Like they seem to every season, the Red Sox boast a farm system stocked with talent that suggests the future is bright at Fenway. The emergence of Rafael Devers, the continued development of Manuel Margot and the signing of Yoan Moncada have helped replace the recently graduated Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts and Blake Swihart. All that young promise is enough to be the envy of most organizations.
That Boston’s major league squad is headed for its third last-place finish in four years is the real conundrum. Another trip to the AL East basement is a startling result for a Red Sox team that not only has deep pockets but also so often develops praiseworthy young talent.
Indeed, the lack of success Boston has generated from a consistently renowned farm system is puzzling. The issue has led many to scrutinize the club’s recent work in player development, with Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal analyzing why many of the team’s prospects have fallen short of the hype, and the Boston’s Globe’s Alex Speier examining whether highly rated farm systems truly lead to major league success.
While these struggles deserve close study, finding clear answers in regards to player development is no easy task. If the Red Sox could be accused of anything in recent years, it’s being too conservative with their prospects, an issue that has cropped up again this season.
Back in the first half, with the club’s rotation struggling mightily and talk of contention still in the air, the Red Sox waited what felt like a few too many weeks to call up Eduardo Rodriguez. The young left-hander had been downright dominant in Triple-A, and Boston sorely needed a serviceable arm on its starting staff. With a roster built to win in the present, the front office’s decision to delay Rodriguez’s promotion left many scratching their heads.
If the Red Sox could be accused of anything in recent years, it’s being too conservative with their prospects, an issue that has cropped up again this season.
The same goes for the manner in which the Red Sox have handled some of their best low-minors talent this season. After taking Andrew Benintendi seventh overall in this year’s draft, Boston sent the outfielder down to Lowell. The New York-Penn League often proves to be easy competition for good college hitters, and Benintendi was one of the nation’s best in 2015, leading the country with 20 home runs before winning the Golden Spikes Award.
After excelling against SEC competition, Benintendi has feasted on opposing pitchers down in short-season ball. The 21-year-old has batted .279/.403/.548 with eight homers, including three in his last two contests.
At this point, it’s clear Benintendi isn’t getting challenged much in Lowell, and calls for his promotion have only grown louder in recent days. Given his experience against elite college pitching, the Red Sox really shouldn’t be afraid to give the youngster a tougher test.
But that’s the way Boston often operates in the minors, preferring patience above all else when developing their most-prized prospects. Although Moncada and Devers are both young for Low-A Greenville, neither has had much trouble excelling in the South Atlantic League. Over a 37-game span since the All-Star Break, Moncada has hit .340/.434/.542 with 17 extra-base hits and 29 stolen bases. Devers, meanwhile, is more than holding his own at the age of 18.
There’s plenty of reason to believe that Moncada and Devers would both benefit from stiffer competition, and that the Red Sox are once again being a bit too conservative. We’ve seen plenty of teams, from the Cubs to the Blue Jays in recent years, aggressively promote their prospects and reap the rewards in the process. Citing the likes of Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber is unfair on one hand, since both were elite hitting prospects that almost defied comparison.
However, Devers, Benintendi and especially Moncada are all highly regarded talents, and one has to wonder if Boston could benefit from pushing these youngsters a little more aggressively than usual. The Red Sox have long championed sticking with a carefully measured process in just about everything they do, and that remains the case when it comes to molding future stars down on the farm.
To be sure, there are exceptions to the rule. Manny Margot has been pushed aggressively for his age, as was Xander Bogaerts when he was a prospect. Yet by and large, the Red Sox take a slow-but-steady approach in terms of promoting their minor league talent. In a different season, where the Red Sox aren’t again scuffling in the majors, the club’s approach to player development wouldn’t come under such scrutiny. But when the results are consistently short of expectations, often the process needs to be re-examined and altered.
Sure, simply promoting Benintendi and Moncada won’t save the Red Sox this season or even next. Yet pushing along your best prospects is an approach that’s worked for other teams around baseball, and Boston’s big league club could surely benefit from any injection of talent it can get in the future.
At a time when the Red Sox are no doubt undergoing numerous internal evaluations, perhaps they’ll decide to take a few more chances with their top prospects. For the likes of Benintendi, Moncada and Devers, hopefully that means a quicker road to Boston.
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