World Series Championships Like Fine American Whiskies, Are A Blend

MAJORBLOGS.NET - The Boston Red Sox swept the Colorado Rockies with last night's win, to give the club its second World Series ring in less than a half-decade. The championship clubs of the Red Sox are like fine American whiskies: GM Theo Epstein has skillfully blended one of the top three farm systems in major league baseball with selected high-dollar free agent picks (mercs) to create a formula for winning the World Series in the Dead Brain Era that works.

To look at the winning club of 2007 is to look back at the killer Red Sox farms from 2005 to 2007. We gave Boston our MLN Farm of the Year 2005 award because of guys like Jon Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia, Hanley Ramirez, Anibal Sanchez, and a handful of other phenom picks that were powering up both the Portland Sea Dogs and the Pawtucket Red Sox, Boston's AA, and AAA farm clubs.

In 2007 Jacoby Ellsbury* breezed through the FAB50 Baseball 2007 at No. 14.

The Red Sox have had, for the last three years, an abundance of great talent in waiting. Pitcher Clay Buchholz*, a starter anywhere else next season, will probably end up in Pawtucket because the Red Sox may not have a slot for him on the big league club.

They have also made enough good moves in the free agent market, particularly for proven arms, in Dice K, Beckett, Schilling, and Okahjima.

The result is a powerful mix of athletes with both the experience and the eagerness of youth that fuel a combined passion to win. That blend was what took the Sox over the top. Sure Gagne fizzled, but on paper, coming in from Texas with his record, and his long stint as the Dodgers' closer, you can't fault the pick.

Gone are the days of the Yankees using nothing but dollars to merc up the Bronx. Paying a permanent all-star club is great for selling YES, but it isn't a big YES to winning pennants. Cashman & Co. have crunched the numbers and found out that what I've been telling you loyal readers for lo these many years is the gospel truth: Farm systems win rings.

Big ego, big bats, or aggrandized arms will only carry you so far. Youth, energy, and, quite possibly, being inexperienced enough to not know that there are limits to how far you can go can take a club, under the right manager and front office, a long way.

The Boston Red Sox, from coast to coast, from Beantown and Jon Papelbon to Lancaster, California, and Bubba Bell, have developed a farm system that is deep in talent. Clay Buchholz, who just set the rookie record for the club with his no-hitter, probably won't find a home in the upper-40 man roster because of the depth of pitching. Even if Schilling retires after this season, blend theory suggests that replacing him with an equally veteran arm might be the move that the Red Sox will make.

The Red Sox dynasty may continue for the first part of the 21st century much as the club dominated the early part of the 20th century.  The Yankees farm system was stocked full of trade bait, but little in the way of direct talent, for many years. It will take some time for Cashman to retool a system that has become so lethargic and dependent on big dollar signings.

The Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Angels, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays all have top-drawer farm systems, but they generally either have had bad experiences with their veteran deals or they're unwilling to spend the money on enough of those high-dollar free-agents to generate the blend. Even the Marlins needed a few veterans mixed in with the newbies to hit the post-season.

The Boston Red Sox have arrived back at the top of the baseball world, with few, other than perhaps the St. Louis Cardinals, to provide them with much challenge.

Bask in the glow of being the best team in baseball, and establishing your dominance over two National league clubs, but whatever you do, don't trade Big Papi to the Yankees... The Babe is still watching.