MLB Draft 2012: 5 Reasons the Red Sox Need a Strong Draft

While it’s a pretty obvious statement to say that every MLB team needs to draft well, the 2012 MLB draft represents a particularly crucial moment for the Boston Red Sox.

Traditionally a power player in free agency, the Sox now appear to be shifting the philosophy towards lower-cost options in the wake of the departure of longtime general manager Theo Epstein.

With a farm system ranked 9th in the game by Baseball America, the Sox certainly have a talented core of players under their control. However, despite the talent spread across the organization, they only have three of Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects, and one of those (Will Middlebrooks) is essentially an everyday big leaguer.

With last year’s trade of Anthony Rizzo (No. 47) and Casey Kelly (No. 76) to the Padres in exchange for Adrian Gonzalez, the Sox dealt a significant blow to their organizational depth by unloading two top-100 prospects. They’ll need to reload this year to try to restore some balance to their MLB squad.

Of the 25 players currently on the active roster, nine were Sox draft picks and one (Kelly Shoppach) was actually reacquired only after initially being traded away before he reached the majors. The other 16 players came to Boston either via free agency or trade.

With a talented scouting department and the resources to pay top picks that many teams lack, the Sox have a huge advantage over many of their competitors heading into the draft. They’ve proven they can find talented players in the both the early and later rounds, never wasting a single pick.

As the man in charge for the first time, general manager Ben Cherington would like to continue the Sox’s recent history of strong performances in selecting players. Here are five reasons why this year’s draft is especially important:

Ben Cherington Must Make a Good Impression

Ben Cherington is faced with a unique dilemma. After spending several years as an assistant GM where he gained valuable experience without facing the pressure of being the team’s primary decision-maker, he has now stepped into the role vacated by the departure of Theo Epstein.

Cherington must be careful not to stray from the organization’s draft philosophy while simultaneously putting his own imprint on the franchise.

He has already shown that he prefers to develop players within the organization rather than going for big-ticket free agents, and now he will have his first opportunity to select the pieces that he hopes will be the foundation of future Red Sox teams. Missing on an early opportunity like this would only make fans pine for the free-spending ways of Epstein and would create undue pressure on the rookie GM.

Match Previous Success

The Red Sox have enjoyed tremendous success with their previous draft picks. Between the players on the MLB roster that were drafted by the team, they have amassed 10 All-Star appearances, an MVP, a Rookie of the Year and four Gold Gloves.

This kind of track record is one that, while hard to replicate, is essential to the long-term success of the franchise. By developing top-level talent for a low cost, the Sox have been able to go out and spend more on free agents.

Cherington’s challenge, then, is to find the same recipe for success in this area that Epstein did. While projecting the big league success of these young players is a very inexact science, Cherington’s ability to find the team’s stars of the future will play a major role in how long his tenure as GM lasts.

Fix a Talent Drought

The Sox have a lot of talented players ready to burst onto the scene. Ryan Lavarnway, Jose Iglesias and Ryan Kalish all patiently await their turn to become big league regulars, and appear poised to seize everyday jobs as soon as they’re given the opportunity.

The challenge the Sox face, though, is finding the next wave of top-flight talent, particularly with regard to their pitching. Beyond Matt Barnes and Anthony Ranaudo, there simply isn’t much pitching depth in the Sox farm system.

One of Cherington’s top priorities must be to replenish the system with talented young players. After losing one of their top pitching prospects (Casey Kelly) in the Adrian Gonzalez deal, the Sox need to reload in order to provide the depth they ought to have throughout the organization.

Secure Long-Term Financial Stability

Quick test: would you rather have Kevin Youkilis for $12 million per season or Will Middlebrooks for the MLB minimum?

With similar production but vastly different salaries, a veteran like Youkilis and a rookie like Middlebrooks represent a familiar conundrum for MLB teams. While proven players like Youkilis are instrumental to a team’s success in the short term, the flexibility that someone such as Middlebrooks provides is simply too much to ignore.

By playing as well as he has, Middlebrooks has made Youkilis expendable. The Sox must now find more players who fit this mold and will come in and challenge the veteran players.

Not only does the youthful injection help the team on a day-to-day basis, but it also allows the organization to make plays for big-time free agents when they deem it appropriate.

Set Them Up for Trade Acquisitions

No matter how highly touted they are, many prospects never quite pan out. Or, even if they do make it to the big leagues, they end up as middling to below average players when they were supposed to be stars.

There’s no replacement for a sure thing, and a team like the Red Sox with the resources to pay these sure things knows this better than anyone. They can never have enough top-tier prospects. These players serve as the ultimate trade bait to lower market teams, and enable the Sox to patch holes in their MLB roster on the fly.

Identifying and drafting these players is the first step to ensuring that, when teams are facing the trade deadline and are competing to acquire a veteran player, the Sox come out on top.