| 24 February 2009
When JD Drew arrived at camp with a stiff back, the media quickly jumped on the story and started throw around phrases like "injury-prone" and "over-paid." Drew later explained that he did not re-injure his back and that the herniated disc he's been battling since last season simply flairs up from time to time.
Call me a pessimist, but that statement didn't make me feel any better about the situation. In fact, it reminded me of this quote from Feb. 19th:
"When it's locked up, there's no chance of playing through it. I think at some point people think, 'He should be able to play through what you saw me walking around [with].' It's impossible to do."
In that A. Benjamin article, Drew goes on to explain that he has had the back flair up during games and has been forced to call over to Jacoby Ellsbury and say "'Ellsbury, you've got everything."
Does that sound like a guy you want playing right field in the World Series?
"His playing 130 games at an elite level is more valuable to us than another player playing more games at an average level," said the GM. "We can put another pretty good player in there for those other 30 games.
"J.D. has certainly had his injuries, but he worked hard to get back in the lineup at the end of last year, and when it's mattered most, he's shown up in a big way."
Last year that pretty good player was Jacoby Ellsbury. Coco Crisp filled in at center. Defensively the Red Sox didn't miss a beat, but Drew isn't making $14M a year because he's a solid defensive player... he was supposed to be a 25 HR, 100 RBI guy as well. But instead, Drew has averaged 124 games, 15 HRs and 64 RBI per season in his two years in Boston.
But The Epstein isn't worried:
"We're a different team with him in there. Because of our expansive right field, we really need someone who is an excellent defender in right. Plus, he gives the middle of our lineup a guy with a .900 OPS. He gets on base, and that's what we're built around. He does the things we want as a hitter. We'd rather have a guy who gets on base a lot and hits 20 homers than a guy who doesn't get on base and hits 30."
The Red Sox are built to produce base runners, their .358 OBP in 2008 was best in the league, but somebody has to drive those runners in.
Lefty slugger Adam Dunn has averaged 40 home runs a year since 2006 and was begging for a job just two weeks ago. My guess is Dunn nwas the guy Epstein was thinking of when he made the above statement. Why? Because Dunn is a below average outfielder that strikes out about 160 times a year.
The Red Sox didn't really have a roster spot for Adam Dunn. Drew is signed for two more years and it would have been a nightmare making room for him a first base. But the fact remains - this lineup could have used those 40 home runs and Drew ain't gonna hit 'em.
Bottom Line: Theo is content to have JD Drew play 130 games, hit 15 homers and walk alot. He knows, as do I, that the Red Sox scored 845 runs last year and posted a .447 SLG%, good for third in the majors in both categories...
But we're already crossing our fingers and praying that the best of David Ortiz isn't behind us and that Mike Lowell will stay healthy. If Drew has another 109-game, injury plagued season, Red Sox Nation (and Big Papi) will be looking to Mark Kotsay (out until May with back surgery) and Rocco Baldelli (fighting mitochondrial myopathy) for support.
Adam Dunn was never coming to Boston, but it's worth mentioning that he's averaged 152 games per season since 2002...
Maybe 160 strikeouts isn't really that bad.
Side Note: Here are a few names that could be floating around at the trade deadline... Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Lee, Matt Holliday, Bobby Abreu, Rick Ankiel and Marlon Byrd... I'm just saying.
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