Baseball America ranks Sox's Farm #2

[BrewerBall13]

Latest Baseball America Organizational Talent Rankings:

1. Rays
2. Red Sox
3. Reds
4. Rangers
5. Yankees
6. Dodgers
7. Rockies
8. Braves
9. A's
10. Nationals


From Baseball America:
Cumulative Ranking, Last Five Years: No. 10

State Of The System: Unlike in 2004, the Red Sox won the World Series last year with plenty of contributions from homegrown players. More help is on the way, as RHP Clay Buchholz and OF Jacoby Ellsbury are ready for full-time duty and RHP Justin Masterson and SS Jed Lowrie could join them at midseason. Boston's willingness to invest in the draft and in the foreign market have the lower levels of the system teeming with talent as well. The Red Sox' No. 2 ranking is their highest ever.

Best-Stocked Position: Outfielders. Ellsbury already is a World Series hero. Ryan Kalish might prove to be a better pure hitter in the long run, and Josh Reddick isn't far behind those two. Brandon Moss is blocked in Boston, but he could start for several teams. Jason Place, a 2006 first-round pick, has the best combination of power and speed in the system.

Prepare For Takeoff: SS Will Middlebrooks. Because he signed late and had shoulder tendinitis, he has yet to make his pro debut. He's a big-bodied athlete at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, and Boston thinks he moves well enough to stay at short. He could move to third base, where he would draw comparisons to Scott Rolen.

At A Crossroads: RHP Craig Hansen. The Red Sox handed him a $4.4 million big league contract in the 2005 draft because he was supposed to be big league-ready, but he has a 6.59 ERA in 42 appearances with Boston, none last year. The club thinks he's could turn the corner after an improved second half in 2007 and surgery to correct sleep apnea, but he has struggled to maintain his release point this spring.

[browntown653]

Craig Hansen had sleep apnea??? Wow, that's a bit bizarre if that's what was affecting him. It's pretty amazing though to see the Red Sox and the Yankees both in the Top 5 here. The rest of the league should be pretty scared.

[Doppelgänger]

No surprise, but very scary. They seem to be doing everything right lately.

[NYgiantsfan5689]

Their farm system is UNBELIEVABLE for a world series winner. the only thing is, although he is filthy, masterson will not join the team this year because their rotation is already too good, barring any unforseen injuries

[ljshorty89]

well, thats assuming Beckett is healthy. Because Schilling is already gone for a while, and who knows if Bartolo Colon will really be the next one in line to start should someone else go down...