Youth, movement

Sox' process simple: build from within

Theo Epstein calls it The Process, the patient and pragmatic method of acquiring and developing players that is designed to increase the odds of the Red Sox still playing baseball every autumn while their rivals are raking leaves. "You can't guarantee the results all the time in baseball or in life," observes the club's general manager. "But you can guarantee the quality and the integrity of the process."

The Process begins with a scout's folding chair in places like Tempe, Ariz., and Madras, Ore., and Tacoma, Wash., and it leads all the way to the Fens. The Process is what produced Jonathan Papelbon and Dustin Pedroia and Jon Lester and Jacoby Ellsbury and Kevin Youkilis, and what helped fuel the club's unprecedented run of five playoff appearances in six years with two World Series titles.

While trades and free agent signings undoubtedly have been crucial, the steady flow of homegrown talent has been a huge factor in Boston's recent success in getting to October. Half the lineup for the American League Championship Series that begins tonight was produced by the farm system, as well as one starting pitcher, a key setup man, and the step-dancing closer.

Dynasties are built by creating an unbroken line of succession, which takes time and perspective and the willingness to think half a dozen seasons ahead. "There's a real danger, especially in a market like this, in focusing too much on the moment," says Epstein. "You just can't get caught up in thinking short term, as tempting as it may be. We think it's imperative to discipline ourselves to take the long view, because the ultimate goal is to be a team that plays every October and the way to get there is to build a healthy and stable foundation."

That was the mission when the current ownership took over at the end of 2001 and the front office quickly began drafting a core philosophy that has been refined over time. There now is a Red Sox Way - of scouting, of developing, of playing - that is written down in thick manuals with everybody reading from the same pages, from front office to scouts to minor league coaches to the manager and his staff to the players themselves. "Our players who come through the system, and there are more and more of them making the team, are immersed in the Red Sox Way," Epstein says.

Boston has become a franchise that continually renews its roster, even while the whiff of celebratory champagne lingers in the clubhouse. "To let people go after you've won is hard," says manager Terry Francona, who has only half a dozen players remaining from the 2004 champions. "But if you don't ever have turnover, you're going to get old."

The annual churn isn't always easy or popular, but it's essential if a club wants to stay in the chase every year. "In baseball or in life, things change whether you want them to or not," says Epstein. "Even if we made a concerted effort to bring back all 25 guys from one year to the next, things would change anyway and they wouldn't change on your terms. They would change because players age, because players get hurt, because circumstances are different every year, because your competition is changing. So if change is inevitable and inherent in baseball, as it is in life, then why not apply some foresight and planning and change things on your terms?"

Development plan

So the Process is essentially about finding the next guy and bringing him along. That's how the Yankees did it during their dynasty days, signing Joe DiMaggio just before letting Babe Ruth go, then moving up Mickey Mantle when DiMaggio retired. That's how the Red Sox operate now, calculating when a farmhand might be ready to step up and in.

"You always build a plan based on what's best for a player's development," says Epstein. "But you also see when he might be available to help as a backup, when he might be arriving as an everyday player, when he might be arriving to impact the pennant race, then you make your offseason moves accordingly. Rather than go out and spend $15 million on a setup guy, it might be OK to take a little bit of a risk and be a little bit thin for the first half of the season, knowing that Justin Masterson's going to come up and help out the bullpen for the second half and the playoffs."

By the usual major league standard, Boston's young players arrived on Yawkey Way remarkably rapidly, many of them within two years. Papelbon, a fourth-rounder in 2003, was starting by 2005. Pedroia, a second-rounder in 2004, made it to the big club by 2006. Ellsbury, the top pick in 2005, was up by 2007. Lowrie, a sandwich pick that year, went from Double A last year to starting shortstop this summer.

The kids were vital to last year's Series sweep of the Rockies. Ellsbury and Pedroia became the only rookies in Series history to bat 1-2 in the order, with Ellsbury hitting .438. Papelbon, who didn't allow an earned run in the postseason, saved three of the four games. "There's been some terrific drafts, some good selections made," observes Francona. "These kids have been able to come up right in the middle of pennant races and make significant contributions. It's harder than it looks."

Discovering and evaluating prospects is more challenging in baseball than it is in any other sport, which is why the Sox are obsessive about gathering information, which Epstein says is the "currency of the draft."

"The one standard we have is thoroughness," he says. "All 30 teams scout players, but who can cull the most valuable scouting information? All 30 teams look at stats, but which teams can get the most accurate stats in terms of projecting a player's performance? All 30 teams talk about makeup, but which teams can dig the deepest and find out the most about the player's background and look at him through the proper lens? All 30 teams look at medical information, but which teams are finding the most and having the right doctors look at it? In all these subcategories of the draft we want the most and best information because we feel that ultimately we'll make the most informed decision."

Intangible qualities

Of all the subcategories, the most subjective is makeup - the intangible blend of intelligence, adaptability, passion, grit, and resilience, which usually determines whether a player makes it to the majors and stays there. That's why the Sox took a gamble on Pedroia, whom most clubs dismissed as too small, even though he'd been a star at Arizona State. They loved his hustle, his scrap, and his unshakable confidence.

"We sit down and brainstorm about what we're looking for, which attributes we think make a major league player successful, and then we question our own assumptions," Epstein says. "OK, we think we want players who are tough and gritty. Well, what does that really mean? Can you actually see that in a 17-year-old, in a 21-year-old? Does it look different when he's 17 than when he's 25? We think we want players who are intense and baseball-centric, who are focused on the game. Well, what about players who are too intense and too focused? Do they put too much pressure on themselves?"

By the time the club's selectors sit down in the draft room, they know the players they want. Once they've been selected and signed, the minor league staff begins getting them ready according to the Red Sox Way, which stresses the same philosophy (starting with control of the strike zone for both pitchers and hitters) and the same fundamentals all the way up the ladder.

"My challenge to them is not only to develop big-league players but to develop big-league players who can make an impact immediately in the middle of a pennant race on the field at Fenway Park with 35,000 pairs of eyes upon them," says Epstein. "That's not an easy thing to do."

So the club treats its Triple A and Double A teams in Pawtucket and Portland like finishing schools to prepare them for their graduation to The Show. "We spend a lot of time explaining and exploring the major league atmosphere," says Epstein. "What exactly they'll face here, what a major league clubhouse looks like, what their veteran teammates will expect of them as rookies, what their manager will expect of them in their first major league spring training, in their first time as a part-time player and in their run as an everyday player, from a physical, mental, and fundamental perspective."

Having the same front office and managerial staff over time undoubtedly helps. "Stability is very important, but you have to have the right people in place," says Francona. "Theo and I have been together for five years, so a lot of trust gets gained. We've done pretty well together and I give him a lot of credit for that, because this is not an easy place and he's got a lot of responsibility."

Sudden impact

If The Process works as designed, the prospects progress on schedule and make an impact as soon as they arrive on Yawkey Way. Lester went from A ball in 2004 to Double A in 2005 to Triple A and the majors in 2006. After he was called up in June that year, the lefthander went 7-2 before a bout with lymphoma ended his season. After months of rehab, Lester returned to go 4-0 last year and won the decisive game of the World Series.

"When we win the World Series last year with Papelbon, Pedroia, Ellsbury, Youkilis, and Lester all contributing, their teammates from the minor leagues are watching," says Epstein. "And they say, well, maybe there's something to this Red Sox Way of doing things. Those guys were in Lowell three years ago and I'm in Lowell now, so I might be there in three years. It vertically integrates the entire organization and builds a cohesiveness at all levels, on and off the field."

The procession of talented reinforcements also delights and reassures the faithful, who've come to expect an eternal autumn in the Fens. "Watching us win in October is the ultimate for the fans, but besides that there's nothing better than following young players once we draft them through the minor leagues, watching them come up and maybe struggle initially, but then develop as a player and a person and become a mainstay of this organization," says Epstein. "I think they love that. Our fans know what our outfield is in Greenville. They're playing right along with us. So when we let a Pedro Martínez and an Orlando Cabrera go, there'd be more skepticism if we didn't do anything with the draft picks. But if we can turn those picks into Ellsburys and Lowries, then there's more buy-in."

Two Series rings in four years after 86 unfulfilling seasons have convinced Red Sox Nation to give the front office the benefit of the doubt. The outcry over trading Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs in 2004 was quickly forgotten in the wake of the franchise's first championship since 1918. That made it easier for Boston to trade Manny Ramírez to the Dodgers at the end of July, particularly when replacement Jason Bay cranked a two-run homer to beat the Angels in the opener of the Division Series, then scored the winning run in the clincher.

"I hope there's more buy-in now than there was six years ago, but I also expect the fans to keep us honest," says Epstein. "If we deviate from our plan or start making decisions for the wrong reasons, they should call us on it. But I think they enjoy having a stable franchise, a nice recent past and a nice future at the same time."

John Powers can be reached at jpowers@globe.com.