Lefty who from our farm do you see making the team next year? I'm sure if you expect AJ to be on his way than Flowers would be our starting catcher next year?
That depends a lot on how much money JR is willing to commit to this team for next season, and to be honest I don't think it's going to be all that much more than was spent this year, if he is willing to spend more at all. What's more, it depends a lot on what kind of plan the Sox have in place for Flowers and prospects of his ilk, and what kind of developmental philosophy is: do they see him as a big-time MLB contributor or just trade bait for veterans, and how willing are you to just plop him down in the starting lineup night after night regardless of outcome?
In the end, I really don't know, because it depends on what the owner is willing to spend, which players without contracts will be likely to decline arbitration and which FA's the team could go after with that extra cash. What's more, this farm system has been dismantled piece by piece over the last few years, so there really aren't that many prospects able to fill voids left by departed MLB regulars. I would like to see Flowers get a shot (if the team is dead-set against going after the likes of Victor Martinez), because if he is even replacement-level for the team next year, they receive a performance boost from the catcher position over what they got this year out of AJ.
Other than that, perhaps Viciedo gets a shot to fill in as a 1B/DH, if Brent Morel comes out of the gates mashing in AAA, I'd like to see him get time at 3B/DH, and after that it starts to get pretty thin. Though I will say this: a lot depends on how Jared Mitchell returns from his foot/ankle injury. He has a chance still to be the Sox' top MLB prospect, so if he can fully recover from what happened to him and get better in the areas he was working on before his injury, he could be the deciding factor in the outlook of the minor league system for the next two or three seasons.
