[CJFusco]

ONE real youngster on their hands? How about Clay Buchholtz, who pitched a no-hitter in his 2nd ever major league start? Or Jon Lester, who is 3-0 since coming back from cancer treatment? Or Dustin Pedroia, who will probably win rookie of the year this year, and is in the top 3 in batting? Or Jonathan Papelbon? I'm assuming everyone knows him by now. And then there are the "non-drafted rookies" Okajima and Matsuzaka - one is among the best relievers in the league, and although Dice-K is going through a transitional period, it looks like he will end the season with over 15 wins. Of course, there is also Josh Beckett, 26 and already a WS MVP, who is a potential Cy Young winner this year.

All of these guys are under the age of 26, and (except Beckett and the two Japanese pitchers) all of them are Red Sox draftees, which means they are under their 6-year minor league contracts. In other words, the Sox are getting all-star production from a number of positions for relative pocket change.

Don't forget that Kevin Youkilis, who has been on the ML roster for a couple years now, is also a product of their system. He is batting over .300 this year, is a legit power threat, gets on base more than pretty much everyone except A-Rod and Ortiz, and might win a Gold Glove this year.

To say that the Red Sox talent evaluation is among the tops in the majors would be a drastic understatement. Those guys Freddy Sanchez and Hanley Ramirez who are tearing up the NL - they are Red Sox farm system products as well. According to ESPN radio, the Red Sox farm/talent evaluation team is considered the toast of MLB.