PAWTUCKET — McCoy Stadium is ready for baseball.

The typical aromas of hot dogs, burgers, sausage and peppers that usually fill the air around the storied ballpark aren’t firing from the grills just yet. The scent at McCoy last night was one of a fresh coat of paint, but there was another more distinct smell coming from the clubhouse — talent.

The Pawtucket Red Sox open the 2007 season on the road tomorrow at Charlotte, then continue through Durham before returning for their home-opener on April 13. The PawSox introduced this year’s Opening-Day roster during their annual Media Night yesterday at McCoy, and at first glance Pawtucket has an impressive lineup.

In the minors it’s always a safe bet that the Opening-Day roster will change often during the course of a baseball season. This year many of the guys here could make significant contributions to the parent club, especially the pitching staff.

Barring injuries or unforeseen problems in Boston, the Red Sox everyday lineup is pretty much set. Pitching, on the other hand, is always at a premium and the PawSox have a lot of arms ready to go.

There are some familiar names in Pawtucket with the likes of Manny Delcarmen, Craig Hansen, Kason Gabbard, David Pauley, Craig Breslow, Abe Alvarez, Mike Burns, Bryan Corey and Devern Hansack. All nine pitchers worked for the Boston Red Sox last season and could be called upon at some point this summer.

Joining the Pawtucket staff this season with major-league experience are Runelvys Hernandez (6-10 with a 6.48 ERA with Kansas City last year) and Travis Hughes (eight games, 11 1/3 innings for Washington). The only pitcher on Pawtucket’s staff that does not have big-league time is Edgar Martinez.

“On April 3 every year you always think you have a good staff,” said pitching coach Mike Griffin. “It just so happens this year we have more plus-arms than in the past, which is nice. These guys have quality arms, from the five starters right through the bullpen. [This] only helps Boston. The goal always is to get these guys ready so when the call comes, anybody who’s ready goes.”

Obviously, a lot of the focus is on Delcarmen and Hansen, a pair of hard-throwing right-handers who will start the season here in hopes of honing their skills for a quick return to Boston.

“Everyone has so much experience,” said Hansen. “Everyone is a great player and we have a lot to offer the team right now. Anyone of us can get called up and offer a lot to the big-league club. They have a great club up there and there are only so many spots to fill. We have a great club down here and anyone has a chance to be called up at any moment.”

Obviously, Hansen and the rest of the staff would rather be with Boston, but while they’re here they plan on making the best of it.

Pauley hasn’t received too much attention after making his major-league debut with the Sox last season as a spot starter when David Wells suffered a knee injury. Pauley, a right-hander, made the jump to the majors from Double-A Portland and was assigned to Pawtucket after three starts for Boston.

“You want to be as perfect as possible,” said Pauley of starting the season at Triple A. “How you throw here will get you back to the major leagues. You need to be consistent with your command and control on a day-to-day basis. God forbid anything happens up there injury-wise, but knowing you have a staff like this down here, just down the street, is big for them because they know they have reliable guys down here they can call on a moment’s notice.”

Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson lives by the Red Sox organization’s credo of development comes first. Wins are nice, but the success of the big club is first and foremost.

“There’re a lot of things these guys can learn and develop and continue to be ready to go when they get their next call to the big leagues,” said Johnson. “Hopefully it’ll get to a point when next time they won’t come back.”

Pitching will be the key for both the PawSox and Red Sox this season. Meanwhile, Pawtucket has a good mix of veteran guys and prospects in its position players. In the outfield, David Murphy returns, while Brandon Moss makes his much-anticipated Triple-A debut.

This season, like the last few, is a testament to the development of the minor-league system for the Red Sox.

“This is what we’ve been trying to do for the last five years,” said Johnson. “Now you’re seeing it at the Triple-A level. We’ve got a lot of home-grown guys and I’m really excited about this season.”

jmcdonal@projo.com