Jim Callis: That's advanced for his age, meaning he's not swinging away and flailing at everything pitchers throw on him. He's a toolsy shortstop who might get a shot at low Class A next year, but it's more likely he'll play for a short-season team. The Red Sox like the gloves of two college shortstops they drafted in 2003, Zach Borowiak and Iggy Suarez, and my guess is that one or both of those guys will be in low Class A next year as Boston wants to see how much they'll hit.

Jim Callis: It's my understanding that his visa problems are cleared up. He'll be 20 this spring and probably will wind up at Augusta.

Jim Callis: A lot of this comes from how he looked in the Arizona Fall League. Eastern League managers considered Shoppach the best defensive catcher in their circuit, and the Red Sox like his catch-and-throw skills. They think he just got worn out by the AFL and didn't receive as well as he usually does. Better conditioning should solve that problem.

Jim Callis: I'll say Murphy because he has the best chance to hit. Though he played right field at Baylor while Durbin played center, the Red Sox believe Murphy can play center.

Jim Callis: Zink will be in the middle of the 11-20 range in the Prospect Handbook. We use "projectable" all the time, so it must be a word. Knuckleballers aren't projectable, per se, becasue they're not going to get bigger and stronger and throw harder. Zink is a wild card. It's hard to rank him or even compare him to someone else because there aren't many knuckleballs. Boston minor league pitching coordinator Goose Gregson told me that when he was with the Dodgers years ago, Charlie Hough told him that if he ever saw a knuckleballer who was starting out and could throw one quality knuckler out of 10 to stick with him, because it takes a while to master, and 1-of-10 indicates some potential. About 30 percent of Zink's knuckleballs were effective in 2003, his first year as a full-time knuckleballer, so the Red Sox are very encouraged by him.

Jim Callis: I think Murton can put up Geoff Jenkins-like numbers, and they're built similarly. But Murton doesn't look like Brett Favre (or Tom Brady).

Jim Callis: Another good question from Kevin, who got many in early. Freddy Sanchez would be No. 2, ahead of Shoppach. Jorge de la Rosa would be right behind Shoppach, so that would make him No. 4 if Sanchez was in the mix. Phil Dumatrait would be in my mix of three lefties toward the end of the top 10, and I'd probably slot him in behind Alvarez, which would make him No. 10. Tyler Pelland would be in the 11-15 mix, while Mike Goss wouldn't have made the Top 30.

Jim Callis: Well, David Chadd is still Boston's scouting director. I haven't talked to Louie, but his new job is viewed as a promotion and I think that's the main reason he took it. Eljaua and Littlefield worked together with the Marlins.

Jim Callis: The Red Sox think Mickey Hall is a good athlete with an advanced approach, and we'll have to see what he can do in his first full season next year. He has a lot of upside. Chris Smith, he of the dune-buggy accident, has more pitchability than a true out pitch. I don't think we or anyone else has compared Hanley Ramirez to B.J. Upton since very early in the 2003 season. Ramirez kind of treaded water while Upton shot ahead of him. Upton is now the best prospect in the game.

Jim Callis: Thanks, Steve. The most promising of those guys is Corn, who was limited to four innnings last summer because he was worn out. He has the best slider in the system and an 88-92 mph fastball. If he refines his changeup, he can be a starter. Otherwise, he'll move quickly as a reliever. 30th-rounder David Sanders had a huge summer in the Cape in 2002 and could be a nice find. And 49th-rounder Jason Smith, a high schooler, would have gone a lot higher had teams thought him signable.

Jim Callis: High A for 2004. Asking Garciaparra to change positions would be a delicate situation, but Ramirez probably won't get to Boston before mid-2006. If that's his ETA, and Garciaparra is still in Boston, Hanley probably would break into the majors as a second baseman. In 2007, who knows? But how confident is anyone that Garciaparra is going to re-sign anyway?

Jim Callis: Those guys are so far away right now that they're just names to follow. But the (very) early returns are promising, and the Red Sox like both guys.

Jim Callis: There are very few true front-of-the-rotation starters. Right now, Cedeno has one plus pitch. If he refines his curveball and develops a changeup, he could be a No. 3 starter. If not, he'll be used in relief.

Jim Callis: They'll bring him to big league camp and see if he can make the team as a reliever. If he can't, they could try to work out a deal with the Mets, but the Mets would probably want him back. DiNardo's fastball sits at 83-85 and he's cutter-crazy, so it remains to be seen how he'll do against advanced hitters. My guess is he won't stick with Boston.

Jim Callis: My guess is he'll be playing college football next fall. I don't see him ever playing in the big leagues.

Jim Callis: Touched on this a little earlier. There's nothing wrong with Shoppach's throwing, and the Red Sox like his receiving, too. Martinez is a slightly better defender but nowhere close to the hitter Shoppach is.

Jim Callis: Perhaps because a lot of the big-ticket international signings have turned out to be busts. Boston did go hard after Jose Contreras and is expected to go hard after Maels Rodriguez. They're still signing players out of Latin American and just opened a shiny new academy in the Dominican. It takes a while for Latin signees to migrate from the Dominican and Venezuelan Summer leagues to the U.S., so we won't really know about their recent group of signees until 2005 or so. But they're not writing off the region.

Jim Callis: Having a slew of draft picks last June helped bring in some new blood, though they also traded several of their better prospects, such as Freddy Sanchez, Jorge de la Rosa, Phil Dumatrait and Tyler Pelland. My sense is that they have more depth than they did a year ago, but still not much in the upper levels and it's still in the 21-30 range in terms of overall strength.

Jim Callis: Ramirez had a decent year for a 19-year-old in low Class A last year, but he has received so much hype (and yes, we've fed that hype) that it seemed disappointing. If he can hit .280 with 12-15 homers in the Florida State League while improving his plate discipline and defensive consistency, I think that would be a very good year.

Jim Callis: He has good baseball skills but he's just not physically mature enough for pro ball. He needs to add more strength.

Jim Callis: Freddy Sanchez, who would be their starting second baseman right now if they hadn't traded him. I still wonder if the Red Sox would have given him up if they hadn't wanted to make the Brandon Lyon dispute go away.

Jim Callis: Fat chance? Bean ate up righthanders in Triple-A, but he throws a flat mid-80s fastball and he'll have to show he won't get eaten up by big league lefthanders. The Red Sox will have to find other ways to strike back at the Evil Empire.

Jim Callis: Going well, and he should be back on the mound before the end of the season. He was turning the corner before he blew out his elbow, and he has worked hard to come back from Tommy John surgery. The track record for that operation is pretty good, so there's cause for optimism.

Jim Callis: Would I project him to become a No. 3 starter? Not yet. Can he become that? Yes, that's his ceiling. It will be very interesting to see how Alvarez does in his first full season. The Red Sox absolutely love this guy, and one official told me that his fastball may be the best in the system despite its 85-88 mph velocity because he has nearly perfect command of it. They think his fastball will play as a plus pitch and he'll have two other solid average pitches (changeup, curveball) to go with it, and he'll move very fast.

Jim Callis: Lee, I think that's because me and the Red Sox are smart enough not to write a guy off based on the small sample size of his first pro summer. Chipper Jones had a .229 average, .271 slugging percentage and .321 OBP in his debut. Mark McGwire hit .200 one homer in 55 at-bats and looked clueless with wood bats. I'm not suggesting Murphy will be that good, but it's way early to write him off.

Jim Callis: Close call. It really depends on what type of player you prefer. Murton has more power, Murphy is more athletic and polished. He should hit for a higher average and do a few more things than Murton can. There isn't anyone who projects as a No. 1 starter in the system right now.

Jim Callis: If you're grading tools, his arm would probably come out the best right now. The Red Sox also like his athleticism and offensive potential. If Ramirez and Garciaparra are in Boston when Soto gets there, he'd probably have to move to second base.

Jim Callis: He has good arm strength, though he threw 88-92 mph last spring after reaching the mid-90s the summer before. He has a projectable body and a promising curveball. Would have gone a lot higher in the draft had he been considered signable, and some clubs thought he was immature.

Jim Callis: Blackley is a lot like his brother Travis with the Mariners, not quite as physical. Garcia and Frias are more raw arm-strength guys trying to figure it out. Garcia has the best arm of the bunch. They're all guys the Red Sox like, but they're all fringe guys for making my Top 30 list.

Jim Callis: I think the two best in that group are Evans, an athletic outfielder who was more of a football player at Samford, and Vaquedano, who has good command of average stuff. Most of that group will be in low Class A next year.

Jim Callis: I doubt they liked his .319 OBP in high Class A too much. There's mixed opinion on Perez. He has good hands but not a ton of range at shortstop, and he never hit much before this year. So he's a guy whose bat and ability to stick at shortstop are questionable.

Jim Callis: Part two first: I'd take Hardy, then Santos, then Ramirez. First question is too hard, not much separation between all of them. Given that Anderson has been hurt and Murphy is more advanced than Sweeney, I can see why Boston took Murphy.

Jim Callis: Those guys will all go to low Class A. I like Jon Papelbon's stuff the best and think he'll move the fastest, though if Brian Marshall stays in relief that's typically a quicker path.

Jim Callis: Yes. The Red Sox are high on his all-around package of tools and feel he's one of several 2003 draft picks who turned the outfield from a weakness into a strength.

Jim Callis: This is the first recognizable Sons of Sam Horn name I've recognized today. You guys must be using aliases. Simon was first diagnosed with a neck strain that never got better and was finally determined to be a problem with a vertebrae in his neck. He has seen several specialists, trying to find the best way to rehab and overcome the condition. It's not career-threatening, just frustrating as it cost him a whole year. The Red Sox hope to come up with an answer so they can get him back on the mound.

Jim Callis: They should look better than last year's 11-30 list but they're not particularly inspring.

Jim Callis: As I touched on before, in the 21-30 range. But just to make you happy Steve--and it's the truth--the Red Sox do have a better system than the Yankees.

Jim Callis: Arroyo deserves a look but I'm sure the Red Sox will have other candidates as well. He commands the strike zone like Boston wants its pitchers to. With Bill Mueller coming off a huge season, Youkilis will spend most of the year in Triple-A, where he still needs to prove he can make adjustments. Pokey Reese and Mark Bellhorn may not cut it, but I don't see Mueller moving to second and Youkilis taking over at third in 2004.

Jim Callis: Very good question. The Red Sox wanted to load up on college players and they really needed outfielders, and David Murphy fit both of those characteristics. But on the day of the draft, David Chadd mentioned that someone surprising might fall to them at 17, and that might have been Jeff Allison. On the other hand, I don't think Theo Epstein and Co. believe a whole lot in high school pitchers.

Jim Callis: Boston really likes his power and you're right about him being Lowell's MVP. He'll probably start 2004 in Augusta and could develop into a Kevin Millar.

Jim Callis: His speed is below average but he has worked hard to become an average defender at third base. For all his OBP, I don't think Youkilis has the power to be a big league first baseman.

Jim Callis: I'll say Youkilis. He has proven more than Spann and the Red Sox believe in OBP. Spann could pass him and had an encouraging year, but he didn't show a lot of home run power either and still must improve across the board. John Hattig had a good year but probably isn't a third baseman and has to do it again.

Jim Callis: Interesting guy, a hustler with some athleticism, but it's too early to consider him a real prospect yet.

Jim Callis: Arias is moving to the outfield and needs a lot better approach at the plate. Guzman has some interesting raw tools and will just miss making my Top 30.

Jim Callis: Righthanders Kyle Jackson and Jesus Delgado.

Jim Callis: No, but it won't shock me if I'm wrong.

Jim Callis: He didn't pitch well down the stretch, which concerned a lot of teams, as did his size and reliance on his slider. The Sox really wanted Abe Alvarez, so they went after outfielders in the first round. They were in on David Murphy early.

Jim Callis: Strongest in righthanded pitching, weakest at second base (where you can always move shortstop) and first base (where you can always move anyone).

Jim Callis: Pitchers went after him with first-pitch strikes and he didn't make an immediate adjustment. Boston is confident he'll adapt this year. It's a red flag but also a small sample size, so let's see what happens in 2004.

Jim Callis: I don't think they'll push him that quick, though you never know with knuckleballers. Mid-2005 is a more reasonable ETA.

Jim Callis: High ceiling, but not a high probability he reaches it. If he stays healthy, keeps pumping 92-94 mph, gains consistency with his curve (not an area of strength in the system) and figures out some finesse, he could be a No. 2 starter. But that's also a lot to ask.

Jim Callis: Alvarez throws harder than DiNardo and doesn't rely almost solely on his cutter. His ceiling is a lot higher.

Jim Callis: Yes, in the 20-25 range. Luis Soto will be in the same area.

Jim Callis: Would anyone not want Freddy Sanchez?

Jim Callis: It hasn't affected his pitching so far, so no reason it should start to now.

Jim Callis: I think the Red Sox want to have both a strong big league club and a strong system, but the big league team has priority. If they have a chance to win a World Series, they'll trade prospects for veterans who can help them do that. They'll miss Freddy Sanchez but it's hard to argue with most of Theo Epstein's trades.

Jim Callis: Hattig has to improve his conditioning and defense and keep hitting like he did last year, and he's not a true third baseman. Martinez is a defensive specialist who maybe can become Tim Spehr.

Jim Callis: The Red Sox attribute his travails to a combination of youthful immaturity, dealing with a lot of hype and adapting to the United States. They think he'll be fine and I he's not in Milton Bradley or Carl Everett territory yet.

Jim Callis: Yes, scouts are split on whether he'll wind up as a starter or reliever.

Jim Callis: Probably not on Brian Marshall. Mendoza's lack of strikeouts are puzzling but he also didn't give up many hits last year and a lot of opposing teams like him. He'll be in my 11-15 range, and I bet if he doesn't pick up his K rate next year, he's used in a trade.

Jim Callis: Yes, he'll be in the 11-15 range. You have to take those first pro summers with a grain of salt. He has a 92-93 mph fastball and a slider that's a plus pitch at times. Plus, my 2-year-old daughter loves to say his name.

Jim Callis: Yes, he has that upside. I don't know if he'll ever win an American League batting title, but as I wrote, Ramirez has .300.370.500 upside.

Jim Callis: We've got to get Butch Hobson's Elbow Chips in. Adam Blackley is on the radar screen more than any other Aussies right now. They may one day get another Korean or Japanese amateur, but they won't pay the prices that the Dan Duquette regime did.

Jim Callis: Sturge is a soft tosser with a good curveball who will have to keep proving himself.

Jim Callis: Hey, Philly Sox Fan in the house. They'll just miss the Top 30. Both guys drew some interest, as they're plus defenders with a chance to hit. They're pretty far away right now but worth monitoring in 2004.

Jim Callis: Running out of time here . . . Very fast, yes, 50 right now on the 20-80 scouting scale.

Jim Callis: One level at a time in all likelihood, maybe the pre-2003 Bill Mueller.

Jim Callis: Maybe after a half-season at Pawtucket. He does throw hard and has arguably the best curve in the system.

Jim Callis: Has pretty good stuff when he's in shape, needs to work on his conditioning.

Jim Callis: While that's all true about Owens, I can't see it because he just can't make enough contact at the plate.

Jim Callis: No, he's a good athlete but kind of clueless.

Jim Callis: Vaughan can be a No. 3 starter and is very similar to Papelbon, whom I discussed a little earlier.

Jim Callis: Many of these prospects will be trade fodder, because with Boston's financial resources and the way the club is run, it shouldn't have a lot of holes to fill.

Jim Callis: Lester signed late, and I'm not sure why he didn't get a 2003 contract. With Corn, I think he was more worn out than they realized and they shut him down.

Jim Callis: Yes.

Jim Callis: I'll go out on a limb and say "college."

Jim Callis: I've got to go, and Ed Rogers is always a good place to stop. Ramirez already has shown more hitting ability than Rogers ever did or will.