The View from Landsdowne Street: Grading the Boston Red Sox Minor League System

For the sake of this argument, I will not be including Clay Buchholz or Brandon Moss in my grading system, and I will be including Justin Masterson since he has not played as much in the major leagues.

Since Theo Epstein became general manager of the Boston Red Sox, the team has shown a strong interest in revamping their farm system rather than renting players at the all-star break.

The increased important Epstein and his staff have placed on the MLB draft has paid dividends for Boston, which now finds itself with a lot of options and gap-fillers from within the system.

Gone are the days of top prospects with mediocre ceilings like Wilton Veras and Brian Rose. Under Epstein, they have been replaced by players like Michael Bowden, Jed Lowrie, and Lars Anderson.

Prospects with a lot of potential and possible difference-makers down the road.

Here is a look at each position, and how the Red Sox have stocked them individually.

Catcher:

One would have to go all the way down to No. 17 on soxprospects.com before they find the highest rated catcher in the Red Sox system. Luis Exposito has the highest ceiling of the group, but his hitting tools are still very raw, and he is at least four years away from making the club.

The Red Sox love his catching instincts and think his howitzer arm and great handling of the pitching staff will be important to how he fits with the parent club down the road.

In 49 games with Low-A Greenville, Exposito was hitting .283/.328/.836 with 11 home runs before being called up to Lancaster. He needs to improve his plate discipline as he has only walked 12 times all season.

The prospect closest to a call-up is AA-Portland catcher Mark Wagner. The UC-Irvine product tore it up in Lancaster last season and earned a trip this season to Portland.

A strong defensive catcher with middling power and a long swing, Wagner's future remains bright, but he hasn't figured out AA pitching yet. He is hitting just .243/.325/.740 with eight home runs. But the Red Sox still like his potential, but with the way Varitek is hitting the ball, Boston may need him sooner than he is ready.

Dusty Brown is the catcher for AAA-Pawtucket, and although he is having a good season in R.I. for the minor league Red Sox, he is already 26 years old, and he most likely has already peaked on potential. He can be an effective stopgap should someone get hurt, but his potential as a starter is limited.

George Kottaras is another player with Pawtucket and is a year younger than Brown. He has a lot of power and can be an effective hitter at the major league level. But he doesn't project well as a catcher and could move positions.

They drafted Tim Federowicz out of North Carolina in the past draft, and although he lacks power, he has all the other intangibles needed to have a prosperous career behind the plate. He will start with the Lowell Spinners.

Grade: C+

First Base:

A position that the Red Sox have drastically improved since the days of Brian Daubach, first base still leaves a lot to be desired for the organization.

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