The Red Sox are not one of the younger teams in Major League Baseball. In fact, they are one of the oldest teams in the league. This may or may not be the cause of the early season struggles that the team faced this year. The one thing that we do know is that is has the dedicated fans of Boston have their eyes on the Red Sox farm system and the future stars of Fenway. There are a few prospects in the Sox farm system that could see playing time this year. Here are some that are likely to be called up this season.

· Will Middlebrooks – Middlebrooks is reportedly hiring North American and moving to Boston. The team is calling up the third baseman in effort to replace Kevin Youkilis who is out for an indefinite period of time on the disable list with back problems. Middlebrooks is absolutely lighting up the stat sheet in Pawtucket. He hitting .333 and has 9 home runs already this season in just 24 games. That is staggering production and it may be time to permanently move him up.

If he is not called up soon it is almost definite that he will be called up eventually this season. He is one of best prospects in baseball. The only questions about a possible Middlebrooks call up is when it will happen and whether or not it will be a permanent move.

· Aaron Cook – The veteran right-hander is apparently being called up in order to start Sunday in place of injured starter Josh Beckett. He recently resigned with the team despite being able to opt out of his minor league contract. The Red Sox may be playing him to showcase him to other teams they may be looking to trade with.

· Ryan Lavarnaway – This catcher is one of the best hitting catchers in minor league baseball. He saw some time with the Red Sox last season and could be called up again this season. He was sent back down to Pawtucket mainly to work on his defense. If he improves his defensive footwork he could become a good starting catcher in the majors.

· Anthony Raunado – He may be a long shot to be called up this year but this pitcher can really throw with some heat. With an improved delivery he could throw in the mid-90s. He has the potential to be mainstay in the Red Sox starting rotation in the coming years.

The Sox may be struggling this year and they may be a little long in the tooth but they always seem to have some top-notch talent waiting in the wings in the Boston farm system. One of their main concerns should be finding a replacement for Kevin Youkilis, who should be nearing the end of his career, at third base. They seem to have that in Middlebrooks. With the other strong talent they have coming up on the mound and behind the plate they should find their way right back to the top of the AL East standings in no time.