merrimack, so there should be no surprise if the kid doesn’t sign by August 15th. Let’s wish this draft class all the best and hope to see as many as possible in Fenway in a few years.