FARM REPORT by Gary Jacobs

No Cab for Calloway

AUG. 3, 2006 | PAWTUCKET -- The trade deadline has come and gone, and outfielder Ron Calloway remains a member of the Pawtucket Red Sox.

That’s a shame.

Sure -- Calloway’s services aren’t exactly what the Big Club needs right now. With Manny, Coco, Trot, and Wily Mo in town, there are already more bodies than positions available. Add to the mix David Murphy and Adam Stern, and it’s unlikely that Calloway would see any big-league time this year.

But here’s the problem: Calloway’s got skills. The Sox might not need him but there has to be a team that does. He leads the PawSox in batting average at .307. His OBP of .378 is second only to Dustin Pedroia. His slugging percentage of .426 is good for fifth on the team.

His fielding, never in serious question, is sterling. He has only three errors so far this year; of all everyday players only Stern, with two, has done any better.

Ask Calloway about the trade deadline, and his place in the schemes and machinations of the Red Sox front office, and you get a heartfelt answer: laughter.

“Shouldn’t you be asking Dustin Pedroia that?” he said, laughter still on his lips.

Certainly Pedroia is regarded highly as a prospect, and perhaps an integral component of the Red Sox infield of the future; it’s natural that other team’s GMs would have his name on their lips.

But surely, the deadline must have given Calloway pause to reflect on…on…something?

“It never even crossed my mind,” he insists. “Sure, it’s an interesting time for baseball, but I’m giving you an honest answer: it never crossed my mind.”

Why was there no activity with him? He’s still got plenty of upside at 29. He’s a positive presence in the PawSox clubhouse. He consistently gives thoughtful answers to reporters’ questions. And did we mention that he’s batting .307?

There are clubs that could use an outfielder like Calloway. The Pirates come immediately to mind -- they only have one high-output outfielder, Jason Bay. Other than that, Jeromy Burnitz is hitting .235, Nate McLouth is hitting .233, and Xavier Nady, just obtained from the Mets, is batting .259.

The Devil Rays, too, seem in need of an outfielder. Damon Hollins is batting .227 and Jonny Gomes, although he’s cracked 20 home runs, is batting .215.

There’s definitely a need for Calloway out there. But here he stays -- and the rest of the league’s loss is the PawSox’s gain. Calloway is an asset to the Sox, as long as they have him. Here’s hoping they do the right thing and trade him in the offseason to a team that can use him in the bigs.