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January 18, 2009

Prospectus Q&A

Wes Littleton

by David Laurila

Wes Littleton is bringing his sidearm delivery, and his downbeat, to Boston. Acquired from the Rangers in a November trade, the 26-year-old Littleton brings more than just a sinkerballer's pedigree with him to the Red Sox bullpen: he also brings a love of music. A deejay in his spare time, the Cal State Fullerton product has a record of 5-3, with a 3.69 ERA and three saves in 80 big-league appearances, and he has one of the best GB/FB ratios in the game. Littleton talked about his two passions while he was in Boston for the team's recently completed rookie development program.

David Laurila: What is the baseball-life story of Wes Littleton?

Wes Littleton: I think I started a little late; I was probably seven or eight years old when I first started. Basically, I've been playing baseball ever since. I played basketball in junior high, but I didn't make the team, so I dropped that and stuck to baseball. I lived in Oceanside [California], although I went to Vista High, and it was very important to me, even though my dad didn't play baseball. I wasn't the lone African-American kid playing, but there were only about four or five of us. But at that point, I was just a kid and it was fun; I liked playing baseball. That was pretty much it. I just liked getting outside and meeting new people, and being able to go out there and play my heart out.

DL: How about college and getting drafted into pro ball?

WL: I went to Cal State Fullerton from 2001-2003, and then got drafted in 2003 in the fourth round. Actually, I got drafted out of high school, in the seventh round, by the Expos—now the Nationals—but I didn't sign; I went to college. So, I got drafted by the Texas Rangers in '03, and played for them for the past, I guess it was five years. I got some big-league time with them, and more recently I got traded, about three days after Thanksgiving, over here to Boston.