ESPN

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- When Jed Hoyer was named general manager of the San Diego Padres, he knew it was only a matter of time before Theo Epstein inquired about superstar Adrian Gonzalez.

Prior to his current post as GM, Hoyer worked in the Red Sox organization as Epstein’s assistant and he knows the inner workings of Boston’s organization, especially the player development system. Hoyer’s assistant GM, Jason McLeod, also worked for the Sox as the director of amateur scouting.

Hoyer also knew how much Epstein coveted Gonzalez, and since the Padres were not going to be able to retain the first baseman’s services after this season, Hoyer knew this was his opportunity to acquire a package of talented players.

While the Red Sox get Gonzalez, the Padres get pitcher Casey Kelly, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, outfielder Raymond Fuentes and a player to be named later.

“Theo and I talk a lot, anyway, we’re good friends,” Hoyer explained. “And in October, he was calling me more often than usual. I used to walk down to Jason McLeod’s office, like ‘Will he just ask me already?’ I could tell, he was calling more often, I knew at some point he was going to start asking.”

Epstein finally asked about a month ago, according to Hoyer, who also said that the Red Sox were the most aggressive team in the bidding for Gonzalez.

Hoyer said he realizes the impact Gonzalez will have in Boston.

“Adrian is a superstar player, and I certainly wish we could keep him in San Diego long term but we can’t,” Hoyer said. “I think he’s going to be unbelievable at Fenway Park. He hit so many fly balls the other way, and so many times they just died before the warning track at Petco Park. He’s going to be a monster at Fenway Park. They’ve got themselves a great player, a player we certainly wish we could have kept. Red Sox fans will certainly enjoy watching him play for a long time.”

When the Red Sox were unable to acquire Mark Teixeira prior to the 2009 season, Hoyer was still with the Red Sox and called the club’s inability to ink the then-free-agent first baseman “a kick in the stomach.”

“When I was there, we were very aggressive in going after him, and the Yankees came in at the last minute, and obviously ended up winning a World Series the next year. The thought of having a big, slugging first baseman has been on the wish list for some time [in Boston].”

At the trade deadline two seasons ago, Epstein and the Red Sox were trying hard to acquire Gonzalez. A deal was never done and the Sox acquired catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez.

“I remember sitting there at the deadline, when we traded for Victor Martinez, making a significant offer for Adrian, a year and a half ago at this time. He’s always been a guy that they’ve coveted, and part of it was that they missed out on Teixeira, and they weren’t going to miss out on another one.”

Hoyer said having knowledge of the Sox’ farm system was a major advantage and it made the decision to deal with Boston easier. Hoyer said the only way he would have parted with Gonzalez was if pitching prospect Kelly was in the deal.

“We really liked this package of players,” Hoyer said. “From a talent standpoint, this was clearly the best package that we had, but the knowledge of prospects also had a lot to do with it.”

McLeod was the scouting director for the Red Sox when Kelly, Rizzo and Fuentes were drafted by Boston.

“Perhaps the biggest anxiety you have with any trade is the unknown,” Hoyer said. “You don’t know the players, you don’t know the personalities, you don’t know the toughness. All of that is taken out of the equation in this trade for us.

“We know these guys. We know they have great makeup. That’s a huge variable we don’t have to worry about. It lets you sleep a lot better at night, knowing that ultimately the talent will take them as far as they’re going to go, but we know their mental toughness. Their makeup is going to be top notch.”

As a former first-round pick who dominated older competition to the tune of a 2.08 ERA in 2009, Casey Kelly came into the 2010 season with big expectations. Super-size big. Despite having thrown just 95 professional innings, Kelly was tabbed as a potential ace, labeled “untouchable,” and anointed the top prospect in the Red Sox system. When it was announced that Kelly would take up pitching full-time last off-season after previously splitting time between the mound and shortstop, many even speculated that he would continue his rapid ascent and possibly even see time in the Boston bullpen come September.

But through July 21, Kelly is 3-4 with a 4.85 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP for the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs, unable to replicate his dominant 2009 performance. Still, the high expectations have not changed all that much, and for good reason.

To start, at just 20 years old, Kelly is the second-youngest pitcher in the Eastern League (by just seven days at that), regularly facing hitters that are three to four years older and with significantly more professional experience. To put things in perspective, Kelly came into the season with similar expectations that many scouts had of current Red Sox ace Jon Lester during his rise through the system, and Lester spent his season at age 20 going 7-6 with a 4.28 ERA for High-A Sarasota.

To his credit, Kelly remains realistic.

“I really didn’t have any expectations coming in,” Kelly said. “Having it be my first full year pitching and being in Double-A was kind of exciting in itself, but there really was no expectation. My only expectation was to come here and learn a lot and become a better pitcher, and I think this half of the season I’ve done that.”

While Kelly certainly holds himself to a high standard, his positive outlook and modest hopes for the season have helped shield him from the outside pressure that could come with being the 10th-ranked player in ESPN’s mid-season prospect rankings, a top-25 player on Baseball America's mid-season list, and the top-billed prospect on the SoxProspects.com player rankings.

“I don’t feel that much added pressure. I’m in Portland right now, and if I pitch well and they call me up to Pawtucket, then that’s what happens,” he said. “I think you can always just try to think about things on a day-to-day basis. I’m here in Maine playing for the Sea Dogs. I love it here and I’m having a great time playing with my teammates. Whatever happens, happens.”

For a young, relatively inexperienced pitcher being pushed as he is, the ups and downs of Kelly’s 2010 campaign are to be expected. The Red Sox promoted Kelly to Double-A knowing full well that he would experience some bumps in the road, understanding that young players need to struggle in order to learn how to make adjustments and how to overcome adversity.

To compare Kelly with another former star pitching prospect, consider the case of Clay Buchholz, who, like Kelly, also began his second full professional season in Portland. At the age of 22, Buchholz cruised through the Eastern League in 2007 with a 7-2 record and a 1.77 ERA in 15 starts, ultimately finishing that season with a no-hitter for the Red Sox. However, he had never encountered the adversity that he faced the following season at the big league level, and Buchholz ultimately needed to take a few steps back to get to where he is today.

Like Buchholz, Kelly had never faced the relative adversity that he has this season, going even as far back as 2008 when he was named Florida's Mr. Baseball while at the same time starting as an SEC-caliber quarterback at Sarasota High School. He now takes the adversity that he’s facing in the minors as a learning experience.

“In baseball, you’re going to go through times where you deal with failure and you’re going to go through times when you feel good out there and things don’t go your way. It’s how you deal with it that matters,” he said. “You have to be the same guy every day. You can’t get too high after good outings or too low after bad ones. I think the difference between good players and great players is that good players let slumps last a month and great players let them last a week, so it’s all about how you react to those bumps.”

But despite what the statistics may show at first glance, Kelly has also shown flashes of brilliance in 2010. His fastball remains among the best, if not the best, in the system. Due to both simply growing into his frame and an off-season conditioning program that focused on preparing him to pitch a full season, Kelly has gained velocity this year, now sitting in the 92- to 94-mph range with more consistency. Meanwhile, he continues to refine his secondary pitches, including his 12-to-6 curveball, which sits between 76 and 78 mph, and his low-80s changeup, both of which have been labeled by many scouts as the best in the system.

However, with his increased arm strength, he’s lost some of the once-impeccable control and command of those pitches, and he’s been operating over the middle of the plate too much -- throwing the kind of mistake pitch that he may have gotten away with in A-Ball, but one that Double-A hitters regularly take advantage of. Kelly has worked on getting that control back over the course of the season, while at the same time working on the finish of his pitches, looking to create a tighter rotation and working on adding more deception out of his delivery.

“It’s definitely been different,” Kelly admitted. “I’ve never thrown this hard in my career, but you have to control it. My curveball is a lot better this year, and so is my changeup, so it’s just about handling all of those pitches and going through the bumps in the road that will ultimately make me a better pitcher.”

He also has worked on throwing his secondary pitches more consistently for strikes.

“My [secondary] stuff this year has been a lot better than it was last year, and I think the first half of the year was me learning how to control both my changeup and curveball,” he said. “I’m trying to throw them in the zone and to start my curveball a little higher so that it drops in for strikes, because throwing a strikeout curveball is a lot different from throwing it early in the count for strikes. I think both of those pitches have really come a long way in terms of throwing them for strikes.”

Kelly’s peripheral stats reflect his simultaneous improvements and struggles. His strikeout ratio has jumped from 7.01 K/9 in 2009 to 8.23 K/9 in 2010. His line also indicates that he has been significantly more unlucky this season with batted balls dropping in as hits, as his opposing batting-average-on-balls-in-play (BABIP) has increased from .231 in 2009 to .366 in 2010 (for reference, the Eastern League average BABIP is .301). One would expect that Kelly’s numbers may improve solely on the basis of luck should those figures regress back to the norm.

However, his walk rate has also jumped, from a miniscule 1.52 BB/9 last season to 3.38 BB/9 in 2010. Also, part of the increase in the number of hits that Kelly has allowed in 2010 is attributable to the fact that opposing hitters are hitting line drives at a rate of 17.8 percent in 2010, up from 11.6 percent in 2009 (a number that could be partially attributable to the whims of different official scorers).

Now that he can no longer rely solely on his “stuff,” Kelly needs to continue to work on the finer aspects of pitching, such as showing all of his pitches in all counts, spotting up regularly on the corners to avoid mistake pitches, and maintaining poise in the face of a tough inning. Still, that challenge appears not to faze Kelly, whose two starts following the All-Star Break have been stellar, striking out 13 hitters over 12 innings while allowing only 3 runs and putting up an 18/3 groundout-to-fly-out ratio.

“For me, it’s really a matter of going out and doing the same thing in the second half that I have been doing,” he said. “I definitely think I’m a better pitcher now than I was at the beginning of the season, and towards the end of the year I’m going to be putting up the numbers that I thought I might put up. Everything will kind of equal itself out.”

Mike Andrews is designer and developer of SoxProspects.com and a special contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Jonathan Meoli of SoxProspects.com contributed to this article.

Now that we’re more than six weeks into the minor league season, here’s an updated look at the top five prospects in the Red Sox system. While all five have had some ups and downs early on, each has made significant individual strides and all look like potential major league regulars at this point.

The rankings have remained fairly steady since the beginning of the season, except for a diminution in the prospect status of Josh Reddick. The 23-year-old outfielder has disappointed in 2010, hitting .187/.220/.355 with Triple-A Pawtucket, making him one of the least-productive regulars in the International League this season and dropping him out of top-tier prospect status.

With that, here is the updated top five:

1. Casey Kelly, RHP

Age: 20 years, 7 months
How Acquired: Drafted in the 1st round, 2008
Assignment: Double-A Portland (League average age for pitchers: 24.3)
Line: 0-3, 4.45 ERA, 28 strikeouts, 13 walks, 28.1 IP

The Report: The Sox challenged Kelly with an aggressive placement in Double-A this spring, making him the youngest pitcher in the Eastern League. The right-hander has shown flashes of dominance in his first eight outings, but has also had a few bad starts where he struggled to find his control. Focused solely on pitching for the first time in his career, the 20-year-old has been on a limited pitch count early in the season so that he doesn’t jump too much beyond his 2009 innings total. Having pitched roughly 120 innings in 2009 (including spring training), look for Kelly to be limited to about 160 innings in 2010. Coming into the season, two primary emphasis points for Kelly were: (1) picking up a few ticks of velocity on his fastball while maintaining movement and control; and (2) missing more bats. On the first point, his fastball has generally registered around 90-92 mph early in 2010, about the same velocity that he had in 2009, but there have been reports that he has topped out at 94 mph on occasion. At the same time, he has had bouts where his fastball has been flat, leading to lackluster command and subpar results. In regards to the second point, Kelly has increased his strikeout-per-nine-inning figure from 7.01 in 2009 to 8.89 in 2010 -- a solid improvement in a key area. As far as when Kelly can be expected to land in Boston, look for a possible cup-of-coffee in September, an assignment to Pawtucket out of the gate in 2011, and an early-to-mid-season promotion to Boston next season.

2. Lars Anderson, 1B

Age: 22 years, 8 months
How Acquired: Drafted in the 18th round, 2006
Assignment: Triple-A Pawtucket (League average age for hitters: 27.0)
Line: .302/.387/.550, 7 HR, 129 AB (combined Portland/Pawtucket stats)

The Report: After showing signs of the Lars Anderson of old throughout minor league spring training, reports were that the Red Sox front office contemplated promoting the first baseman to Pawtucket to start the 2010 season. They opted to send him back to Portland, where he dominated through 17 games, leading the Eastern League with a .677 slugging percentage prior to his April 29 promotion to Pawtucket. While his stat line hasn’t been as impressive in his first 20 games with Pawtucket (.254/.367/.433), he looks quite comfortable at the plate and should shortly make the necessary adjustments required to succeed at that level. That being said, Anderson could certainly stand to be more aggressive at the plate. The 22-year-old tends to take a lot of strikes waiting for the right pitch -- which results in both a lot of walks and a fair share of strikeouts -- and that could frustrate some Boston fans when he gets the call to the majors. Don’t be surprised if that call-up occurs prior to Sept. 1 this year, but that may depend on Boston’s status in the playoff hunt and whether there is a spot for the first baseman to get everyday at-bats.

3. Ryan Kalish, OF

Age: 22 years, 2 months
How Acquired: Drafted in the 9th round, 2006
Assignment: Double-A Portland (League average age for hitters: 24.3)
Line: .254/.376/.440, 6 HR, 134 AB

The Report: Don’t let Kalish’s mediocre batting average fool you -- he has been quite impressive at the plate this season, showing increased power, excellent plate discipline, and hard contact rates. His peripherals indicate that his low batting average is a matter of bad luck to this point, something that should regress back to the norm over the course of the season. Additionally, Kalish has shown impressive base-running skills and solid all-around defensive tools, playing all three outfield positions more than adequately. As a regular, he looks best suited for left field from a defensive standpoint at this stage, as his arm is not that of an ideal everyday right fielder and his range is not that of an ideal everyday center fielder. Ultimately, Kalish projects to be a .285/.385/.425, 20 home run, 25 stolen base type of player at the major league level. The question of his long-term status with the Sox may be one of whether the team can move forward with that type of power production in left field, where the expectations include higher home run and slugging totals.

4. Anthony Rizzo, 1B

Age: 20 years, 9 months
How Acquired: Drafted in the 6th round, 2007
Assignment: Double-A Portland (League average age for hitters: 24.3)
Line: .258/.341/.478, 7 HR, 159 AB (combined Salem/Portland stats)

The Report: As many fans know, Rizzo missed most of the 2008 season with Hodgkin's Lymphoma after coming out of the gates with a .372/.402/.556 line with Low-A Greenville at the age of 18. Despite missing that full season, Rizzo is still well ahead of the curve in terms of age advancement, particularly since being promoted to Portland on May 10. He shows an advanced approach at the plate, a good eye, and a quick bat. His power, which has always involved a lot of projection, is developing nicely in 2010 to the tune of 7 home runs in 159 at-bats. He could develop into a 35-home-run hitter over the long term. Rizzo is also an excellent defender at first base with a solid arm, surprising lateral quickness for his size, and outstanding fundamentals. He’ll be a fan favorite when he gets to Fenway Park, but don’t expect that to be until 2012. Until then, Rizzo will need to get adjusted to advanced pitching, cut down on the strikeouts, and continue to put work in toward building more muscle onto his broad frame.

5. Jose Iglesias, SS

Age: 20 years, 4 months
How Acquired: International free agent, 2009
Assignment: Double-A Portland (League average age for hitters: 24.3)
Line: .301/.333/.406, 0 HR, 133 AB

The Report: The Cuban shortstop has come as-advertised on defense, demonstrating outstanding instincts, extremely quick hands and excellent fluidity. Simply put, his glove is major league ready right now. Meanwhile, Iglesias’ offense has been a pleasant surprise. His smooth mechanics and quick bat have resulted in a lot of contact, evidenced by a .301 batting average. However, he still needs some work with plate discipline, as he doesn’t like to take a lot of pitches and tends to fish for balls outside of the zone a la Nomar Garciaparra. He also hasn’t flashed a lot of power, with no home runs and just 8 doubles to this point. All that being said, Iglesias is still four years younger than the average competition in the Eastern League, and those are tools that can certainly develop in time. Look for Iglesias to spend the remainder of the minor league season in Portland while working on those aspects of his game, with the possibility of a limited call-up in September. Like Kelly, the shortstop is likely to begin the 2011 season in Pawtucket in the hopes of making major league contributions by mid-season next year.

Mike Andrews is designer and developer of SoxProspects.com and a special contributor to ESPNBoston.com.

BOSTON -- You’re a young pitching prospect in the Red Sox organization, and you hear that after signing Josh Beckett to a four-year, $68 million contract extension, the club now has three veteran starters -- Beckett, John Lackey and Jon Lester -- under contract through the 2014 season, with a fourth starter, Clay Buchholz, not eligible to be a free agent until after ’14?

How do you feel about your job prospects now?

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein insists you have nothing to worry about. That goes for you, Casey Kelly. And you, Stolmy Pimentel and you, Felix Doubront. You, too, Michael Bowden.

“I don’t think that’s a legitimate concern,’’ Epstein said Monday at Beckett’s press conference. “We use 25 pitchers every year.

“There’s opportunity here. In rookie development league, we tell our position players, ‘You might have to wait because there’s only so many positions. You might have to become versatile for another position. Your time might not come when you think.’

“You tell the pitchers, ‘As soon as you’re ready, we can just about guarantee you an opportunity.’ That’s the nature of pitching.

“What I would tell our young pitchers, ‘Look at Josh and look at the reasons we signed him.’ Yeah, for his performance on the field, but also the way he goes about his business, and how much he cares about preparation. He prioritizes winning over his own individual performance. That’s the model.

“When Casey Kelly was in his first major-league camp, we said, ‘Watch Josh Beckett and Jon Lester. Learn the difference between a guy who goes out to take the mound every five days, and being a starting pitcher for the Boston Red Sox.’’’

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Having played a night game Monday, most of the Red Sox regulars are not making the 45-minute ride to Port Charlotte for a rematch against the Tampa Bay Rays today at 1 p.m. (on ESPN).

Rookie prospect Casey Kelly is drawing the start against the Rays, his first against a big-league team. While still in camp, Kelly came out of the bullpen against the Orioles on March 7 and pitched two scoreless innings in his hometown of Sarasota.

Scott Atchison, one of the candidates for the remaining spots in the bullpen, is scheduled to work Tuesday, and with Boof Bonser likely starting the season on the DL, he appears to have claimed one spot, with the other going to one of three pitchers: Joe Nelson, Alan Embree or Scott Schoeneweis. There are indications the Sox would prefer Embree for the job, but there's some question whether he'll be ready.

Manager Terry Francona will have an update on reliever Junichi Tazawa, who is back from Alabama, where his right elbow was examined by noted orthopedist James Andrews.

Tazawa said the tightness he'd experienced in camp this spring was something he had pitched with in the past in Japan, but decided to have it checked. Tazawa had given up five home runs in seven innings this spring. Tazawa indicated that he may have a ligament problem; Francona was expected to offer a more detailed explanation.

Here's the Red Sox lineup:

1. Mike Cameron, CF
2. Bill Hall, RF
3. Jason Varitek, DH
4. Adrian Beltre, 3B
5. Josh Reddick, LF
6. Tug Hulett, SS
7. Dusty Brown, C
8. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
9. Kevin Frandsen, 2B

Mike Andrews is designer and developer of soxprospects.com and a special contributor to ESPNBoston.com.

For all the talk about the Red Sox having six starting pitchers for five slots, the new reality is that teams now stack their organizations with starting pitching depth, particularly the Red Sox. In the last five seasons, Boston has used an average of 11 starting pitchers per season, with an average of eight starters making at least five starts per year during that time period.

Last season, only four Sox starters made as many as 20 starts: Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Tim Wakefield and Brad Penny combined for 109 starts. Seven other starters combined to make the other 53: Clay Buchholz (16), Daisuke Matsuzaka (12), John Smoltz (8), Justin Masterson (6), Paul Byrd (6), Junichi Tazawa (4), and Michael Bowden (1).

This season, the Sox head into April with six established starters: Beckett, Lester, John Lackey, Wakefield, Matsuzaka, and Buchholz. While it remains to be seen how Terry Francona will split up the starts between the six big guns, if history rings true we should expect to see the next group of pitchers on the depth chart. Even if that next group makes just 10 starts among them, those 10 games can be the difference in winning a division or clinching a playoff spot.

Here’s a look at that next group on the depth chart:

The Primary Options

Boof Bonser: Bonser was acquired from Minnesota in exchange for minor league reliever Chris Province back in December. A former first-round pick in 2000, Bonser was ranked as the 29th-best prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America in 2002. However, he never broke out above A-ball, and the right-hander struggled with weight issues throughout his career and later a torn labrum that required surgery, causing him to miss all of the 2009 season. Now coming in at 6-foot-4, 245 pounds, the 28-year-old seems slated to fill the long-man role in the Boston bullpen in 2010, and could remain stretched out to make a spot start if needed. While Bonser is probably not in Boston’s long-term rotation plans, he’s reportedly back to full strength from his shoulder surgery, getting his fastball back up to the 92-94-mph range and reincorporating his entire four-pitch arsenal. However, he hasn’t been overly impressive in three spring training games, going 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA and 5 strikeouts over 5 innings. Bonser is out of options, meaning he can’t be assigned to the minors without first clearing waivers.

Michael Bowden: A supplemental first-round pick in 2005, Bowden has been impressive at every level of the system despite regularly playing above his age level. In five minor league seasons, the right-hander has gone 33-25 with a 3.15 ERA and 477 strikeouts over 532 innings.

However, he’s had an up-and-down major league career early on. Exclusively a starter in the minor leagues, Bowden was primarily used as a reliever during a short stint with the big league club last season, and his overall 2009 results were poor (9.56 ERA and a 1.81 WHIP in 8 games). Coming into 2010, the 23-year-old has revamped his mechanics and added a slider, and the early results have been decent. Bowden should be Pawtucket’s opening day starter this season and is likely to be one of the primary options if Boston needs to call up a pitcher to make more than one start.

However, the young righty’s long-term future with the Sox may be as a reliever, especially as 2010 will be his last option year.

Junichi Tazawa: Tazawa is likely to start the season at the top of Pawtucket’s rotation and then be one of the first options if the Sox need to call up a starter. If the Sox have to decide between Bowden and Tazawa, the team may just go with whoever’s hot at the time or it could even come down to who’s scheduled to pitch on a certain day.

Tazawa has three option years left (he was signed out of Japan in December 2008), so the Sox have more time to decide whether the right-hander is better suited for the rotation or the bullpen. In 2009, Tazawa flashed some great numbers between Portland and Pawtucket, going 9-7 with a 2.55 ERA over 20 starts, but he was also inconsistent in the majors and ultimately had to be shut down in late September due to arm fatigue.

Still just 23, look for a stronger, more confident and more experienced Tazawa to emerge this April. To prove himself as a long-term rotation option, Tazawa will need to show greater endurance in 2010 and work on keeping the ball down in the zone.

The Emergency Options

Fabio Castro: Castro, 25, is a smallish left-hander with fringe stuff who nonetheless has managed to put up impressive numbers at both the minor league and major league levels throughout his career. In four organizations over seven seasons, Castro is 40-26 with a 3.52 ERA in 214 minor league games (61 starts), and 0-1 with a 3.30 ERA in 30 major league games (1 start). Already on the 40-man roster, the lefty is probably headed to Triple-A to start the season, but it’s unclear at this point whether he’ll start or relieve with the PawSox.

If he cracks Pawtucket’s starting rotation this season and continues putting up numbers in line with his historical stats, Castro may force himself into the discussion as a possible option if a starter is needed at the major league level.

Randor Bierd: Bierd is a tall right-hander with a low-90s fastball and an above-average change-up. He was acquired from Baltimore for David Pauley in January 2009. After spending the first half of the 2009 season on the disabled list, Bierd was mediocre in the second half with the PawSox, putting up a 4.55 ERA in 25 games (7 starts). While his stuff has looked good this spring, he struggled in two spring appearances with Boston. Nevertheless, the Sox appear committed to keeping the 26-year-old stretched out as a starter in Pawtucket this season. Heading into 2010, Bierd will need to make some strides if he’s going to be considered an emergency option for Boston.

The Prospects

Adam Mills: Mills was one of the best collegiate pitchers in the nation in 2007, going 14-1 with a 1.01 ERA and 141 strikeouts in 142 2/3innings for UNC-Charlotte, but he was largely written off by scouts as his fastball reached only the high 80s.

Boston took a flyer on him in the eighth round of the 2007 draft, and since then he’s quickly climbed through the Sox system, going 22-17 with a 3.93 ERA in 66 games spanned over stops in Lowell, Lancaster, Portland, and Pawtucket. Now 25, Mills relies mainly on control and deception, but he does it well. However, he’s yet to face major league competition in the regular season, and he got pounded in two appearances with the major league club this spring, giving up 9 earned runs and 12 hits in 3 innings.

Look for Mills to be a mainstay in the middle of Pawtucket’s rotation for the foreseeable future, with the chance for an emergency call-up at some point in the next year or two. The right-hander may also get a look this September if the Sox have the space to add him to the 40-man roster.

Felix Doubront: Doubront is a name to watch. Signed as a 16-year-old international free agent out of Venezuela in July 2004, Doubront has turned heads at every step up the ladder. The left-hander has gone 36-29 in five minor league seasons with a 3.74 ERA, which was tempered by a subpar 2007 campaign in which he struggled while rehabbing from a hernia operation. In 2009, Doubront went 8-6 with a 3.35 ERA, playing well above his age level as a 21-year-old in Double-A Portland.

As for 2010, Doubront appears to be on the bubble between a return to Portland’s rotation and a promotion to Pawtucket to start the season (he was optioned to Pawtucket on Friday, but that’s not always definitive as to initial placement). Pitching seven scoreless innings with the big club this spring while giving up only three hits certainly has helped his cause for a promotion to Triple-A.

Either way, he should see some time with Boston as a 40-man call-up this September. He’ll need to work on control and his pitch efficiency in 2010, and over the long term the hope is that he packs on some muscle to his frame in order to increase the velocity of his fastball a few ticks. If he can show refinement in those areas, the Sox have the makings of a solid No. 3 to No. 4 starter on their hands a few years down the road.

Casey Kelly: While Kelly is the only pitcher in the system that has demonstrated true ace potential, keep in mind that he is just 20 and that he has pitched in only 17 games as a professional. Most of us know the story by now -- Kelly was drafted as a pitcher/shortstop in the first round of the 2008 draft, and then spent his first pro season in 2008 as a shortstop. He then pitched for the first half of the 2009 season, dominating with Low-A Greenville and High-A Salem to the tune of a 2.08 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in 17 starts. He returned to play short for the second half of the season and in the Arizona Fall League, putting up mediocre offensive numbers, leading to a decision this past off-season to concentrate on pitching full-time.

Despite the lack of pro experience, Kelly's pitching skills are quite advanced, mixing in three plus pitches: a low-90s fastball, a hard 12-6 curveball, and a nice change, all with pinpoint control and a mature approach. The right-hander is slated to start the season with Double-A Portland in 2010, and he is likely to spend most of the minor league season with the Sea Dogs absent some unprecedented dominance. That being said, Kelly could get a call-up to Boston this September to get some major league exposure, and that would be quite an accomplishment, as the Sox have never called up a 20-year-old in the Theo Epstein era.

Ultimately, the Sox already have four established starting pitchers locked up for the next several years in Lackey, Lester, Matsuzaka, and Buchholz, and may be on the verge of locking up Beckett long-term as well. While that doesn’t leave a lot of room for prospects to break in, look for Kelly to make a bid for a spot in the rotation by mid-2011, but he’ll certainly have some competition from Bowden, Tazawa, Doubront, and Mills.

Gordon Edes puts an Oscar-night spin on Casey Kelly and the Red Sox:



Sunday's stories from ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes and Joe McDonald:

* Edes: A new perspective of Casey Kelly ... from his mom

* McDonald: Wakefield impressed by Matsuzaka

The outcome: Sunday's Casey Kelly Invitational could not have gone any better. Kelly, pitching on the same mound where he won the state championship for Sarasota High in 2007, worked two scoreless innings, then watched his Red Sox teammates rally for a 5-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles. A ninth-inning home run by Mark Wagner, Kelly’s batterymate, broke a 4-4 tie.

The notable: Wagner’s home run gave Kelly the win before a crowd of 8,088 in Ed Smith Stadium, announced as the largest spring crowd in the 21-year history of the facility, pretty impressive given that this is where Michael Jordan played his home games when he tried baseball for a living. The crowd included Clyde Metcalf, Kelly's high school baseball coach who was sitting behind the plate; his mom, Becky, and his brother Chris.

Kelly entered the game in the seventh with the Red Sox down 4-1. He threw first-pitch strikes to all three batters he faced, retiring Rhyne Hughes on a popup, Lou Montanez on a comebacker on which he showed his shortstop pedigree, and Josh Bell, one of the Orioles’ top prospects, on a called third strike.

After the Sox tied it in the top of the eighth, Kelly came out for a second inning and issued a one-out walk and stolen base, but got out of the inning on two ground balls.

“Very good,’’ manager Terry Francona said of the outing. Poise, threw all his pitches, threw a 3-and-2 breaking ball to the second hitter. You could see him follow the catcher, which is good. Even the umpire [John Hirschbeck] commented, ‘How old is this kid?’’’

Clay Buchholz, making his first spring start, gave up a first-inning home run to Nick Markakis with two outs and nobody on, then walked the next two batters before coaxing a popup out of Luke Scott. He was touched for two more runs in the second on Garrett Atkins’ double and three singles.

“I was trying to get it up and in and left it out and he hit it,’’ Buchholz said of the Markakis home run. “I was more frustrated with the two walks after the home run than anything.

“A little jumpy on a couple of pitches, but other than that I felt like I had good stuff, good movement on the two-seamer and changeup.’’

On dealing with the 6-into-5 equation that the rotation currently is, Buchholz said, “It would be awkward for anybody. ... I can’t do anything about it so I might as well not bring any added pressure or stress.’’

Another good showing by Boof Bonser, who is coming off rotator cuff surgery and competing for a spot in the bullpen, as he threw two scoreless innings, striking out three.

“A real interesting guy,’’ Francona said of the former Twin. “We’ll try to build him up, see where it takes him. Build him up, see if he gets his velocity back, which makes him more interesting.’’

Prospect update: Yamaico Navarro, who had been playing at third base, saw his first action at short Sunday and played all nine innings, which kept Cuban prospect Jose Iglesias on the bench for the entire game. Navarro handled just one ground ball. “We like him as a shortstop,’’ Francona said of Navarro, who looks like he's big enough to move to third. Navarro went 0 for 4 but was credited with an RBI on a fielder’s choice.

First base prospect Lars Anderson, who has been given a lot of early at-bats, went hitless in two trips and is looking for his first spring hit after 10 at-bats.

In addition to his game-winning home run, Wagner also doubled but made a base-running mistake when he broke for third on a comebacker.

Progress report: Right-handed reliever Scott Atchison, who threw his second scoreless inning of the spring Sunday, is one of the pitchers bidding for a spot in the Sox bullpen. It appears more likely that he will open the season in Triple-A Pawtucket, giving the Sox depth for one of those inevitable callups that take place in the course of a season.

Atchison had agreed to a minor-league deal with the Red Sox two years ago, before the 2008 season, but instead went to Japan to pitch two seasons for the Hanshin Tigers, the Sox selling his contract to Hanshin after he struck an agreement with the Japanese team. He was a starter initially, but after being sent to the minors for a month he came back as a reliever, a role in which he thrived last season, posting a 1.70 ERA in 75 appearances.

That’s when the Red Sox came knocking again. “It went well but after two years it was time to come home,’’ Atchison said. “My family wanted to come back home. We had no complaints. The team treated us well, and we had a good time, but we wanted to come back.’’

A major factor in his decision to return, he said, was that his 2½-year-old daughter, Callie, has a rare genetic disease, and the family decided that she would be better served by continuing her medical care in the States.

Atchison, who turns 34 on March 29, has pitched in parts of three big-league seasons, the last with the Giants in 2007. He has a lifetime record of 2-3 with a 4.10 ERA in 53 appearances. He’s always been something of a long shot: While at TCU, he underwent rotator cuff surgery after his junior year and was taken in the 49th round of the draft by the Seattle Mariners.

Atchison and pitcher Fernando Hernandez, who made a cameo appearance for Oakland in 2008, are the only 49th-rounders ever to make it to the big leagues. (There are players who have been taken later in the draft and made it, including 62d-rounder Mike Piazza, who is bound for the Hall of Fame.)

Atchison relies on fastball command and says he developed a better slider while in Japan, the slider supplanting his curve as his “out” pitch. No, he says, he was not required to follow the throw-all-the-time philosophy espoused by the Japanese.

“The pitchers would put the number of pitches they threw on a sheet in spring training,’’ he said. “You’d go three days on, day off, then four days on. Guys were throwing 150 pitches on three straight days. I saw over 200 pitches quite a bit.’’

Hanshin plays in Osaka, and Atchison, a 6-foot-2 Texan, said he was often recognized when riding the subways.

“Hanshin fans are like Red Sox fans, they’re crazy and wild,’’ he said. “They’re really passionate about their team. If they saw you on the train, they usually were very nice and polite. They might yell out your name and say ‘Hi.’ A very friendly culture. A very safe country.’’

Up next: Bill Belichick’s good friend Tony La Russa brings the St. Louis Cardinals across the state Monday to play the Red Sox. A marquee pitching matchup: Josh Beckett vs. Chris Carpenter, the pride of Bedford, N.H. Amazing that Carpenter is making the 138-mile ride from Jupiter. It is a two-game trip -- the Cardinals play the Twins on Tuesday -- so perhaps Albert Pujols will show up too.

Etc.: Francona, when asked by a Sarasota reporter how excited Kelly was about pitching in his hometown: “You’d have to ask him. I don’t know, we’re just trying to get a big Grapefruit League win. I don’t know about his high school career. You have to check with him.’’

The Outcome: The Boston Red Sox took a pivotal game in their quest for the coveted Lee County Mayor’s Cup, defeating the Twins 9-3 on Saturday afternoon at City of Palms Park. Boston now leads the best-of-seven series, 2-1.

On a serious note, Tug Hulett crushed a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Red Sox a 5-3 lead. It was his first round-tripper of the spring and it came on the first pitch.

“Really in that situation, you’ve got guys on base, and you’re just trying to put the ball up the middle,” he said.

His shot landed in the right-field bleachers. It didn’t take long for the fans to begin a “Tug. Tug. Tug.” chant.

“That’s a first for me. It was pretty neat,” he said. “I thank my mom for giving me a chantable name.”

An infielder by trade, Hulett has been used as a designated hitter this spring since he’s been bothered by shoulder stiffness, but said he should be able to play the field on Sunday.

The Sox’ Gil Velazquez went 2-for-5 with two RBI in the victory.

Notable: Pitcher John Lackey made his Red Sox debut on Saturday afternoon. The right-hander worked two perfect innings with one strikeout. He threw 20 pitches, 12 strikes. So far this spring, the starting rotation looks solid, and with Lackey in the mix this season, Boston could have one of the top rotations in the league. Lackey threw mostly fastballs and mixed in a couple of curveballs during his brief outing.

“He was good,” said Red Sox catching prospect Luis Exposito. “He commanded his fastball and that’s what he wanted to do. He got ahead of hitters and put them away.”

Prospect to watch: Exposito has been in the Red Sox organization for the last four years after he was selected in the 31^st round of the 2005 draft. He’s participating in his first big-league camp this spring and he’s opening some eyes. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder was behind the dish on Saturday when Lackey made his spring debut. Offensively, Exposito lined a shot to deep center field for a double to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning. He eventually scored on Gil Velazquez’s RBI-single. Exposito joins the prospect ranks along with Mark Wagner and Dusty Brown. Exposito is likely to begin the season at Double-A Portland. In four minor league seasons, he has a .280 average with 31 homers and 150 RBI.

“You get a chance to be here with these guys and they make you feel comfortable,” he said. “I’m working hard in the cage every day, and I’m trying to bring that into the game."

Play of the game: Red Sox center fielder Matt Sheely turned in a defensive gem in the top of the seventh inning. He had misplayed a ball earlier due to the sun, but made up for it when he turned a 8-2 double play. He made a catch in center and made a strong throw to the plate to cut the runner down, attempting to tag up on the play.

Up next: The Red Sox will face the Orioles on Sunday in Sarasota. Clay Buchholz will make his second start of the spring, but the big news will be Casey Kelly’s homecoming. The top pitching prospect for the Sox, Kelly is scheduled to throw. Boof Bonser, Daniel Bard, Scott Atchison and Robert Manuel will also pitch for Boston.

Etc.: J.D. Drew played right field for the first time this spring ... Mike Cameron played in his second Grapefruit League game ... Saturday’s game was the 90^th consecutive sellout at City of Palms Park, dating back to March 16, 2003. The weather finally warmed up and 7,640 attended the afternoon game.

This morning's offerings from our team include a spotlight of the performances of Red Sox prospects in yesterday's first spring games and a look at pitcher Boof Bonser, whose role is undefined but is happy just to be back on the mound.

* Gordon Edes: Field of Dreams for Iglesias, Kelly
The Red Sox played their first games of 2010, which is exciting enough, but for top prospects Jose Iglesias and Casey Kelly the experience was out of this world. READ THE STORY

* McDonald: Bonser glad to be back
The 28-year-old Boof Bonser started against Boston College on Wednesday night at City of Palms Park and worked a perfect first inning, with one strikeout. He tossed nine pitches (seven strikes). "It went great. I'm glad it's over," he said. "It's my first spring training game in two years. I know people will say, 'It's a college team.' Well, to me a college team wants to beat your brains in more than a regular team does. I'm glad it's over." READ THE STORY

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Casey Kelly was all smiles.

The Red Sox pitching prospect made his spring debut, working one perfect inning with two strikeouts against Northeastern University on Wednesday afternoon at City of Palms Park. The 20-year-old right-hander tossed 10 pitches (seven strikes).

“I don’t think I’ve stopped smiling since I got off the mound,” said Kelly. “It was a good first outing. To have the crowd, and some of the people playing defense behind me was a tremendous honor.”

Even though the outing was brief, Kelly believes it was a step in the right direction and will help him get comfortable a little more quickly.

“I was very, very nervous going in,” he added. “Once I got on the mound, the competition takes over and you want to go out there and do your best.”

Kelly faced three batters and retired the Huskies’ Tucker Roeder, Tony DiCesare and Frank Compagone in order. He struck out Roeder on a changeup, DiCesare hit a first-pitch fastball and grounded out to second and Compagone struck out on another changeup.

“I think I was more nervous throwing to Victor Martinez than facing hitters,” Kelly said. “I felt good out there, and it was good to get the first one out of the way.”

Martinez was equally impressed with Kelly’s performance.

“He has some great stuff,” Martinez said. “He was throwing his fastball in and out, and mixed in his curveball and changeup. He threw just one inning, but he threw some pretty good quality pitches. I thought he did great.”

The last time Kelly pitched was during the 2009 All-Star Futures Games at Busch Stadium on July 12 in St. Louis. He tossed a perfect sixth inning, retiring the side on nine pitches. When he returned from the All-Star break, Kelly played shortstop for the remainder of the minor league season.

Kelly and the Red Sox decided last December that he would strictly be a pitcher. When he exited the game on Wednesday, he said it didn’t seem like it had been eight months since he last toed the rubber.

“It felt like I’ve been doing it for a while now,” he said. “I felt good out there. It’s kind of like riding a bike, once you do it once, it comes back to you pretty fast.”

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Red Sox pitching prospect Casey Kelly will make his debut today when he starts against Northeastern University.

Earlier this morning he was completely focused while sitting at his locker, almost like he was preparing for a regular season game.

“I bet you he’s nervous,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said this morning. “I bet he’s got some anxiety. I do think he’s handled himself really well. I walked by him yesterday, and someone mentioned to him about our signs, and I saw his eyes. There was a moment of panic. We can’t forget that he’s getting a lot thrown at him.”

Kelly, who the Red Sox drafted out of high school, would be a sophomore at the University of Tennessee he if elected to go to college instead of turning pro. He’ll throw only one inning against the Huskies today.

“As long as this kid is healthy, everything that gets thrown at him will be good,” said Francona. “It’ll be a learning experience.”

Francona has purposely stayed away from watching Kelly’s bullpen and live batting practice sessions. The manager doesn’t want to put any more pressure on Kelly than he’s already experiencing.

“I’m looking forward to watching this,” said Francona. “What you see today isn’t what you’re going to see a year and a half from now. He’s going to be stronger and more refined. When you look at him, he doesn’t look like a kid who just turned 20 and hasn’t pitched, which is part of the reason everybody likes him.”

On a cool and rainy day in Fort Myers, the Red Sox got their work in manager Terry Francona laid out the pitching plans for this week's exhibition games. ESPNBoston's Gordon Edes and Joe McDonald give you the rundown below.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Everyone was watching.

For the first time this spring, Red Sox pitching prospect Casey Kelly took the mound for a live batting practice session and everyone wanted to witness it.

General manager Theo Epstein, assistant GM Ben Cherington, director of player development Mike Hazen and Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell were among the many who stood behind the batting cage on Field 3 to see how Kelly would do. Only manager Terry Francona decided to stay away.

Red Sox personnel didn’t expect Kelly to light up the radar gun, or brush back a hitter at this stage; they’re looking for a consistent delivery and arm motion. And Kelly delivered.

“You just kind of focus on what you’re doing, and focus on the catcher, and everything around you is just a blur,” he said. “You’ve just got to take your time.”

The 6-foot-3, 194-pounder, who was the Sox’s first-round selection (30th overall) in the 2008 draft, mixed in all of his pitches on Friday morning. He threw his fastball, changeup and curveball.

Pitch repertoire aside, the most impressive thing about Kelly is the poise and confidence he exudes on and off the field. Nothing seems to bother this kid, especially when all eyes are watching him during a brief BP session.

“He has a professional approach. He’s genuine and poised,” said Farrell. “We’ll see a lot more of that once games begin.”

Around the clubhouse that is stacked with such pitching talent as Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Jon Lackey and Tim Wakefield, Kelly has kept to himself. The 20-year-old right-hander will sit at his locker and observe how the veterans go about their business in a professional manner.

“Right now I haven’t really gotten a chance to ask questions,” he said. “I think after my first couple of starts I’ll ask some questions. Right now it's watching how they go about their business, how they do their workouts, how they go about their pens, and just listening to what they say and what they’re trying to work on. Just be like a sponge and try to absorb everything up.”

When Kelly, a former shortstop before he and the Red Sox decided last December that it would be best for his career path to focus solely on pitching, finished his session on Friday morning, it was clear everyone watching was very happy.

Expectations are extremely high for Kelly, as he’s slated to begin the season at Double-A Portland.

“I think my expectations for myself are a lot higher than anybody else’s,” he said. “So I’m just trying to go out there and learn as much as possible, that will allow me to have a quick start to the season. I’m just trying to work out and condition good so I can stay healthy for the whole season.”

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Red Sox manager Terry Francona spent the morning roaming from field to field here at the player development complex. Friday was the second day of live batting sessions for the pitchers, and it was the starters’ turn.

Francona saw a little bit of Josh Beckett, but the manager spent most of his morning watching Jon Lester, along with some of the younger pitchers, including Junichi Tazawa. Francona said he was impressed with Lester.

“I thought he did good,” said Francona. “I thought he was a little frustrated with himself the other day on his side day, but I think today he felt a lot better. There’s no way you’re going to wake up every day during spring training and feel [good]. I thought he threw the ball very well.”

The biggest attraction of the morning was Casey Kelly. The club’s top pitching prospect looked and felt good during his session.

“I felt really good,” Kelly said. “It wasn’t bad. My adrenaline was flowing and it was good to finally face live hitters.”

Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell was also impressed by Kelly’s poise and the command he had of his pitches, especially the fastball and breaking ball.

“That’s not surprising because that’s what he does,” said Francona. “He has a lot of poise, which is good."

While the rest of the starting pitchers took to the hill, Daisuke Matsuzaka played catch again at 120 feet. The right-hander is expected to extend that to 150 feet on Saturday. He’ll eventually have a day off very soon, according to Francona.

“I think he feels good about himself,” said Francona. “You can tell by the way he’s throwing that he’s not nursing his way through it.”

If he continues to progress, there’s a possibility he could be on the mound early next week.

“When the medical people say he can do it, we’ll be happy to watch him throw,” said Francona.

As far as the rest of the rotation is concerned, Francona said he’ll be able to announce who will be starting the first few spring games, which begin on Wednesday with a split-squad game against Boston College and Northeastern.