Boston Red Sox: Theo Epstein Should Stick with the Kids

Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes and Matt Garza. 

All of these names have been thrown around as potential targets for the Red Sox in this year's trading deadline.

You never know what to believe with pre-deadline rumors. Most of them are probably BS spread by teams looking to create a market for player and bluff their trading partners into getting the best possible deal. The thought of Garza pitching in Fenway is pretty sweet, but let's stand pat with what we have. Seriously. 

Good things happen when you give young talent a chance to play every day and trust them to perform in the postseason.

Let's roll through some recent examples of Red Sox farmhands and see how they did once they got regular playing time in both the regular season and playoffs. 

Dustin Pedroia

Dustin Pedroia took over for Mark Loretta in 2007, and the results have been spectacular. 

What's one of the reasons why he turned out great? 

He knew the Sox were going to sink or swim with him playing second base.  Theo Epstein had faith in him, and he also had Terry Francona's trust.  Let's look at his numbers in both the regular season and playoffs.

Regular season: 139 games, 520 at-bats, 86 runs, 39 doubles, .317 batting average, eight HR and 50 RBI.  His OBP/SLG/OPS numbers (which the sabermetrics guys put a lot of stock in) was a very nice .380/.442/.823.  

Playoffs:  His first series against the Angels wasn't very good, but his other two were awesome.  Against the Indians in the 2007 ALCS his numbers were seven games, 29 at-bats, eight runs, 10 hits, three doubles, one home run, five RBI and a .345 batting average. 

His OBP/SLG/OPS were an eye-popping .406/.552./.958.  In the World Series against Colorado Pedroia's numbers were 18 at-bats, two runs, five hits, one double, one home run and four RBI.  His OBP/SLG/OPS line for the World Series was a .350/.500/.850

Let's keep going...

Jonathan Papelbon

Jonathan Papelbon came up in late 2005 and pitched fairly well. 

He made the 2006 team out of spring training.  Early on in the season, he took over for Keith Foulke (who retired after that season) as the guy you wanted to close out games.  The results are so good they speak for themselves.

Regular season: 59 games, 0.92 ERA, 35 saves, 68.1 innings pitched, eight runs, three HR allowed, 13 walks, 75 strikeouts and a microscopic WHIP of .776.  He made the All-Star team and finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting. 

Playoffs: Papelbon got his first taste of playoff baseball in 2005 against the White Sox, and the numbers were good.  He pitched in two games, four innings pitched, two hits allowed, zero runs allowed, zero earned runs allowed, no home runs allowed, two strikeouts and a nice WHIP of 0.500. 

More reasons why it's smart to trust the kids...

Jacoby Ellsbury

Mr. Ellsbury got his chance in late 2007 when it became clear Coco Crisp was not going to replace Johnny Damon as the Red Sox leadoff hitter.  How did he respond when he got the chance? 

Regular season: 33 games, 116 at-bats, 20 runs, 41 hits, seven doubles, one triple, three HR, 18 RBI, nine stolen bases and a .353 batting average. 

He got the full-time job in 2008 and the results were promising.  In 145 games, he had 98 runs, 155 hits, 22 doubles, seven triples, nine HR, 47 RBI and a league-leading 50 stolen bases.  He ended up third in the 2008 Rookie of the Year voting. 

Playoffs: Ellsbury started out slowly in the 2007 playoffs but got better along the way.  In the ALCS against the Indians, he hit .250 with three runs, two hits, one RBI, one stolen base, one walk, one strikeout and a .333 OBP. 

His World Series numbers make you giddy.  Four games, 16 at-bats, four runs, seven hits, four doubles, three RBI, one stolen base, two walks and a .438 batting average.  He had a .500/.688/.1188 in the OBP/SLG/OPS categories. 

More examples why "give young talent a chance" is a smart MO...

Jon Lester

Jon Lester is a rare species—a lefty with the talent to be a No. 1 starter. 

He came up in 2006 and had decent numbers for a 22-year-old rookie.  In 15 games, he had a 7-2 record with a 4.76 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. 

His 2007 season was derailed by his cancer diagnosis.  I think the fact that he was able to pitch at all that year was very admirable. 

In 2008, when he started to get regular turns in the rotation, Lester's career took off.  In 33 starts, he had a 16-6 record, .727 win-loss percentage, 3.21 ERA, two complete games, two shut-outs, 152 strikeouts and a 1.274 WHIP. 

During the 2007 playoffs, the Red Sox showed a great deal of faith in Lester's talent, and he didn't let them down.  At just 23 years old, he clinched their second title in four years.  He was on the mound for 5.2 innings and allowed no runs on just three hits.  He walked three, whiffed three, didn't hit anybody and his WHIP was a very nice 1.059.

One more example that trusting the kids pays off... 

Daniel Bard...

Daniel Bard is a good example of the value and importance of middle relief. 

Look back at any World Series champ and you'll notice each team had a few guys who could pick up the slack when a starter got shelled early and snuff out late inning rallies. 

In 2009 Bard got regular work as a middle reliever and the numbers are staggering.

Regular season: 49 games, 2-2 record, 3.65 ERA, 49.1 innings pitched, 41 hits, 63 whiffs and a 1.277 WHIP.

Playoffs: two games, 0.00 ERA, three innings pitched, no walks, four whiffs and a 0.000 WHIP. 

Offensively this team looks pretty good. 

The pitching has some question marks, so what should Theo do?

Let the Kids Play

 Let the young players play full time!

I wouldn't pull the trigger on a deal for Carlos Beltran. You wouldn't have him for very long, and his injury problems are enough to scare me off.  In 2009, he played in just 81 games, and last year, he was only on the field for 64. 

Instead of Beltran or Michael Cuddyer, why don't the Red Sox just let Josh Reddick play every day?  He's still only 24 years old, and he's capitalized on the chance to play. 

As of this writing he's played with 32 games with 95 at-bats, 22 runs, 34 hits, seven doubles, three triples, four HR, 19 RBI and a .358 batting average.  He has a .407/.621/1.028 in the all important OBP/SLG/OPS categories. 

Why shell out prospects for a mid-tier lefty reliever?  Give Felix Doubront a chance. 

Perhaps, the team is thinking add another righty, but I'd say give Michael Bowden a shot. 

Do you need insurance in case Clay is hurt worse than they're letting on?  Why not give Kyle Weiland a chance? 

Want to grab another righty bat if you think the lineup is overloaded with lefties?  Call up Ryan Lavarnway.

It's going to be fun watching Theo operate.  You can't help but wonder what he has up his sleeve.