The Boston Herald's writer Scott Laubner wrote a fantastic article that could put any Red Sox fan in good spirit, even after last year's disaster of a season. Despite the debacle that The Nation had to withstand last year, there is still plenty of hope that has the organization excited from top to bottom. Fans should be excited too.

In the wake of a Red Sox spending spree that essentially went as bad as it could have possibly gone, the Sox farm system is gleaming with potential. Former GM Theo Epstein once dreamed of a lineup that consisted mostly of home-grown players. Think about it; home-town discount, greater chemistry, more pride, and an amazing sense of camaraderie. In the major leagues though, this is extremely rare if even existent. Sox ownership puts ridiculous stress on the front office and team to focus on winning sooner rather than later.

New GM Ben Cherington however, has been looking at the long-term as he builds the new team.  Young prospects like Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr. could be key. In addition, Laubner pointed out that the Sox have been adding a serious amount of young pitching. Laubner also mentioned the risk that not all of the young stars will live up to their potential. He then made note that not all big-money free agent signings pan out well either. Here's a great piece from Laubner's article that will definitely get you excited:

...the Sox’ commitment to seeing things through with their top minor leaguers has filtered down to the players. (Allen) Webster calls it a “good honor,” while others admit to being encouraged by the organization’s direction. Rather than biding their time until a trade to another team helps maximize their chance of reaching the majors, several Red Sox prospects suddenly can see themselves at Fenway Park — and not just because they attended a Jimmy Fund charity event on Lansdowne Street over the weekend.

So, despite the misery that all of The Nation went through last year, there should still be a great deal of excitement. This is the new beginning of something that could turn out to be really special. Spring training is right around the corner, and as thrilled as fans are, you can bet that the players and coaches are ready to prove themselves. One last quote from prospect Anthony Ranaudo will sum all of this up. This is what Ranaudo had to say about the excitement of the prospects:

“It’s cool for all of us because we’re kind of a close-knit group. Hopefully we can all be successful and make it up here together. It would be a lot of fun, and hopefully we could have some success.”

Anthony Aidonidis 1/21/2013 08:27:00 PM Tweet Edit « Prev Post Next Post »