Honestly, I'm not a Julio Lugo fan and I never really have been. At best, he's a .350 OBP, .400 SLG kind of guy. And he's rarely that good. Moreover, he's a defensive negative. He had a .945 fielding percentage. League average at short was .971. He made 16 errors in only 81 games.
He had a great Spring going before getting hurt. He was hitting .450, but I'm not looking too much into that. This is Lugo's last chance, at least in my mind, to prove he belongs on a team as good as the Red Sox.
Jed Lowrie is the primary backup at short. He's also having a good Spring. Unlike Lugo, he can field. He's not going to hit, at least he hasn't shown the potential to do so. He's basically a .260 hitter. But I think he can reach those Lugo numbers of .350 OBP and .400 SLG.
He's also a great fielder, especially compared to Lugo. He didn't make an error in 49 games at short last year. He can also fill-in at third and second if need be. I want to see Lowrie given a chance as a full-time player. He's not going to hit, but neither is Lugo. And at least Lowrie can field.
I think you are prejudging Lowrie here based on his results last season playing with a bum wrist. He is a fairly patient hitter and he can reach the Wall from both sides of the plate. I like him for his doubles, ability to draw walks and eat pitches.
ReplyDeleteI certainly like him better than Lugo, and he's got a lot of upside.
ReplyDeleteThis spring, Lowrie leads the team in hits, doubles, triples and RBIs. His AVG is over .400 and his SLG percentage is over .800. Both the hitting coach and Francona have commented on his increased pop this year, attributed in part to an almost healthy left wrist, and in part to his increased experience. I don't expect him to maintain the numbers but I certainly expect him to produce bigger numbers than last year when he played with a broken wrist. Your initial comment that he won't hit will, I'm hoping, be proved premature.
ReplyDeleteI'm a pessimist, so I usually hope I'm wrong.
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