Former Red Sox GM Dan Duquette recently stated that he still feels like the Sox are "his" team, and compared the squad to an antique car that he rebuilt, only to be prevented from driving it once the automobile was completely restored and roadworthy. Last week, we took our first look under the hood; click here to see what quality parts he installed to make the current Red Sox roster the best model on the road right now. But last week’s focus was on the higher-priced units (those players making $2.7 million or more). Today we make our way further down the salary totem pole to determine the contributions of the lower-payroll guys and whether they’re earning their keep, despite being among Major League Baseball’s "welfare" recipients.

Brian Daubach ($2.325 million). The pride of Belleville, Illinois, has become the Crash Davis of the current squad. After spending his youthful years buried in various levels of minor-league baseball, Dauber made the Show for good in 1999 and has been a consistent performer for Boston. This is only his fourth full season in the majors despite his veteran age (30), but he has averaged around .265 with 21 HRs and 73 RBIs each year; in the last year, he’s added outfield experience to his repertoire. He always seems to come up with at least one clutch or game-winning hit during the course of the season, and he’s hardly a liability in the field. A hard worker, a producer, and a guy who appreciates his late-blooming success — all told, the kind of lunch-pail mentality that at first glance may not seem to mesh with some of the high-priced talent on the current roster, but a great fit and a payroll bargain.

Frank Castillo ($2.25 million). As the fourth starter on the current edition, Castillo has been primarily hit-or-miss, but he has averaged 10 wins a year over his 12-year career, and he’ll toss a gem here and there when expectations are low. He has developed a knack for being able to beat the Yankees, which certainly endears him to Sox fans, and despite a 5-6 overall record this year, he has suffered from poor run support at times, and his ERA of 4.58 is somewhat misleading. Nonetheless, the team will look to Castillo to provide more solid and inning-eating starts; with the arm woes that cost him the 1999 season apparently behind him, the veteran righty will be a critical component of the Sox’ rotation the rest of the summer and fall if he can develop more consistency.

Rich Garces ($2.2 million). "The Handsome One" is currently on the disabled list after finally acknowledging to the club that he had been pitching through a hamstring injury. At least that explained his 11.77 ERA and his string of poor performances out of the bullpen. El Guapo’s selfishness in not revealing the injury probably cost the team a number of games, and fans can only hope that his stay on the DL and his current rehab will help him return to the form that made him one of the most valuable set-up men in the league the past few seasons. After dropping over 30 pounds from his signature hefty frame in the off-season, it appeared that Garces had put it all back on by the time he pulled up lame. He’s had a string of one-year contracts with the Sox in lieu of any long-term deals, and he’ll need to turn his season around to make the big dough in the upcoming off-season. He is a fan favorite, though, and a positive clubhouse influence, and he’ll have plenty of people rooting him on when he returns to the Sox bullpen in a couple of weeks.

Rolando Arrojo ($1.9 million). Arrojo stepped in to the starting rotation when the Darren Oliver experiment began to flounder, and he has done a more-than-capable job in the fifth slot. Over his career with the Sox he has been primarily a set-up man out of the ’pen, but he has been maddeningly inconsistent from appearance to appearance. Often, it seems that he may come through in a tight situation where a hold is mandatory. But if he enters a game for mop-up duty or a game where the Sox already trail, he will throw gas on the fire and give an indifferent performance. Yet he has thrived in the starter’s role, and he may stick for a while, at least until Dustin Hermanson is deemed ready to return to the rotation. Arrojo’s versatility has proven valuable to the club, however, and he just needs to brush up on the kind of killer instinct that will make him successful no matter what situation he enters into.

Carlos Baerga ($700,000). What a story this guy’s been. After a promising start in the Cleveland organization in the early-to-mid ’90s, Baerga was traded to the Mets and saw his career spiral downward thereafter. Whether his skills deteriorated or he merely lost passion for the game, Baerga was ultimately released by San Diego three years ago and has been out of the majors for the last two. After playing a bit of ball in Japan and lighting up the winter leagues this past off-season, Baerga was invited by Duquette to the Sox’ training camp, where he blossomed, and against long odds made the club. He has proven valuable as a switch-hitter off the bench, a defensive replacement, or even a DH during Manny Ramirez’s stint on the DL. In addition, he has recovered his love for the game along with his dormant skills, and has become a terrific locker-room guy while serving as a best buddy to the normally reclusive Ramirez. Baerga may have signed a deal with the devil, but he has proven to be a key contributor at a bargain-basement price, and Duquette deserves another pat on the back for gambling on a guy that many figured as all washed up.

Rey Sanchez ($700,000). Another incredible pick-up by the Duke. After the Sox blundered in the Pokey Reese dealings during the off-season, many felt that the team needed to get a solid defensive second baseman to complement Nomar and stabilize the infield double-play combination. Lo and behold, Sanchez was still unsigned as a free agent in February, and the Sox swooped in and picked him up. Since the 35-year-old had only batted .227 in 49 games for the Braves last year, little was expected of him offensively, but until his recent hamstring injury, Sanchez had batted a sparkling .318 from the nine spot in the order. He has committed only three errors in the field, and his sterling infield play has dramatically improved the Sox’ defense up the middle. An astounding pick-up by the previous regime, and, like Baerga, a steal salary-wise.

Doug Mirabelli ($650,000). Like Sanchez, Mirabelli was signed primarily as a defensive specialist, but the veteran catcher played pretty well when he got the chance to step in full-time for the injured Jason Varitek last June. He batted only .226, but contributed 11 homers and was the back-up the Sox opted to keep when the roster was re-jiggered during the off-season. No question, Varitek seems all the way back and is the number-one catcher, but Mirabelli is an able replacement and provides the Sox with a veteran presence in those instances when Tek needs a break or the team needs a slight defensive upgrade.

Willie Banks ($450,000). The well-traveled right-hander is enjoying his current stint back in the bigs, as he has been called up from Pawtucket to serve bullpen duty while Garces is on the DL and Arrojo is in the rotation. Not much is expected out of him, but he is capable of eating up innings in a set-up role, and the bullpen can use a veteran of his ilk from time to time. He’s got a 6.75 ERA in six appearances, but he’s capable of shutting down opponents for an inning or two. This is probably his last stop in the big leagues, so it’s expected he’ll either perform well or be sent on his way.

Rickey Henderson ($350,000, supposedly). A lot of us had our doubts about bringing a character like Henderson onto the Good Ship Lollipop this spring, but like him or not, he’s done the job, playing a solid left field, batting .250, and adding to, rather than detracting from, an upbeat clubhouse atmosphere. He got hurt a couple of weeks back at Yankee Stadium making a difficult outfield catch, and has only recently returned to the line-up. However, another Duquette gamble has apparently paid off, and the veteran leadership and still-solid skills that this future Hall-of-Famer brings to this team cannot be discounted in the grand scheme of things during this star-crossed season.

Lou Merloni ($290,000). With Sanchez’s injury, hometown favorite Merloni has gotten significant playing time and has backed it up with a .312 average and reliable defensive play at second base. The pride of Framingham has always been a fan favorite, and certainly deserves better than the Boston-to-Pawtucket-and-back shuttle that he’s been riding for years. He’s a good guy, he’s solid, he’s clutch, he’s Nomie’s pal, and he’s yet another valuable cog in the organization that deserves more recognition than he’s getting. And look at that paycheck! I have little doubt that Sweet Lou will make even more significant contributions the rest of the way, and we all hope that he’ll soon be able to throw away those directions to McCoy Stadium and become a permanent member of the 25-man roster.

Shea Hillenbrand ($260,000). Did you expect to find Shea way down here in the salary rankings? His big payday will come, but in the meantime, the mild-mannered third baseman has again solidified his position as one of the rising stars of the organization. Get a load of these stats: .306 average, 18 doubles, 10 HRs, 44 RBIs, and only eight errors in the field. He’s even got 11 walks (after only 13 all last year)! Yeah, he’s slumped a little lately, but like Trot Nixon, he brings a passion to the field every day, and he’s constantly working hard behind the scenes to improve. One could even argue that he’s All-Star material this season. Whether he makes it to Milwaukee or not, Hillenbrand has continued the magic-carpet ride that saw him jump from double-A ball to the majors in one swift leap last spring, and he has been among a host of potential team MVPs in this record-breaking season. I suspect he’ll only get better.

Casey Fossum ($205,000). Fossum was a big surprise last fall when he took a spot in the regular rotation and went 3-2 with a 4.87 for the Sox’ sinking ship of last September. The team was 5-2 in his starts, but he was relegated to bullpen duty this spring and has otherwise run hot and cold. He’s a tall, lanky lefty who can throw heat, but he’s also given up a few monstrous home runs. His record this season stands at 2-1 with a 3.54 ERA, but he’s given up 29 hits in 28 innings, and lefthanders are hitting him better than righties. Nonetheless, should any of the other starters go down the rest of the season Fossum should be able to step in as a reliable member of the rotation, and at age 24, he has a bright future in the organization. Too early to tell about his potential contributions this season, but he’s got major-league talent and a resiliency that should sustain his career.

As you can see, the Sox are getting key contributions from the highest- and lowest-paid players on the roster, and that’s what has to happen when a squad breaks out of the starting gate like the Old Towne Team has. No question that the old car is running pretty smoothly now, and one can only hope that some of the spare parts don’t start breaking down under the rough driving conditions. In the meantime, let’s give Duquette credit for putting together this late-model classic. But let’s also acknowledge that while he did a fine job restoring it, the new owners have upgraded the garage, the mechanics, the karma, and the intangibles.

And one can’t overlook the fact that this vehicle is running on all cylinders right now precisely because the Duke isn’t around anymore to tinker with it.

Sporting Eye runs Mondays and Fridays at BostonPhoenix.com. Christopher Young can be reached at cyoung[a]phx.com.