Mike Hazen | Boston Red Sox

The other night I attended a charity event in which Mike Hazen spoke and answered a ton of audience questions regarding his role as Farm Director and the Red Sox philosophies regarding minor league development.

I took a few notes but spent most of my time just listening to his answers. He likened the current International Free Agent market to the "wild wild west", an analogy I thought was very suiting.

He discussed the interactions with Minor League Team owners and minor league player agents. The Red Sox are very high on the Carolina League which is why Boston flexed its financial muscle to purchase the Salem Red Sox minor league team.

Said the draft is about 50/50 in terms of drafting for potential contributors and just filling minor league roster spots. The cold hard truth is that only 2-3% of minor league players ever reach the major leagues.

Likened the top college conferences to "somewhere between Low-A and Advanced-A in terms of degree of difficulty. I would tend to think its probably a bit closer to Low-A but thats simply my observation.

Mentioned the organization's extensive bio-mechanics research for developing and keeping pitchers healthy. Said it was "no coincidence" that Beckett has remained healthy the past few seasons.

I also asked him about statistical analysis in terms of the draft and he said the Red Sox are very active in this respect. This was encouraging to me because this is my primary area of interest and research.

Mike Hazen Interview

Minor League Ball posted an excellent interview with Boston Red Sox farm director Mike Hazen. Hazen oversees the minor league operations and he discussed some of the organization's philosophy and the progression of individual players.

I was particularly interested in his responses regarding promoting players. This is can a crucial aspect of a prospect's progression and requires significant input from various sources before a decision is made.