With the names Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden bordering on ubiquity among Red Sox fans, like those of Rose and Pavano more than a decade ago, that isn’t where the organizational pitching talent ends.
According to talent evaluators, the major league-ready depth dips as far as Double A, leaving the Sox to luxuriate in a talent pool that goes eight or nine deep. Both players from the organization picked to play in last Sunday’s Futures Game were pitchers.
Welcome to the next generation of names to know, from the near-Boston ready aggressiveness of Junichi Tazawa to the recovering-from-injury Nick Hagadone, to the athletic Casey Kelly, a two-way talent. Not one of them will be a major part of the Red Sox’ plans in 2009, but they could be the key to the team’s mound fortunes in the future, along with a host of others rising through the minors.
“He’s a very aggressive kid,’’ Portland manager Arnie Beyeler said. “He’s not up there to nibble and throw 18 pitches a hitter. He’s coming right at guys. He’s a very aggressive kid and he’s a good kid and he’s a hard worker and he’s got stuff. It goes back to, he’s just got to play a little bit. He’s got to play and he’s got to order a hamburger and he’s got to learn how to get on a bus and learn how to get around a motel a little bit by himself and get to the ballpark on time and stuff like that.’’
Tazawa, who is 8-5 with a 2.79 ERA, is taking English classes twice a week, and is gaining in his understanding of the language. As Beyeler said, “He could probably go up there [to Boston] and pitch tomorrow. But, again, he doesn’t need to, and who knows what would happen if we did that?’’
Next season Hagadone could rocket up the minors. For now, though, the Sox are looking for “the continued development, which is where we left off last year when he [only threw] 10 innings,’’ director of player development Mike Hazen said. “It’s the development of his delivery, the development of his changeup and his slider, command of his slider and his changeup.’’
Oh, and he’s lefthanded.
And he’s causing the Sox to rewrite the books. This regime doesn’t exactly have experience with a pitcher/position player in the organization, but it is letting Kelly try, given his immense talent. The Sox, though, clearly believe he ultimately should be on the mound.
“Obviously he’s gotten off to a good start,’’ Hazen said. “He’s a very mature person. We’ve been able to give him a little more, a little more, a little more, talk through the plan a little bit more, knowing that it wasn’t going to cause a distraction. For a lot of kids, talking about a position player transition would have unraveled the pitching side. This guy got better. He is some kind of impressive. His performance obviously speaks for itself. The fact that he [was] in the Futures Game is ridiculous.’’
