Epstein’s Draft Hits… and Misses

With the 2010 Amateur Draft just around the corner (Monday June 7 through Wednesday, June 9), I wanted to spend this week's column looking back at the previous best and worst picks of the Theo Epstein era, an era in which the strength of the minor league system has been both a top priority for the team and an area of almost unparalleled success.

With seven drafts under their belts, this front office has taken the team from a roster of two homegrown regulars (Nomar Garciaparra and Trot Nixon) in 2003 to eight in 2010. Among them are a perennial Cy Young contender, a powerhouse corner infielder, a league champion base stealer, an elite closer, a man with a 100 mile an hour fastball, and an MVP. In addition, there is a new crop of talent maturing in the minors, with some players nearing the point where they will make a Major League contribution. So, not bad for a few years. After the jump, we'll take a look at the best and worst draft picks of the past seven years.

Pawtucket Red Sox 2010 Season Preview

There's a pretty big game tonight. It's Opening Day and the Red Sox and Yankees will battle on NESN/ESPN2 at 8:05 p.m. in the opening salvo of the 2010 rivalry. But keep an eye on the Triple-A team, as there are plenty of people starting things off in Pawtucket that will be important to the Sox's title hopes down the road... Torey Lovullo didn’t need an inordinate amount of time to drink Boston’s “kool-aid” after he was named the Pawtucket Red Sox manager.

Sox interested in Atkins; should Sox go to 11 pitchers?

Rumors abound that the Red Sox and Colorado Rockies have discussed a deal around reliever Takashi Saito for third-baseman Garrett Atkins, making roughly $7 million this year.

The benefit to Atkins is that he would give the Sox a legitimate power bat off the bench, something the team lacks. Atkins would play first and third base off the bench, providing invaluable depth should Mike Lowell's return prove unsuccessful.

Which brings us to a more important question: are the Sox better served with an extra bench bat or an extra pitcher?

Bates promotion tells a lot about Sox’s concern for O

With the recent callup of first baseman Aaron Bates to the club, it's clear that the Sox are concerned about their offensive viability.

With the All-Star break around the corner, the club could have opted to keep Jeff Bailey on the roster despite his high-ankle strain and go a couple days against a left-handed starter with Julio Lugo at short or Mark Kotsay at first (despite the latter's left-handed bat).

Instead, the club chose to promote a 25-year old struggling in Triple-A. Bates' numbers so far on the year are .182/.273/.295 with only 24 games at the level. And yet, the Sox brought him up to get his right-handed bat in the lineup against lefty pitchers.

Anderson, Bates power Sea Dogs to win

In retrospect, Portland's 6-4 victory over the Connecticut Defenders was a microcosm of the season for Aaron Bates and to an extent for Lars Anderson.

Bates cracked three singles in five at-bats and drove in two runs while Anderson was 2-for-5 (single, double) with an RBI.

And manager Arnie Beyeler continued his "mix-and-match" routine Sunday with T.J. Large and Bryce Cox who combined to make a winner out of starter Jarod Plummer (4-1).

Sox Draft Forecast Looking Cloudy

The 2007 MLB First Year Player Draft will go down in history as a banner year for the event. For…

Bard ready to get back

I promised a Daniel Bard update, and I’m delivering. If you don’t know who Bard is, check out the Fire…

Minor Storylines

We