His first pro manager, ex-Spinners boss Luis Alicea, said he liked everything about Ellsbury, and joined a lengthy list of baseball minds who compared him to Johnny Damon.

His college coach, Oregon State's Pat Casey, proclaimed him ready for the major leagues six months after he was drafted.

And his new skipper at Double-A Portland isn't shy about forecasting big things for the center fielder, either.

"He's got the potential to be a major league impact player," said Todd Claus. "Not just a big leaguer, but a guy who can change a game on a nightly basis. I think his power eventually will develop, but I think he's got a chance to be a five-tool player. And we've already seen four of those tools in play.

"He's hitting well over .300, he's run the bases extremely well, he's been successful stealing bases, which I think he's going to be able to do at the major league level, he's an above-average major league center fielder today. He's a very exciting player."

A first-round pick (23rd overall) in 2005, the 22-year-old Ellsbury has brought that excitement everywhere he's gone during his first 13 months as a pro. At Lowell last summer, he hit .317 and stole 23 bases in 26 attempts over just 35 games. He began this season at Wilmington, Boston's top Single-A affiliate, and did well enough (.299, 25 steals in 61 games) to win promotion to Portland on July 12. And he made a huge first impression with the Sea Dogs, batting .367 with seven steals in his first 15 games.

Having made such a rapid rise through Boston's farm system, Ellsbury can see his ultimate goal - but it's still on the horizon.

"Once you start getting closer, you think of the possibilities, but I know I'm still in the minor leagues," Ellsbury said. "I can't worry about what's happening up top (in Boston), since I can't control that. Personally, I really don't try to think about it too much."

Ellsbury also tries not to think about developing power at the plate, the primary element missing from his skill set. Claus believes that, with time, Ellsbury could hit 12 to 18 homers in a season, but neither manager nor player seems concerned with expediting the process.

"I'm not going to try to force the issue right now," Ellsbury said.

Besides, as a leadoff hitter, the primary goal is reaching base and setting the table for the heart of the lineup. Ellsbury still needs to show better selectivity at the plate (his strikeout-to-walk ratio as a pro is roughly 1-to-1), but his proclivity for extra-base hits (he still rates among the Carolina League leaders in triples for his performance at Wilmington) is a definite plus.

Thinking man's game

But Ellsbury's greatest asset is his speed, both on the basepaths and in the outfield. At Lowell, he seemed to steal bases at will, toying with the pitchers and catchers of the New York-Penn League.

A year later, however, he has to work a lot harder to gain that extra base.

"Now, I can't just rely on my athleticism," said Ellsbury, who succeeded on seven of his first nine attempts with the Sea Dogs. "(Pitchers) will bring in a slide step, they'll pause, they'll set up a pitchout. They're looking at more ways to get you out as a baserunner than at the lower levels. They have more of a plan.

"So I just have to know the situation, know better counts to go on, know the chances of him throwing an offspeed pitch. If he throws an offspeed pitch, I almost know I'm going to steal that base."

While baserunning has become more of a thinking man's game, Ellsbury's defensive acumen (Baseball America named him the Red Sox organization's top defensive outfielder last winter) remains largely innate.

"His ability to read the ball off the bat, and his range," said Claus, when asked to list Ellsbury's best qualities as a fielder. "Range I don't think is something you can teach. You can help with first-step quickness, but he's got good instincts and he covers a lot of ground in the outfield.

"You're not going to see an Ichiro arm, where he's throwing guys out at third base or at the plate, but to me that's the least important tool of a center fielder. It's the guy that catches all the routine flies and robs a lot of base hits, and he's going to do that. We've already seen him do that."

Those speedy legs haven't always worked to perfection. Hamstring problems cost Ellsbury 14 games last season, and he missed almost a month in Wilmington due to a right quadriceps strain.

Injury has been one of the few obstacles in his path, however. Blessed with enormous talent, Ellsbury has steered clear of the hype, focused on the present and succeeded at every stop.

"He's blended in very well here, his teammates like him, he plays the game the right way, and he's got a very humble demeanor," said Claus. "He's ahead of the game."

At a glance

PORTLAND SEA DOGS

PORTLAND, MAINE

Stadium: Hadlock Field (capacity 7,368)

Opened: 1994

Directions: Take I-95 North to 295 North (Exit 44). On I-295 North, take Exit 5 and merge onto Congress Street, staying left off the exit. At the first set of lights, go left onto St. John Street. Stay right and merge right onto Park Avenue. The park is on your left.

Team Web site: www.seadogs.com

Ticket prices: Box seats, $8/$7 (adults/children and seniors); right-field pavilion, $8/$7; reserved, $7/$6; general admission, $6/$3

Concession prices: hot dog, $2.50; soda (small), $2.50; beer (small), $4; pretzel, $2.50; ice cream, $3.50; chicken sandwich, $5.50; pizza (slice), $2.50; peanuts, $2.50; Italian sausage, $5.50

Souvenir prices: Cap (fitted), $24; T-shirt, $20; foam finger, $5; program, $3

Parking prices: $5

Thumbs up to: The mist-sprayers under the first-base stands, which come in mighty handy on a hot day. ... The video screen goes beyond the basics to provide some interesting stats. ... The fireworks-shooting lighthouse that emerges from beyond the center-field wall after each Sea Dogs home run is minor-league kitsch at its finest.

Thumbs down to: The Maine Monster, a wooden replica of Fenway Park's fabled left-field wall. The Red Sox built their Green Monster out of necessity, since the park was crammed into a neighborhood. The Sea Dogs built theirs as a gimmick, and it comes off as contrived.

Overall grade: B. Hadlock's game presentation is unremarkable, making some of the Red Sox's top prospects the main attraction - which isn't a bad thing.