December 11, 2009 at 1:32 PM
2010 Red Sox Rookie Development Program participants announced
The annual Red Sox Rookie Development Program is set to take place in early January at Boston College. The development program is a ten day camp that allows Red Sox coaches to prepare the system's MLB-ready prospects for life in the big leagues. Players are chosen for the program because the organization feels that they will be likely to contribute at the Major League level within the next twelve to eighteen months. The players are tutored on the physical and mental aspects of playing in the Majors, with a particular focus on the challenges of playing in Boston. Many young Red Sox who have participated in the past have spoken highly of the program, including Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie, Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester, and Dustin Pedroia. Included in the program are sessions on dealing with the media, money management, alcohol, drugs, umpire relations, and other obstacles that players may face upon reaching the major leagues. Days are broken up into two sessions, with mornings spent on the field and afternoons spent in the classroom. The program also allows the up-and-coming players to get to know each other, as some of the participants may have played at different levels in the Sox system in the previous year.
According to WEEI's Alex Speier, the eleven players who will participate in this year's Rookie Development Program are Casey Kelly (pictured), Randor Bierd, Kyle Weiland, Junichi Tazawa, Ryne Miller, Felix Doubront, Luis Exposito, Jose Iglesias, Yamiaco Navarro, Che Hsuan Lin, and Ryan Kalish. Kelly, Bierd, Exposito, Iglesias and Kalish were all participants in the Arizona Fall League this offseason for the Mesa Solar Sox.
In addition, according to SoxProspects.com sources, Mark Wagner, Aaron Bates, and Dustin Richardson will be attending the MLB Rookie Development Program in Washington D.C. this January. This program is a four-day crash course for prospects on life in the Major Leagues. For more information on participants in previous programs, check out the Sox Prospects Wiki.