RSN: After two years in Wilmington (DE), our high-A affiliate will be in Lancaster (CA) next year. Why?
MH: It just didn't work out with Wilmington. Our long-term vision didn't match the expectations of their ownership, and that resulted in our having to move to the California League for the next two years. It isn't ideal from a structural standpoint -- ultimately we'd like to have all of our affiliates on the East Coast -- but our options were limited. We weren't really surprised by Wilmington’s decision, but even if we knew earlier there was no way to seek another affiliate. If an opportunity to move back to the Carolina League presents itself down the road, we would consider it. Lancaster knows that. We actually weren't their first choice, either. They wanted the Dodgers, which makes sense geographically for their fan-base. Still, we expect to have a good working relationship with them. And while it will be slightly more difficult to move players back-and-forth, it shouldn’t have that much of an impact on the development-process itself. Despite the added distance, it’s still baseball.
RSN: While Frawley Stadium in Wilmington is considered a pitcher’s park, the California League is much more favorable for hitters. How will moving to a more hitter-friendly league affect the development of our pitchers, especially from a mental standpoint?
MH: Results, to a certain extent, are a source of reinforcement, so it will have an impact. And we'll be in one of the better hitter's parks in the league -- the wind blows out there most of the time -- so our pitchers will definitely pay for mistakes more than they did in Wilmington. But in a way that's something you want. Pitchers can get into bad habits in a pitcher's park, because well-hit fly balls will be caught more often. Playing in a tougher environment will force you to have better command, which is a positive. Regardless, one thing it will definitely do is help us get a good read on just where our pitchers are.
RSN: What is the status of our other affiliates?
MH: We have great relationships with all of them. As a matter of fact, this process has reminded us of just how committed our other affiliates are. They all understand the process, and know that we don't want to have older players in A-ball just so we can win a championship. Developmentally, we’d rather have a 19-year-old who was maybe slightly over his head filling that roster spot.
RSN: We’ve been in Greenville for two years. Can you address them specifically?
MH: Our ownership group in Greenville is outstanding. We sent a lot of their players to Wilmington by the end of the year, but they seemed to understand our development goals. They know that we want to win, too, but also that our number-one priority is to develop players who are going to help the big league club someday.
RSN: How many minor league free agents do you expect us to sign this year?
MH: We're starting to put that together now. From a depth standpoint, we'll need to add players we can move up to Boston if the need arises. Last year, because of all the injuries, we had to shuttle up more 22 and 23 year olds than we'd have liked. We'd like to have a few more guys with a little more experience who could fill those roles, so I'd say that roughly 50 percent of the players in Pawtucket will be minor league free agents. There will also be a few in Double-A. We can start signing guys on the 22nd, and we’re also talking to a handful of our own free agents who we'd like to re-sign.
RSN: Have the 2007 minor league coaching staffs been finalized?
MH: We’ll know more in a couple of weeks, but as of the moment I don’t expect there to be much movement. We’re happy with our staff, and right now are planning to have everyone back, although not necessarily in the same capacity as last year.
RSN: Orv Franchuk was replaced by Victor Rodriguez as our minor league hitting coordinator earlier this year. What can you tell us about that decision?
MH: Orv worked hard for us, and did a good job of helping us get to where we are now, but we felt it was in the best interest of the club to make the change. We feel that Victor can take us a step further. He’s tremendously passionate about what he does, and he’s very committed to the players. He has a great capacity to form relationships, both from a personal and professional standpoint. We feel that’s important, as the players aren’t going to fully buy into what we’re teaching without that kind of rapport.
RSN: Moving from hitting to pitching, will Justin Masterson and Daniel Bard be starting or relieving next season, and what is the philosophy behind those decisions?
MH: The plan is for both of them to start. There may be exceptions from time to time, like Craig Hansen, where we feel someone is close to contributing in Boston as a reliever, but on the whole we want to start our best young arms. That gives them the best opportunity to throw all of their pitches, and to develop and maintain better consistency in their deliveries.
RSN: How about Bryce Cox?
MH: Bryce had a very good year for us at both Lowell and Wilmington. Everything we heard coming out of the draft -- great stuff and make-up -- was right on. He showed a power sinker with a very good slider. He is down in instructional league working on a third pitch to help attack left-handed-hitters. He will be a candidate for the Portland bullpen at some point in 2007.
RSN: At which positions are you currently projecting Jed Lowrie and Kris Negron?
MH: That's an ongoing process that we're constantly assessing. With Jed and Kris, we think it's important for them to stay at shortstop from a developmental standpoint. Short is the most difficult position to play, and as long as they're having success it's where we want to keep them. Of course, as is the case with Dustin Pedroia, where that best translates to the big league level is something that will have to be determined.
RSN: How about Jeff Natale, and Zach Daeges?
MH: We like the improvement Jeff has made at second base, so right now we're looking to keep him there. But at some point, if it's in our mutual best interest to move him somewhere else, we will need to think about that. Zach is playing third base right now in instructs. We were satisfied with how he looked in left field in Lowell, but we think he can handle third. It only helps a player to be able to handle two positions.
RSN: Along with instructional league and the winter leagues, is anything else notable happening from an on-the-field standpoint this off-season?
MH: One thing we're doing is sending a few players to the Dominican Instructional League. It was Ben's (Cherington) idea, and something we haven't done before. We're always forcing our Latin players to assimilate to American culture, and we thought it would be good for some of the guys to share a similar experience in the opposite direction. Ryan Kalish, Jon Still and Reid Engel are going, and will be living at our academy down there. They’ll be walking in the shoes of kids who eat, sleep, and live baseball. Along with helping extend their seasons, it will be a good cultural experience for them.
RSN: Overall, how would you asses the 2006 Red Sox minor league season?
MH: On the surface, the championships (in Portland and the Gulf Coast League) were great. So was the first-half title in Wilmington. But, as you know, that's not the emphasis, and we don't want it to mask the fact that there's a lot of work to do in a lot of areas. We need to build on what we've done, and do a better job in all phases of our development system. If someday our entire Major League team is players we drafted, we'll still want to get better. We're here to win championships at the big league level, and that raises the bar for us in player development. I’m down in instructs right now, and there are major league-tools running around all over. The quality of the players Jason (McLeod) drafted over the last two years is very promising. Now the responsibility shifts to player development where our job is to ensure every available resource is provided for them in order to maximize that potential. Our goal is to have the best player development system in the game, and we're not there yet. I like the direction we’re going in, though, and I’ll say one thing: there’s a lot of talent here to work with.