| 10 March 2009
It's only March 10th and a few of our starters have only logged a handful of Spring Training at-bats thanks to the WBC, but I thought it would be fun to take a look at how the guys that ARE in camp are playing... and what that might mean for the 2009 season.
1. Jeff Bailey and Chris Carter were set to battle Brad Wilkerson for the "The Kotsay Spot" from day one... and they have not disappointed. Bailey has 11 hits (4 doubles) in 21 at-bats and has only K-ed once. Chris Carter is hitting .333 with a home run, but Bailey has been the better run producer so far. Both players have spent time at first base and the outfield, but Bailey has seen more time in the outfield and Carter has been mostly at first base. With Youkilis, Bay and Ortiz in the WBC and Drew nursing a bad back, Bailey, Carter, Paul McAnulty and Brad Wilkerson have all seen a few more at-bats than they normally would... Wilkerson does have two homers this spring but overall he has not taken advantage of his opportunities - he's just 4 for 21 with TEN strikeouts.
Jeff Bailey was 3 for 4 against the Pirates yesterday and is currently the leading candidate for the 25th spot on the roster, but Canada was bumped from the WBC last night, so Jason Bay will be back in camp soon - which means a few less at-bats for all the guys mentioned above.
2. Julio Lugo and Led Lowrie have also been pushing each other this spring. Lugo is leading the team with a .533 BA (8 for 15), but Lowrie has also been impressive hitting .316 (6 for 19) with two doubles and a triple. Hitting Coach Dave Magadan said we should expect more power from Lugo this season, but so far he's logged two doubles and six singles... To be honest, I'm much more excited about the high BA and OBP than I am about the potential for more home runs.
Lugo's 16 errors in just 81 games last season were also a major concern, but it's been Jed Lowrie that has struggled in the field this spring. Lowrie has already made three errors at short stop and one at third base in 21 total chances. Lugo has made no errors, but has only had 10 opportunities.
The starting job at shortstop is Lugo's to lose and he's proving he deserves it... so far. My concern is that Lowrie's development will suffer if he's asked to bounce around the infield all season, but he didn't make a single error in the majors last year after 265 total chances at short, third and second. Lugo won't hit .500 in 2009, but if these stats are a sign of the new and improved Julio Lugo... he and Lowrie should make life difficult on opposing pitchers by giving them no breaks at the bottom of the lineup.
Infielder Nick Green seems to be feeding off of this battle as well. With a team best 19 total bases, Green is hitting .478 with two doubles and two homers in 23 at-bats this spring. He's started 4 games at second base and 3 games at thrid base and could provide some depth in the infield as a call up in 2009.
3. Jason Varitek is just 2 for 14 this spring, but he's only K-ed twice - a good sign considering his focus has been on developing a simpler stance from the left side. I'd like to see more hits, but hopefully that will come with time. Josh Bard and George Kottaras are fighting for the back-up catcher's spot. Bard was 2 for 3 with a home run in yesterday's 15-14 win over Pittsburgh and is hitting .333 overall... Kotarras is 2 fo 10 (.200).
Defensively, Tek has allowed three stolen bases and has made one error in 26 innings... Bard has allowed five stolen bases in 14 innings, but most of those have come while catching Wakefield... Kottaras is the only catcher to throw out a base runner this spring and has made no errors in 16 innings of work.
I couldn't guess who the back-up catcher will be right now, but it looks like Kotarras didn't miss much by skipping the WBC.
That's the scoop on the hitters. If you think there's more to talk about, hit the comments section and tell us what you think.
Check back later for a look at the pitching stats!
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