Just over a week ago, the Boston Red Sox appeared healthy and were firing on all cylinders. But in baseball things can change in an instant, and a number of Red Sox went down with injuries last week.
That said, the Sox remain in first place thanks largely to the team's exceptional bench depth and strong contingent of Rule V draftees.
Boston has made great use of the Rule V system in recent years as a way of adding some depth to the roster. The Rule V draft occurs at the end of the Winter Meetings in December. Teams must protect players on their 40-man rosters within three or four (depending in the players age) years of their original signing. Those who have the necessary service time and are left off the 40-man roster can be claimed by other teams. However, there is one catch: Those players who are drafted must spend the entire season on the major league roster of the team that drafted them. Players taken in the draft are thus often talented but very raw since they are shipped to the majors so quickly.
Centerfielder Coco Crisp's injury means that Canadian sensation Adam Stern will see more playing time in centerfield. Stern is a speedy 26 year-old who was taken by Boston in the Rule V draft in December of 2004. Stern hit the cover off the ball in the World Baseball Classic for Canada, and it will be interesting to see how he performs in his first extended chance in the majors. He already made an impact at the plate, during Boston's home opener, and in the field, with his diving catch saved the game for the Sox on Tuesday night.
Similarly, a groin injury for starting right fielder Trot Nixon meant more playing time last week for former Rule Fiver Wily Mo Pena. Pena, 24, who was originally taken in the draft by the Cincinnati Reds, is the definition of a raw talent, logging little minor league experience before being drafted to the majors.
Pena was traded to Boston at the end of Spring Training in exchange for popular pitcher Bronson Arroyo. Pena, who hit 26 home runs in just 336 at-bats in 2004, did an adequate job replacing Nixon for the week, showing flashes of his amazing power. He did struggle mightily with Fenway's cavernous right field.
The injury bug bit again just a few days later when pitcher David Wells was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sore knee. The injury to Wells is likely to hurt Boston more than the others, as the team lacks an adequate replacement for the hefty lefty. Lenny Dinardo, another Rule Fiver taken in December of 2003 from the New York Mets system, did an admirable job in his spot-start on Patriots Day, but probably is not a viable long-term option if Wells can't fully recover.
Dinardo, 26, is a soft-tossing lefty who is useful as a long reliever but probably lacks the talent to be a legitimate fifth starter. But the long term may be what Boston is looking at, as Wells claims his knee is "bone on bone" and may not be getting better anytime soon. For a more permanent solution, the Sox will have to look further than Rule Fivers. Young minor league lefty Jon Lester might have been a logical option a month ago, but a dreadful Spring Training and a rough start at AAA are signs that he's probably not ready for an early call-up.
Another option if Dinardo falters is yet another soft-tossing lefty, Abe Alvarez. Alvarez is off to a solid start in AAA and has made some spot-starts in the past. He is a similar pitcher to Dinardo, but he has slightly more upside and is a few years younger. And, of course, there is fireballing lefty Jon Lester, expected to arrive late this season, who last year at AA turned in a 2.61 ERA with 163 strikeouts in 148.1 innings.
Boston has enough talent in the minor leagues that they could swing a trade for a fourth or fifth starter at the trading deadline if Wells' knee doesn't improve. But perhaps the biggest splash could be made by signing free agent pitcher Roger Clemens. Clemens has made noises about returning to baseball, although his most likely destination would be his hometown Houston Astros. Still, Clemens has shown some interest in Boston, visiting the clubhouse during Opening Day in Texas and proclaiming his affection for the city.
Thanks in part to their young Rule Fivers, the Red Sox dealt with the recent hash of injuries to remain in first place. But the real test will come over the next couple of weeks as their schedule becomes increasingly difficult.
