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 More Red Sox NewsRed Sox LinksJacoby Ellsbury went back to the minors Friday, but not before he gave the Red Sox a glimpse of the future. He can hit, he has Gold Glove potential and he can really run. Widely acclaimed as the best prospect developed by Boston since Nomar Garciaparra, Ellsbury figures to be an important player for the Red Sox some day, and that day may not be far away. With some outstanding prospects in their system, the Yankees can feel good about their future. But the Red Sox have reason to be just as optimistic. In Clay Buchholz, who has a 1.77 earned run average for Class AA Portland, they have a minor league pitcher who could become a front-of-the-rotation starter. Bubba Bell, an outfielder, had 83 runs batted in and was hitting .370 in 76 games at Class A Lancaster before being called up to Portland. Ellsbury, though, has Boston buzzing. A left-handed center fielder of American Indian descent who looks and plays like a younger, faster Johnny Damon, he started off his year by hitting .452 at Portland. He moved to Class AAA Pawtucket, where he hit .277 and stole 21 bases in 50 games. That led to a brief call-up to the parent club after the starting center fielder, Coco Crisp, sprained a thumb. In six games with the Red Sox, he hit .375 in 16 at-bats and stole a base. With Crisp healthy, the Red Sox sent Ellsbury back to Pawtucket after Thursday?s 15-4 victory against the Devil Rays. |
