When Theo Epstein took over as GM in 2002 he vowed to make the Red Sox a "player development machine," and leading up to the Adrian Gonzalez trade there has always been at least one elite prospect in the system.
2003: Jonathan Papelbon, RHP (4th round)
2004: Dustin Pedroia, 2B (2nd round)
2005: Jacoby Ellsbury, CF (1st round) and Clay Buchholz, RHP (1st supplemental round)
2008: Casey Kelly, RHP (1st round) and Ryan Westmoreland, CF (5th round)
2010: Anthony Ranaudo, RHP (1st supplemental round)
These draftees have all been considered 5 star prospects at one point during their minor league career with the exception of, right handed pitcher, Anthony Ranaudo who has yet to pitch a professional inning. I felt the need to include him on the list because of his prospect status going into his final year at LSU. He was considered the top pitching prospect in the 2010 draft after posting a 3.04 ERA in 124.1 innings with 159 strikeouts as a 19 year old sophomore. Elbow soreness delayed the start of his 2010 season and resulted in mechanical flaws and ineffectiveness throughout the whole season. In order to prove to the Red Sox he was healthy, and worthy of a 7 figure signing bonus, he pitched 29.2 innings in the Cape Cod league without allowing a run and striking out 31 batters. If Ranaudo can maintain his mechanics there's no reason why he won't be considered a five star prospect and one of the top 50 in all of baseball when next year's lists come out.
As we all know Casey Kelly was traded to the San Diego Padres in the Adrian Gonzalez deal and while there have been conflicting reports on whether he is a five star prospect, he is one of the top 50 prospects in baseball. This leaves one name left on the list that has both professional experience and has been named a elite prospect, Ryan Westmoreland. Ryan Westmoreland, a left handed hitting center fielder from Rhode Island, was taken in the 5th round of the 2008 amateur draft by the Red Sox and signed for $1.6 million. Most scouts, at the time of the draft, believed he had all the tools to become a super star at the major league level but were hesitant to anoint him an elite prospect because of the lesser competition he played against in the northeast. As soon as he stepped on the field as a professional the hesitation melted away and the projection for stardom became a widespread consensus. Going into last season Kevin Goldstein, an expert minor league prospect evaluator for Baseball Prospectus, had this to say about Westmoreland, "One scout described Westmoreland as having "the tools of a top-five high school pick, with the advanced skills of a college player." Supremely athletic, Westmoreland has average power with projection for more, as well as a keen understanding of the strike zone and a silky smooth swing with some natural lift to it. He's an outstanding runner with instincts, as indicated by his 19 stolen bases in 60 games for the Spinners without getting caught." During spring training last year, Westmoreland felt numbness in his right thumb and pinkie fingers informed Red Sox officials. He was immediately sent for testing where doctors discovered a cavernous malformation, which is a mass of abnormally formed blood vessels, in his brain stem. The mass had bled into his brain which caused the numbness and tingling in his fingers. Doctors decided that surgery was not necessary because the chance of another bleed was very low and location of the mass made any surgery life threatening. Within days the mass bled again, leaving Ryan almost completely deaf and blind and with debilitating handicaps. His parents decided that surgery was a must in order to give him a chance at having any quality of life. On March 16th, 2010 Ryan underwent successful surgery to remove the cavernous malformation in Arizona. In the months following the surgery, reports began filtering out giving fans of Westmoreland an insight into one of the most inspirational stories in since Lance Armstrong. Doctors continued to set goals and Ryan continued to blow past them with flying colors. While his vision hasn't completely returned, he still has to wear thick sunglasses while he takes batting practice outside. Physically he is in better shape than he was before the surgery, stronger and lower percent body fat, but he still has trouble with tasks requiring small motor skills such as tying his shoes. He continues to take batting practice three times a week as he slowly works his back to his dream of one day playing in Fenway Park. Whether or not he ever plays competitive baseball again is nothing more than a luxury for him, when you consider that less than a year ago he underwent a surgery in which his survival was far from a certainty.
With no prospects currently worthy of the 'elite' tag, the Red Sox minor league system is down from past years, but there is hope for the future. As a result of letting Victor Martinez and Adrian Beltre leave through free agency, Theo has 5 picks in the first 50 and 6 in the first 85. The system should be fully restocked after the draft with high impact 'blue chip' prospects. Experts are in agreement that this will be one of the strongest drafts in recent memory, similar to the 2005 draft, here's a look at the first round of the 2005 MLB Draft. If there is anyone within the system that has a chance to develop into a 'blue chip' prospect, scouting reports say put your money on shortstop Xander Boegarts, the previously mentioned Anthony Ranaudo or right handed pitcher Stolmy Pimentel.
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