Cubs copy Red Sox model, hoping for their Pedroia breakthrough

A National League player shook his head at the idea of the Cubs building from within: "You're going to have to buy it."Yes, there is skepticism about Theo Epstein's plans for Wrigley Field, just how patient this market will be and whether the baseball operations department will be at cross purposes with the business side that has to sell tickets and worry about television ratings.Epstein likes the cold, analytical New England Patriots model, and has quoted NFL wiseguy Bill Parcells: If you listen to the fans in the stands, pretty soon you'll be sitting with them.But you didn't see the dead-fish handshakes and disinterested body language that gets psychoanalyzed when Bill Belichick faces off against one of his ex-assistants.Around the cage on Friday at Wrigley Field, there was Epstein next to Jon Lester, Adrian Gonzalez chatting with general manager Jed Hoyer and scoutingplayer development executive Jason McLeod hugging Dustin Pedroia.The cameras closed in during batting practice and invaded their personal space. But for the Cubs, this was promotional material, advertising for the future, winning by association.So even while the Cubs threaten to break the franchise record for losses this season (103), they can still look back on the past few weeks and feel pretty good about selecting Albert Almora with the No. 6 pick, drafting 22 pitchers, winning the Jorge Soler sweepstakes and seeing Anthony Rizzo move closer to the majors."We have the long-term view," McLeod said. "It's hard to wake up every day, see our record and go through these losses. But, yeah, you feel good about the draft, you feel good about what you're doing on the international market and we understand it's a process. We have to abide by it. We believe in it."That process, which has evolved over the years, yielded Pedroia with McLeods first pick running the draft for the Red Sox in 2004.Pedroia is now one of eight major-league players who have won Rookie of the Year, MVP and Gold Glove awards, as well as a World Series title. The other seven: Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Thurman Munson, Cal Ripken, Jr. and Albert Pujols.Pedroiawho declined to be interviewedwas an Arizona State University infielder who isnow listed at 5-foot-8, 165 pounds. A finalist for the Golden Spikes Awardcollege baseball's Heisman Trophyhe fell to No. 65."We actually didnt think he'd be there," McLeod said. "We had lined up our board in a manner of having 20 to 25 guys (thinking): OK, these players are probably going to be gone, so let's work on this (other) board. And if any of these guys are still left, we'll come back and just take them over anyone (else)."It was a surprise to us, because (Pedroia) was such a good college player and he dominated year in and year out. Obviously, the knock on him was his height and he's in much better shape now than he was in college. He was a little thicker through the hips and that's my only explanation for it, because you couldn't find many people that could stack up against him performance-wise."McLeod said it was a "short discussion" between Pedroia and Cal State Fullerton catcher Kurt Suzuki, who went two picks later and has enjoyed a productive career with the Oakland A's.Epstein joined the Red Sox as assistant general manager in 2002 and watched the team win 93 games and miss the playoffs. Not long after that, he was promoted to general manager and watched his team make it to Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS."Maybe it was a little bit more of a subtle process," Epstein said. "But we did make moves at the big-league level and had some success right off the bat. That bought us time to commit to 'The Red Sox Way' of doing things, which we established there in scouting and player development."A lot of the work is similar here. There is clearly a mandate for change. That's why new ownership brought in new people. So we didn't have to do much convincing. We just got everyone together in the same room and talked about how we want to teach the game, what we're going to stand for as an organization and how we're going to execute it at the minor-league level."Forget reversing the curse in 2004ex-Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon has said that wasn't really Epstein's team. Papelbon, now with the Philadelphia Phillies, thinks that the 2007 title validated Epstein's system.As much as Epstein says it's all about wins and losses, he doesn't do it as convincingly as he talks about the process."If you dig a little bit deeper," Epstein said, "you see a manager and a coaching staff that set high expectations and goals and players are working hard to live up to those expectations."We're very prepared, day in and day out, and they play hard day in and day out. So there's just a little bit of a talent deficit right now, but hopefully it will be addressed as we move forward. (I) like what's being established in the clubhouse and I think that will pay dividends down the line."