A handful of Boston's rising young stars, including pitchers Seung Song and Rich Rundles, blossomed with the Jackets in 2001. On the other hand, some of the organization's highly-touted prospects, haven't fared nearly as well.

As Boston's director of player development, one of Kent Qualls' key responsibilities is to evaluate talent and design a path to help maximize the development of each Red Sox farmhand.

For every success, there is an equal share of failure with which Qualls must contend. ''It's not an exact science, as you well know,'' he said. ''There's going to be mistakes along the way. That's the nature of player development.''

With the season winding down, Qualls recently took time out of his busy schedule to share his thoughts on the 2001 Jackets with The Augusta Chronicle.

Q: It's been a rough first full season for 1999 first-round pick Rick Asadoorian. What are thoughts on his development?

A: ''I'd have to say it's been frustrating, to say the least. Frustrating for him, frustrating for us, and frustrating for the instructors who've been trying to help him along.

''Sometimes, what you see at this level is the organization pushing players to be here, and there's good pitching in this league every day. A lot of these hitters out of high school don't see that quality of pitching on a day-in, day-out basis, and that's probably one of the biggest adjustments in pro ball.

''He's a very dedicated individual, and he made a commitment to his career by buying an apartment in Fort Myers to devote year-round to baseball. When the season's over, he'll take a few weeks off to clear his head and get refocused for instructional league, and the slate will be clean again.''

Q: How much has the pressure of being a No. 1 pick and the big signing bonus, not to mention his being a local kid from Massachusetts, factored into his struggles?

A: ''He puts a lot of pressure on himself and has openly stated that he knows he needs work on that. Personally, I've seen a change in a positive direction lately, but he's still frustrated. He wants to do well and there is a lot of pressure on him. I don't know if that's going to change overnight, but as long as he's moving in the right direction, that's all we can ask.''

Q: Will Asadoorian be ready to make the jump to high-Class A Sarasota next year?

A: ''Right now, you can't tell where a guy's going to be next year. There may be some position players on the Augusta club that will repeat at this level. I'm not saying Rick Asadoorian will, just the team in general. If they do, you hope they wouldn't be here a full year the second time around. But I am a believer in you have to have success where you are to move to a higher level. For some of these kids, they might be in over their heads right now.''

Q: Another of the organization's top prospects, Tony Blanco, has struggled in the second half. Has his shoulder injury been a factor, or is it something else?

A: ''I don't know. I'm sure the shoulder injury has played some part in the slide of his numbers in the second half, but I don't know how much. Right now, he's slated to go to instructional league and play Dominican winter ball. The number one thing is taking care of his shoulder, whether it be rehab or something more.''

Q: Injury aside, Blanco appears to be having a hard time making adjustments at the plate. With his long swing, he generates a lot of bat speed, but he seems to have a hard time getting on top of the ball. Can he move up the ladder with his current swing?

A: ''It depends on which day. There was a point when we changed his stance and he had success with that, but he went away from it and we're not really sure why. I think for Blanco, it's a matter of finding something that works and sticking with it instead of changing on a daily basis.''

Q: After turning the heads of the baseball world with a big year in the Gulf Coast League last season, has Blanco's stock dropped with his subpar numbers in Augusta?

A: ''If you break down and evaluate his tools, he clearly is one of more talented players in the organization. We're trying to stress to these hitters that they need to learn how to hit and that power comes later. Sometimes, they're not patient enough to buy into that.''

Q: What about Blanco's defense at third base? There's been talk that he likely will be moved to the outfield at some point in his career because of his defensive shortcomings.

A: ''First, we'll have to see how his shoulder plays into that. He's made progress at third last year and I think he has this year, too. I think it's pretty early in a career to move a guy. It's an ongoing evaluation. The key to him is hitting. If a guy can learn how to become a good hitter, the position doesn't matter so much.''

Q: Another player who can be termed a disappointment is Julio Guerrero, the brother of major leaguers Vladimir and Wilton, whom the Red Sox signed for $750,00 two years ago. What are your thoughts?

A: ''It has been very disappointing. If we had the answers, we'd have fixed it by now. Really , I don't have the answer. He has an awful lot of ability. It's a matter of putting it all together, and it hasn't happened at this point.''

Q: Pitching has been the bright spot of the Augusta club, with Seung Song at the head of the class. Who are some others who have been pleasant surprises?

A: You can pretty much go down the whole staff one by one, and there's a lot of positives you can say about all of them. One guy who stands out is Rene Miniel, although I wouldn't really say he's that much of a surprise, because we liked him an awful lot to begin with. He's really done well here and put himself in a very good light and a very good position.

''Another surprise has been Dan Giese. His fastball has improved significantly; he's added about 4-5 mph to it. He's always been a strike thrower and his fastball and breaking ball are really coming along.''

Q: The Red Sox gave up a very promising young arm from Augusta, left-hander Rich Rundles, in the Ugueth Urbina trade. What are your thoughts on letting one of your prospects go?

A: ''It's hard, but if we've developed him to the point where he had that much value to help us acquire a major league pitcher with Urbina's ability, then it's worth it. Rich Rundles is going to be a good pitcher, and we wish him well. But (Red Sox GM) Dan Duquette has shown that if we're close to winning, he's not going to be afraid to make a trade. Fortunately, we have the depth in our organization to overcome losing a pitcher here or there.''

Q: Who have been the bright spots among the position players?

A: ''I'm very pleased with what I've seen from Antron Seiber, especially recently. I'm not sure he even realizes how good he can be or how far he can go or what type of major-league talent he has.

''The other guy that has come up here from the Gulf Coast League and has done a terrific job and given a lot of life to this club is Melvin Dorta. He plays hard every day, he's an above-average defensive player and I think he's a smart offensive player. He improved a lot this year and earned a promotion.''

Q: Can you give us an early glimpse as to what the Augusta club will look like in 2002?

A: Pitching has been the strength of this club the last two years, and you'll see that again here next year. We've got several kids in the Gulf Coast League now who are doing really well and project to be here. Manny Delcarmen, our second pick in the 2000 draft, is one, as well as a couple of kids from out Dominican program - Miguel Rodriguez and Rafael Sanchez. They're all in the rotation, and all three were named to the Gulf Coast All-Star team.