PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP) – The Pawtucket Red Sox have a big name to open their season at McCoy Stadium.

Bartolo Colon, who won the 2005 AL Cy Young award, signed a $1.2 million minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox in February.

The 34-year-old righty and two-time All Star will be on the mound Thursday when the PawSox take on the Indianapolis Indians.

PawSox Manager Ron Johnson says the team has a nice balance this year, with a mix of quality free agents and its own players who have come up through the system.

“You take Joe Thurston, Michael Tejera and Keith Ginter and you’ve got experience, quality people and skill, Johnson said. “Then you have our own people like (Brandon) Moss, (Jed) Lowrie, (Devern) Hansack, (David) Pauley, (George) Kottaras and (Dusty) Brown and we’ve got a nice mix.”

Topping the list of Boston’s “own people” are Moss and Lowrie.

In his Triple-A rookie season, Moss hit .282 with 16 homers and 78 RBI and was voted to the International League All-Star Team for the Triple-A All-Star Game.

Moss has been converted from outfield to first base.

“It’s about flexibility,” Johnson said. “You have a young player with an explosive bat who can go to the major leagues. The only way you can get him comfortable if he goes to the big leagues is to get him over at first base. It may be a split, five days at first and two days in the outfield.”

Moss realizes he faces a challenge in learning a new position. “I was drafted as a shortstop and third baseman so fielding ground balls is second nature to me,” he said. “The thing that’s tough is being on the other side of the infield. That’s a completely different transition.”

Lowrie could be another player with the ability to help Boston because of his versatility.

“Jed was with the major league club the entire spring training,” Johnson said of his starting shortstop. “But we’ll also move him around. He’ll get some reps at second and third so he can handle those situations, too.”

Lowrie, who was named Boston’s Minor League Offensive Player of the year, is capable of helping a team not only in the field.

In 93 games with Portland, he hit .297 with 31 doubles and 49 RBI. And in 40 games after he was called up to Pawtucket, he hit .300 with 16 doubles, five homers and 21 RBI replete with a .862 OPS.

The rest of the infield will be handled by second baseman Thurston and third baseman Ginter.

Pawtucket’s starting rotation will be led by Colon, who has been hampered by injuries since winning the Cy Young and is being given the opportunity to pitch his way to Boston.

Pawtucket’s other starters include returnees David Pauley, Devern Hansack and Charlie Zink plus newcomer Michael Tejera.

“If they (pitch well), they can be solid guys who provide arms for the big league club,” Johnson said.

Craig Hansen and Edgar Martinez will get the late innings. Because Boston has Jonathan Papelbon, neither is being groomed as a closer.

Catcher will be split between Triple-A rookie Brown and Kottaras.

Another PawSox veteran, Jeff Bailey, is the DH while the outfield will have Chris Carter in left, Jonathan Van Every in center and Bobby Kielty in right.

Kielty, who played last year for Boston in the post-season, had an “opt out” clause in his contract but accepted the assignment to Pawtucket.

AP-ES-04-01-08 1719EDT