The Portland Sea Dogs are the Red Sox AA affiliate located in Portland, Maine. This season, their roster seems to be loaded and could easily be the best team in the Red Sox farm system; however, the jump from Hi-A ball to AA ball is considered a very big one. The Dogs play in the Eastern League and call Hadlock Field, which has a mini green monster in left field, home. The Sea Dogs' player development contract expires after the 2012 season, but I would expect their affiliation with the Sox to last quite a bit longer than that.

Let's take a look at a the starting fielders:

C - Mark Wagner
1B - Aaron Bates
2B - Tony Granadillo
3B - Andrew Pinckney
SS - Ryan Khoury
LF - Zach Daeges
CF - Bubba Bell
RF - Jay Johnson
DH - Jeff Natale

This team has plenty of guys who graduated from Lancaster last season, including Wagner, Bates, Granadillo, Khoury, Daeges and Bell, all of whom hit .302 or better. Wagner could be the heir apparent to Varitek if he shows a decent bat at AA; he garners tons of praise for his defense. Bates is a big slugger, his swing is long at times, but he can really put a charge into the ball if he gets a hold of it. Granadillo is an interesting prospect because he has gotten better at each level since joining the Red Sox organization. He hits for solid average and has good gap power. Pinckney is a roster filler and at 26, his MLB potential is minimal. Khoury is an interesting guy; he has Pedroia-like size, but showed better power than expected last season and can play a number of positions. Daeges absolutely tore Lancaster apart last season as he hit 55 doubles to go along with 21 homers. However, his defense is not good yet, but he could end up being a valuable bat off the bench for some MLB team. Bubba Bell also left his mark on Lancaster after hitting .370, but at 25, he basically needs to have a repeat season to establish himself as a potential MLB candidate. Johnson has minimal upside but he plays hard and does his job day in and day out. Natale has great plate discipline, but he does not really have a position to play. His bat could carry him to the majors some day, though. Expect the offense to start slowly due to the cold in Maine, but overall, it's a very deep lineup, especially if some guys show that their time in Lancaster was not a fluke.

On to the pitching staff:

Starting pitchers: Justin Masterson, Michael Bowden, Kris Johnson, Dustin Richardson and Chris Smith

Relievers: Mike James, Beau Vaughan, Chad Rhoades, Kyle Jackson, Hunter Jones, Daniel Haigwood and Jose Vaquedano

The pitching on this team may be better than the hitting, and that's saying a lot. Justin Masterson is a sinker ball pitcher who throws from a 3/4 delivery while slinging the ball to the plate, creating deception. His slider is impressive and if his changeup improves, he profiles as a starter; if not, he profiles as a dominant set up man. Michael Bowden was the youngest pitcher in the Eastern League when he was called up last season, so his struggles may have been over-amplified. He competes each day with a good low 90s fastball, hard curve and improving changeup. He also has a funky delivery. Kris Johnson supposedly was gassed at the end of last season, but still pitched remarkably well in Lancaster. If he puts it together, he could really do well. This is his second season removed from TJ surgery, so he could really make a big leap. Dustin Richardson is a superb athlete; he  actually won the show Knight School, earning himself a spot on Bob Knight's Texas Tech Red Raiders, but didn't play due to his obligation to the baseball team. He profiles as a big lefty reliever who loves to attack the strike zone. Smith has minimal upside, but has performed well in Portland before. In the bullpen, Kyle Jackson struggled last year after a really good 2006 season. Hunter Jones is another big lefty; he throws strikes and is impressing the Sox brass with his abilities. Haigwood is oft injured, but he strikes out a lot of guys for a lefty; he is moving to the 'pen this year and it would not surprise me if he turns into a good bullpen guy. Like I said, this pitching staff is stacked and is easily the most impressive group the Sox have in the minors.

You A Bad Mang is a senior writer for Boston Sports Buzz.