There's something to be said for the talent evaluation brainpower emanating from Yawkey Way.
MLB.com has
ranked the 30 major league farm systems and
the top two have a decidedly "carmine" lineage. Topping the list is the Chicago Cubs—cultivated over the last few years by Boston renegades
Theo Epstein and
Jed Hoyer. Number two on the list are your own Boston Red Sox—with
Ben Cherington and his bevy of kids poised for stardom. The Twins, Pirates and Mets round out the top five—with
The Evil Empire (old and getting older by the day) nowhere in sight. Of course, the
real key to success in talent evaluation is knowing which kids to trade and which to hoard. Those results are yet to come.