Success stories in the desert

Ever since Tommy John surgery cut short his promising debut season with the Lowell Spinners in 2007, Red Sox minor league reliever Caleb Clay has had nothing in common with the top prospects who populate the Arizona Fall League rosters every year except his status as a first-round draft pick. 

But this fall, Clay has improbably become the Red Sox biggest success story out of the AFL. In 13 1/3 innings of work that span 10 appearances, Clay is 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA in the AFL, which is billed as a “prospect finishing school.” For Clay, the month spent playing alongside the best prospects in the game is more of a fresh start than anything else. 

Not bad, considering that earlier this season, the 43rd overall pick in the 2006 draft considered calling it quits.

Check out the rest of the column by Jon Meoli on ESPN Boston

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