It is nice to see the Sox with this number of prospects in light of their recent success. There is one glaring omission, the catching position, which leads to the question, What will the Sox do if they do not have anyone ticketed for the near future? They certainly have a few pitchers they can use as bait; Who are the top catching prospects that could make the majors in the next few years?

The two Triple-A catcher, George Kottaras and Dusty Brown, may make it to the majors. Kottaras, 24, is supposed to have the better bat, although he hit .241 (9 homers, 39 RBI) in Pawtucket last year. He did hit .291 from July on. Brown, 25, has a quick, strong arm. He hit .268, 9, 43 in Portland last year.
The Red Sox best catching prospect may be Mark Wagner, 23, who hit .318, 14, 82, in wind-aided Class A Lancaster last year. Should be in Portland this season.

I don't see why they have Masterson projected to start in Triple-A. Pawtucket's pitching staff is already stacked with the likes of Pauley, Hansack, Haigwood, etc. Also, that's a pretty generous ranking to Lars Anderson. Although he's proven he's a constant threat at the plate, he still strikes out a ton and has a ton of room to mature and improve.
Kevin, do you think it's a sure bet that we'll see Kris Johnson starting in Portland this year?

Did you notice the lefty Dustin Richardson on the list of those who will be at the Sea Dogs Hot Stove Tour Dinner? 21 starts in Greenville 4 starts in Lancaster ERA 3.23 123 Ks in 122.2 innings WHIP 1.23 gave up only 5 HRs and did I mention LEFTY?

Baseball America projections have been wrong before. I think Masterson could start in Portland, and I think Kris Johnson is also in the Sea Dogs rotation. Richardson likely starts in Lancaster and gets moved up (maybe when Masterson goes to Pawtucket?).

That's a good point Thom, especially considering Lancaster was such a hitter's league last season. I have noticed though that BA often leans heavily towards the younger guys (21-under) or the guys who have already proven themselves in the Bigs (1 and 2 on the list).

The tendancy is to expect a 24 yr old to be ready for the bigs....better to let another team pay a prospect who should be in AAA and go after free agents that have aprenticed with another team.

All I have to say is that we shouldn't forget the Sox' top 2 prospects -- Buckholz & Ellsbury -- went to Boston from Portland, not unlike Youkilis and Pedroia and Papelbon and Beckett and Hansen.

I always thought "Red Sox nation" was a hokey phrase, but it's very cool to live in.