That’s exactly what the Lowell Spinners are doing for NESN’s very own Jenny Dell, as the Single-A Red Sox affiliate will be passing out Dell bobbleheads to the first 1,000 fans at their July 1 game.

Check out the figurine below.

A preview of your @JennyDellNESN Bobble Head that the first 1,000 fans will receive July 1! #NESN #Spinners #RedSox http://t.co/jrZFKVOsEQ

—
Lowell Spinners (@LowellSpinners) May 01, 2013

Fenway Park has hosted the game’s best players every single year for 100 years.

This year, the yard hosted the game’s next best players in the seventh annual Futures and Fenway event. NESN.com’s Alexandra Grace caught up with Lowell Spinners pitcher Pat Light, former UMass standout Matt Gedman, now a Lowell Spinners third baseman (who is also the son of Red Sox great Rich Gedman), Leonardo Reginatto, a Hudson Valley Renegades infielder and Hudson Valley Renegades pitcher Kris Carlson as seen above.

The Red Sox' annual Futures at Fenway event is supposed to be a chance for youngsters with big league dreams to showcase their talents on the big stage. Unfortunately, for Sox prospect and current Lowell Spinner Brian Johnson, those dreams became nightmares on Saturday.

Johnson was hit in the face with a line drive. The hurler was the 31st overall pick in the 2012 amateur draft, so suffice to say Johnson is looked at as a player who may well eventually arrive at Fenway with the big club. But after suffering multiple fractures to his orbital bone, that pursuit is going to be delayed for a while.

Check out the video above for video of the incident, as well as a check-in around the Red Sox minor league system — including some news on when you might get a chance to see Daisuke Matsuzaka make his latest rehab start.

Answer: The writer of this story, of course.

After that, however, there's little doubt that Bruins forward Tyler Seguin is next on the list. Seguin's popularity among Boston sports fans is up there among the city's biggest stars, and there is arguably no one more popular among ladies of the Hub than No. 19 in Black and Gold.

The Lowell Spinners are looking to take advantage of Seguin's popularity among the ladies with an upcoming promotion, as the Red Sox' Single-A affiliate will hold "Speed Dating With Tyler Seguin" on Aug. 15.

"When we asked the question 'Who would be the one person in the Boston area that a Speed Dating Event Planner would want more than anyone?' The answer to us was Tyler Seguin," said Spinners vice president of corporate communications Jon Goode in a press release.

"He is one of Boston's most sought after bachelors."

Those lucky enough to win some time with Seguin — who is also one of the game's "speediest" players — will get their opportunity to "spend five minutes with Seguin in a private suite, giving them the chance to ask the Stanley Cup champion and NHL All-Star questions, take photos, enjoy the game and who knows, even score a phone number."

The Spinners will pick the winners throughout the game as well as through the Game Day program, an online auction and on social media.

Stick tap to Yahoo's Puck Daddy blog for passing this along.

Two years ago, the future looked limitless for Ryan Westmoreland, an outfielder rated as the top prospect in the Red Sox system.

Then everything came crashing down, as Westmoreland had to undergo emergency brain surgery to remove a cavernous malformation in his brain, the kind of condition that could easily prematurely end a playing career. However, now a couple years down the line, the story may yet have a happy ending. Westmoreland is working his way back and may actually end up getting in to some minor league games by the end of the season. Of course, there are some lingering side effects of the condition, but the Rhode Island native is working hard to overcome those, too.

Watch the video above to hear about Westmoreland's inspiring story.

Upon sauntering into the Red Sox clubhouse, Deven Marrero made a beeline toward the uniform, the only item of clothing in Aaron Cook's empty closet. The Red Sox first-round pick of the 2012 Draft grabbed the Red Sox jersey and slowly slipped it on.

Then, after years of dedication, the shortstop out of Arizona State finally savored his first moment as a professional baseball player.

"It hit me when I signed that dotted line," Marrero said. "In the locker room, seeing all the guys, and then walking out here and doing all the stuff, this is real now. I get to start my dream, and I can't wait."

The 21-year-old shined at Arizona State, earning honors as a two-time First-Team Pac-12 All-Conference selection. Now, he's looking to follow in his Arizona State predecessor's footsteps –– Dustin Pedroia.

After Marrero suited up, he played catch with Pedroia on the Fenway Park diamond. Like the Red Sox second baseman, Marrero wasn't afraid to deliver some brash talk of his own.

"I tried to tell him I'm the best shortstop that ever played at Arizona State," Marrero said. "I'm trying to one-up him a little bit in any way I can. He's a great player, and that's one guy I can definitely follow."

During past alumni games at Arizona State, the shortstop made quite the impression on Pedroia, who offered rave reviews of Marrero.

"He's a great player," Pedroia said. "He's young. He's an exciting player, so it was pretty cool to see him in uniform."

Marrero won't waste any time living up to the expectations of the uniform. By agreeing to a contract on Wednesday –– with a $2.05 million signing bonus –– he was immediately assigned to Single-A Lowell, where he will join the club on Thursday.

"I'm really excited," Marrero said. "I don't like sitting at home and just hitting batting practice and going home. I like to be out here and play. I'm glad we got the deal done, and now I can go out there and have fun and play ball."

At that point, the challenge begins.

Have a question for Didier Morais? Send it to him via Twitter at @DidierMorais or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

Photo via Twitter/@RedSox

In March 2010, Ryan Westmoreland was rated as one of the best prospects in the Red Sox farm system. But the discovery of a dangerous malformation on his brain stem nearly ended not only his career but also his life.

Two years later, after successful surgery to remove the danger, Westmoreland is continuing to fight back in hopes of achieving his dream of playing in the major leagues.

Westmoreland is once again considered one of the Red Sox' top prospects, but he continues to battle daily in an effort to regain his form and potentially see his dream come true.

Check out the video above to hear more of Westmoreland's story and see just how the 21-year-old is progressing.

The two teams were selected to compete in Xfinity's 2012 Futures at Fenway, the Red Sox announced Friday in a press release.

"Many of the best and most promising prospects in the Red Sox farm system are part of the Lowell Spinners and Pawtucket Red Sox, giving fans a chance to catch these upcoming stars in the early stages of their development," the release said. "Current Red Sox players who are alumni of one or both of these Minor League teams include Clay Buchholz, Kevin Youkilis, Jacoby Ellsbury, Daniel Bard, Jon Lester and Dustin Pedroia."

It will mark the fifth time in the event's seven-year history that Lowell — one of Boston's three Single-A affiliates — has been a part of Futures at Fenway. Triple-A Pawtucket, which fell to Syracuse 3-1 last year, will also be making its fifth Futures appearance.

The Spinners will kick off the doubleheader with a 1:05 p.m. game against Tampa Bay affiliate Hudson Valley, while the PawSox will face the Mets' Buffalo Bisons in the nightcap.

Tickets for the doubleheader will go on sale at 10 a.m. on March 17, and will range anywhere from $5 (bleacher seats) to $30 (Green Monster Seats, Dugout Seats, the EMC Club and the State Street Pavilion Club).

The tickets can be puchased here or by calling (877) REDSOX-9.

And he will have talent to mold. On Tuesday, MLB.com rated the top 20 prospects in Boston’s farm system.

1.Will Middlebrooks, 3B

2. Bryce Brentz, OF

3. Xander Bogaerts, SS

4. Ryan Lavarnway, C

5. Anthony Ranaudo, RHP

6. Felix Doubront, LHP

7. Brandon Jacobs, OF

8. Kolbrin Vitek, 3B

9. Garin Cecchini, 3B

10. Jose Iglesias, SS

11. Blake Swihart, C

12. Matt Barnes, RHP

13. Drake Britton, LHP

14. Oscar Tejeda, 2B

15. Stolmy Pimentel, RHP

16. Sean Coyle, 2B

17. Jose Vinicio, SS

18. Jackie Bradley, OF

19. Juan Carlos Linares, OF

20. Brandon Workman, RHP

Have a question for Didier Morais? Send it to him via Twitter at @DidierMorais or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

Brandon Jacobs

Instead, he traded college football for pro baseball. Slowly but surely, the Red Sox’s 10th-round pick in the 2009 draft is validating that decision, especially after blasting 17 homers and collecting 80 RBIs last year for Single-A Greenville.

Earlier this month at a Jimmy Fund event, the 21-year-old outfielder shared his thoughts with NESN.com on the upcoming season.

NESN.com: How does it feel to know spring training is rolling around pretty soon?

Brandon Jacobs: [My] emotions right now are getting pretty good. Just getting back into the swing of things and just got back into hitting and swinging again. [I'm] excited, especially with the fact that we’re all going to be in the same facility this year. I definitely plan to learn a lot from guys like [Jarrod] Saltalamacchia and [Ryan] Kalish. I never really been affiliated with them in the same spring training, so I plan to learn a lot of stuff from them.

NESN.com: How’d you spend your offseason?

BJ: This year, I went on some family trips with a lot of down time. Did a lot of yoga and a lot of working out. It's that time to wind up and get ready again.

NESN.com: Have you had a chance to see the new facility yet?

Jacobs: I've just seen overall pictures drawn up, but I heard it's definitely going to be one of the nicest spring training facilities. I'm excited about that. I'm going down there pretty early, actually, to get situated, get used to that weather and get used to getting up early. I want to check out the new facility.

NESN.com: What are your established goals heading into this season?

BJ: I don't have any goals right now, I'm still in the process of [setting those]. I had a pretty good season last year and I just want to continue to have the right mindset and mentality throughout the whole season. Whatever happens, happens and it's outside of my control. I'll put a lot of preparation in the offseason and just let it play out.

Photo via Flickr/tjperr

Have a question for Didier Morais? Send it to him via Twitter at @DidierMorais or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

Nearly a week after renewing their contract with Single-A Greenville, the Red Sox solidified its status with another Single-A club.

The major-league club reached a two-year extension with the Lowell Spinners on its player development contract Thursday. By coming to terms, the New York-Penn League Short-Season Single-A affiliate will remain with the Red Sox through the 2014 season.

“We are very happy to extend our productive relationship with the Spinners through 2014,” Red Sox director of player development Ben Crockett said in a statement. “The Spinners organization and the community of Lowell really embrace our young players and provide them an exciting introduction to Red Sox Nation. [Owner] Drew Weber, [general manager] Tim Bawmann and the entire Spinners staff foster an excellent atmosphere for development and we look forward to our continued partnership.”

The Red Sox’s partnership with the Spinners dates back to 1996 season, when the club moved from Elmira, New York to Lowell. The Spinners last re-upped with Boston for a two-year contract in December 2009.

Over the past few years, the minor league organization has groomed Jacoby Ellsbury, Kevin Youkilis and Clay Buchholz into major league standouts.

“There couldn’t be a better organization to work with than the Boston Red Sox,” Bawmann said in a statement. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with the Red Sox organization in developing the future stars of Fenway Park here in Lowell. From the ownership group to the talented baseball operations staff, the Red Sox are a top-notch organization to work with.”

Have a question for Didier Morais? Send it to him via Twitter at @DidierMorais or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

Garin Cecchini made a lasting first impression on Red Sox fans in 2010, as he signed with Boston after being drafted in the fourth round.

The infielder decided to donate $20,000 of his new pro contract to the Jimmy Fund Radio Telethon right after signing the deal. Now, a year later, Cecchini continues to plug away while chasing the dream of playing with the Boston Red Sox one day.

The Louisiana native knew of the Jimmy Fund before coming to Boston. Like many, cancer had touched Cecchini's family, and he used his newfound situation to help give back to those less fortunate.

He talked with NESN about the decision recently. See more in the video above.

When it comes to adding talent to the farm system, the Red Sox are known to be one of the more aggressive teams in baseball.

That's especially true in regards to adding international free agents, as the team has signed players from Europe, Asia, Central and South America and even Australia.

The Sox signed brothers Boss and Moko Moanaroa out of the land down under back in 2008, and the pair is currently playing for the Single-A Lowell Spinners.

Recently, the Moanaroa brothers' sat down for an interview on the Ultimate Red Sox Show to discuss what life in the minors has been like and their goals of someday playing in the major leagues. Check it out in the video above.

Smith launched himself out of a cannon and over the fence at LeLacheur Park, home of the Lowell (Mass.) Spinners, marking the first ever “human home run.” He traveled 195 feet as part of the blast.

Smith’s launch marked the only home run the crowd witnessed on the evening, in fact, as the Spinners fell to the Connecticut Tigers, 2-0, in a homerless game.

Check out the video below from MyFoxBoston.com to see the ”human home run.” 

Human Home Run a hit at Lowell Spinners game: MyFoxBOSTON.com

Red Sox minor leaguer Will Middlebrooks turned down a football scholarship to Texas A&M to pursue his baseball dream.

Still, he's been using a lot of what he learned on the gridiron to help him progress through Boston's minor league system.

See a profile of Middlebrooks from Ultimate Red Sox Show in the video above.

With respect to our beloved Spinners, the athletes won't be the main attraction that night. That's because that night is officially "Team Ghost Riders" Cowboy Rodeo Night, according to minorleaguebaseball.com.

Professional rodeo cowboy Tim "Wild Thang" Leopard is the leader of Team Ghost Riders, which consists of of sheep dogs and monkeys. But, you already knew that.

The determined outfielder is defying the odds at spring training in Fort Myers, and has been hitting balls tossed by coaches, ESPN.com reports.

“Doctors didn’t think I would be able to take BP this early,” the 20-year-old said.

In January, Red Sox director of player development Mike Hazen spoke of Westmoreland’s incredible progress and possible early return to baseball.

“We’re seeing steady progress; he’s seeing steady progress,” Hazen said. “It’s still going to take a little while to get him back to where he was. We’re still confident and optimistic. If you’re betting on one person to get back and make it to that place, it is him. You’d be amazed at the amount of drive in this kid, given what he’s had with the setbacks and everything he’s had to go through.”

Westmoreland’s recovery has impressed his doctors from the get-go, as he’s been ahead of schedule in nearly all of his rehabilitation activities since undergoing surgery in March of 2010. 

“The thing I keep hearing from every doctor, they term it remarkable,” Westmoreland said last June. “Only three months out, I’m doing things above the limits of what the doctors thought they’d be. My therapists keep shooting goals for me, and I keep breaking them earlier than expected.”

Before his diagnosis last spring, the outfielder posted a .296 batting average with seven home runs in Single-A Lowell during the 2009 season. In just 60 games, He knocked in 35 runs, while going a perfect 19-for-19 in stolen base attempts.

Westmoreland says he hopes to continue his remarkable progress and his goal is to join the Double-A Sea Dogs in 2011.

Well, maybe not, but David Smith, Jr. will be a part of the first-ever "Human Home Run" event at LeLacheur Park following Lowell's game against Connecticut on July 5.

"When it comes to human cannonballs, David Smith is the best of the best," said Spinners vice  president Jon Goode said on the team's website. "This is an idea we discussed years ago and he saved it for the Lowell Spinners. Five years in the making, this is going to be a night you will not want to miss."

Smith's father, David Sr., currently holds the world record for the farthest human cannonball flight of 185 feet, 10 inches, which he has executed over 500 times. Look at the picture above of his Smith Sr.'s flight across the U.S. and Mexico border.

"Where else are you going to be able to see nine innings of baseball followed by someone literally flying out of the ballpark?" Goode asked.

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein announced the personnel moves on Monday, highlighted by the additions of Chili Davis as Pawtucket hitting coach and former Red Sox catcher Rich Gedman as the new hitting coach of the Lowell Spinners.

Davis joins the organization after working as a part-time instructor for the Dodgers in the 2010 instructional league. He has previous coaching experience in the Australian Summer League, where he coached in the 2003-04 season. Davis, who played 19 seasons in the Majors (Giants, Angles, Twins, Royals and Yankees), ranks fourth all-time among switch-hitters with 350 home runs.

Sports Illustrated's John Heyman chimed in on the addition of Chili Davis to the Sox system via Twitter. "Redsox announce hiring of Chili Davis as Pawsox hitting coach. 1 of best/smartest guys in game. Yankees still hibernating."

Gedman, who's best remembered for his 1986 all-star season behind the plate for the Red Sox, played 13 seasons in the Major Leagues (including 10-plus seasons with the Sox) and has spent the last six years as the bench coach for the Can-Am League's Worcester Tornadoes.

The Red Sox prospect won't be playing in any games, but the club wants him to get re-acclimated with the day-to-day life of a ball player while working out with his teammates. He'll join Lowell, the team he last played baseball with in 2009, from Tuesday to Thursday before heading to Greenville, S.C., to workout with the Greenville Drive of the
South Atlantic League.

"I feel really good. I’m not nearly where I was, but to be six months out of a pretty serious surgery, and to be doing what I’m doing, I couldn’t be happier," Westmoreland told the Providence Journal.

Although he's going to have his own personal routine, he will report to the field with his teammates as if he were back in the lineup.

"That’s one of the things that they stressed to me, that they want me to get back into the routine, get back around the games, sleeping like a pro baseball player, eating like a baseball player, working out like a baseball player, being around a baseball field," the Portsmouth, RI native said. "It’s going to be so important to be back out there, to be a baseball player first. Not playing in the games, but just being in the dugout, wearing the uniform, being around the team will be great again."

In his first professional season last summer, the NY-Penn League All-Star hit .296, with seven homers and 35 RBIs in 60 games played.

"We felt like he would benefit from being around a team again," Red Sox assistant general manager Ben Cherington said. "As much as he’s missed playing, he’s missed being around a clubhouse, and among the guys. There’s a huge mental component to any rehab, and if he’s feeling better about himself, then everything else is going to work better too. It’s just one small step towards allowing him to feel like a baseball player again."