FanHouse

What a season it's been for the 2007 Red Sox. You look at the lead in the AL East, the best record in baseball, and you think "Manny, Ortiz and Schilling are doing their thing." Sorry sports fans, this ain't 2004. The torch is being passed in Boston to the stars of the future. And the future is now.

Sure, Manny and Ortiz still supply a lot of the thump in the line-up, though nowhere near years past. And Schill did have a near-no-hitter, but other than that he's been erratic and very hittable. You've still got Tek and Mike Lowell, and Beckett and Wake on the hill, but it's a fresh-faced group of youngsters stepping up and helping the Sox win games.

Dustin Pedroia: He just turned 24 years old, stands about five-foot-nothing, and looks like somebody's little brother tagging along to the ballpark. But the kid can play. Despite a dismal April where he hit just a buck-eighty-two, Pedroia has since climbed into the driver's seat of the Rookie of the Year race. He's at a lofty .325 with 45 RBI and 71 runs scored. Not to mention his stellar defense at second.

Jon Lester: Perhaps he'll always be remembered as the kid who beat cancer, but he's also a heck of a pitcher at just 23 years old. After his seven innings of shut-out ball last night, he's 4-0 with a 4.47 ERA. He's had trouble keeping guys off base, having to Houdini himself out of a lot of innings, but he's got stuff. And he's a lefty.

Clay Buchholz: The kid pitched a no-hitter in his second start in the bigs at 23 - what more do you need to know?

Jacoby Ellsbury: A late-season call-up, and another member of Club 23, Ellsbury added the spark the Sox were looking for. This kid makes every ground ball he hits exciting because of his blazing speed. He's batting a cool .415 with four stolen bases and a couple of home runs. Not to mention a few highlight reel catches. J.D. who?

Jon Papelbon: The elder statesman of the youngsters - if that makes any sense - age 26 with a full year of experience under his belt. He's already got back-to-back 30-save seasons, and has a ridiculous 71 K's in 51.1 innings. And, seriously, who has a better game face than Paps?

The future looks bright, indeed.