When it comes to the 2008 Portland Sea Dogs, fans will be able to tell the players without a scorecard.

Second-year manager Arnie Beyeler won’t have to spend as much time getting to know the new guys since there are only 11 among the 28 on Portland’s opening day roster.

“It’s definitely nice for me, but that’s not what it’s all about,” Beyeler said. “We’re trying to get these guys out of here, but they’re obviously back because they’ve got some things to work on.

“The fact they’re back means there’s usually some kind of reason for that. If they were going great guns, they wouldn’t be back here, so we have some work to do and so do they.”

There is also plenty of talent – both returning and new – as the Dogs feature eight of Boston’s top 30 prospects, according to Baseball America.

Heading that talent is right-handed starting pitcher Justin Masterson (No. 4 with Boston and No. 64 overall). He spent much of his offseason perfecting a changeup after fooling around with it late last season.

“I felt I had an understanding of a changeup grip I felt comfortable with and really wanted to use,” Masterson said. “I’m excited about it. I’ve never really had control of a changeup in my life.

“My best pitch is my two-seam sinker, but I’d say the changeup is coming along so much that I think I can use it as a huge part of my repertoire.”

The rest of Portland’s elite rookies include starting pitchers Michael Bowden (No. 7) and Kris Johnson (13), catcher Mark Wagner (20), first baseman Aaron Bates (21), starting pitcher Dustin Richardson (22), outfielder Bubba Bell (25) and relief pitcher Hunter Jones (27).

Beyeler hopes the talented nucleus can help carry the Sea Dogs to the Eastern League playoffs for a fourth straight year in their 15th season.

“On paper, we look pretty good coming out of spring training, but I’m sure all the other teams are thinking that too,” Beyeler said. “We do have some great potential here and we’re excited about it.”

Portland opened its season in Connecticut Thursday night with a 3-1 victory over New Britain. Friday’s game was rained out and the Sea Dogs stay on the road until their home opener against New Britain next Friday.

Pitching in for a playoff run

The starting rotation, although very young, should be a particular strength for the Dogs. The right-handed Masterson is the 23-year-old de facto staff ace after going 8-5 with a 4.33 ERA for Portland last year.

When asked what differences fans might notice in his game this year, Masterson said none only because he had such a good season in 2007.

“I’d like to think they won’t see a whole lot different,” he said. “One thing maybe is that I might be a little more polished and confident and understanding of myself in knowing what I need to do to get the job done.

“It’s all about being consistent and successful, so I’d like to continue along the path I’ve been on.”

Bowden, 21, was one of the youngest pitchers in Double A ball last year, but went 8-6 with a 4.28 ERA. Fellow righty Chris Smith is the veteran at age 27. Smith (6-9, 4.41 ERA) is only the third Sea Dog to spend parts of five seasons with Portland.

Lefthanders and newcomers Kris Johnson and Dustin Richardson round out the rotation. Richardson, 24, went a combined 9-7 with a 3.23 ERA at Single-A Greenville and Lancaster. Johnson, 23, went 9-7 with a 5.56 ERA at Lancaster.

“We’re very excited, especially about our pitching staff,” said Beyeler.

The bullpen is virtually identical to last year’s with righty Chad Rhoades as the only new member. Daniel Haigwood was on the roster last year, but as a starting pitcher. This year he’s a left-handed reliever.

The nearly identical staff will make Beyeler’s job easier when it comes to assigning roles and making situational changes, at least early on.

Lining up an offense

Beyeler hesitates a bit when asked to describe his batting order, only because it’s difficult to evaluate this early in the season.

“I think we have a mix of power and average,” he said. “I like what we have on paper, although I’d like to see more speed, but if we bang the ball pretty well, we won’t need it.”

One of the guys eyed as a leader of this offense is Bell, the 2007 California League rookie of the year. Bell hit .337 with 26 home runs and 105 RBIs with Lancaster and Portland. Another is lesser-known fellow outfielder Zach Daeges, who hit .330 with 21 homers and a California League-leading 113 RBIs last year.

Bates and third baseman Andrew Pinckney should also be power supplies. Bates hit .306 with 28 homers and 101 RBIs while Pinckney (64 RBIs) led Portland with 14 homers.

“I think our lineup has a lot of potential, but when guys make the jump, you just never know what’s going to happen,” said Beyeler. “The difference is these guys are healthy.

“With Zach Daeges in the middle of the lineup with Wagner, we’ve got some guys who can drive in some runs in the middle of the lineup. Bubba and Pinckney are healthy, Danielson is a speed guy over from the Cardinals, plus we have some experienced guys back.”

Outfielder Sean Danielson (four homers, 34 RBIs, 14 steals) was acquired from St. Louis as the player to be named later in a deal that sent Joel Pineiro from Boston to the Cardinals.

Wagner is rated by BA as Boston’s best defensive catcher, but he’s no slouch at the plate. He hit .318 with 14 homers and 82 RBIs at Lancaster.

“We have guys like Justin and Bubba and Michael getting a lot of attention, but we also have five or six other guys with good talent who get overlooked,” Beyeler said. “But they’re working hard and have just as good a shot at moving on up. And I think they’ll be attracting attention of their own around the all-star break.”

Four of the players on Portland’s roster (outfielder Jeff Corsaletti and pitchers Andrew Dobies, Matt Goodson and Tommy Hottovy) will be inactive to start the season.

Of the 28 active and inactive players on Portland’s roster, 20 are home-grown talent originally signed by the Red Sox.

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