Ever since Nomar and Orlando Cabrera left, this position has been a problem for the Red Sox. Edgar Renteria, Alex Gonzalez, Alex Cora, and now Julio Lugo have all failed to prove that they can be front line short-stops here.
Julio Lugo hit .237 last year, with an unfortunate OBP of .294. He did make some positive contributions. He knocked in 73 runs, and stole 33 bases in 39 attempts (84.6%). But he still fell very short of expectations.
Lugo also disappointed defensively. Although he's never been known for his glove (146 career errors, below average fielding percentage for his position), it merely amplified the angst Sox fans felt when his name was listed in the starting lineup.
Julio has had a year to adapt to a new environment. He'll be heavily scrutinized by both the fans and the organization at the start of the '08 season. I think he'll have a slightly better year than 2007, but that's not saying much. I think he'll hit .275, steal a few bases, and be a respectable 8th hitter in the Sox lineup.
The Sox have some insurance at this position. Alex Cora is a solid backup who won't be a black hole in the lineup.
Then there's Jed Lowrie. Jed's 23, and made two major steps last year. He started the season in AA Portland, after spending all of 2006 in A+ Wilmington. In 93 games with the SeaDogs, he hit .297 with an OBP of .410. He was promoted to AAA Pawtucket, where his average stayed about the same. In 40 games with the PawSox, Jed hit .300. His OBP dropped significantly to .356, as his walks decreased, but that's to be expected.
Jed will probably start the season in AA Portland, but could begin in Pawtucket if he has a good spring (or if Lugo has a bad one). He's a lock to get called up at some point this year, either as a temporary fill-in, or part of the 40 man September roster.
If Lugo doesn't perform, and Lowrie continues to hit near .300 in the minors, look for something to happen.
Sources:
ESPN.com
Baseball-Reference.com
The Baseball Cube
Boston sports blog featuring Patriots propaganda, and opinions on the Red Sox, Bruins, and Celtics.
Showing posts with label Alex Cora. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alex Cora. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
RED SOX 2008 PREVIEW: SECOND BASE
2007 Rookie of the Year Dustin Pedroia starts his second full season at second base in 2008. Pedroia endured a rough start and wound up with some very solid numbers. He hit .317 (10th in the AL), with an OBP of .380. By the end of the year, he was the Sox leadoff hitter.
He had a dreadful month of April, going 10 for 55 (.182), and slugging a pathetic .236. But after that, he was great. He hit .333 for the rest of the season. Of his 50 RBI for the season, 48 came after April. Of his 48 extra basehits, 45 came after April. He even had a good post-season, hitting .283 in the playoffs with 10 RBI in 14 games. Although he didn't walk much, he didn't strike out much either. In fact, he was the 2nd hardest man in the AL to strikeout, only doing so once every 12.4 ABs.
Pedroia's recovery from a slow start was what impressed me the most. He raised his average over .130 points, and his slugging by more than .100. He took all the pressure that comes with being a rookie and playing Boston; and turned it into a great season.
With Ellsbury and Youkilis probably starting the season at the top of the batting order, Pedroia will probably hit 7th. This should get him some mop-up RBI opportunities from the big bats.
I wouldn't mind seeing him hit 9th, either. Although this would reduce his total at-bats, it would mean he'd be hitting in front of Ellsbury, Youkilis, and Ortiz. This might lead to more overall production. Pedroia is more of a place-setter than a power-based RBI hitter. If he hits in front of guys like Lugo and Varitek at the bottom of the order, his offensive contributions may be wasted.
Once again, Pedroia will be backed up by Alex Cora. Cora only hit .246 last year, but that's not too bad for the backup middle-infielder. There was a stretch early in the year when he was unstoppable. He was 24 for 76 (.316) in April and May, with 13 RBI.
Cora probably won't get much playing time at second base, especially with the short-leash Julio Lugo will be getting at short-stop.
Hopefully, the Red Sox have found a long-term, productive second baseman. That's something they haven't had in a long, long time.
Sources:
ESPN.com
Baseball-Reference.com
He had a dreadful month of April, going 10 for 55 (.182), and slugging a pathetic .236. But after that, he was great. He hit .333 for the rest of the season. Of his 50 RBI for the season, 48 came after April. Of his 48 extra basehits, 45 came after April. He even had a good post-season, hitting .283 in the playoffs with 10 RBI in 14 games. Although he didn't walk much, he didn't strike out much either. In fact, he was the 2nd hardest man in the AL to strikeout, only doing so once every 12.4 ABs.
Pedroia's recovery from a slow start was what impressed me the most. He raised his average over .130 points, and his slugging by more than .100. He took all the pressure that comes with being a rookie and playing Boston; and turned it into a great season.
With Ellsbury and Youkilis probably starting the season at the top of the batting order, Pedroia will probably hit 7th. This should get him some mop-up RBI opportunities from the big bats.
I wouldn't mind seeing him hit 9th, either. Although this would reduce his total at-bats, it would mean he'd be hitting in front of Ellsbury, Youkilis, and Ortiz. This might lead to more overall production. Pedroia is more of a place-setter than a power-based RBI hitter. If he hits in front of guys like Lugo and Varitek at the bottom of the order, his offensive contributions may be wasted.
Once again, Pedroia will be backed up by Alex Cora. Cora only hit .246 last year, but that's not too bad for the backup middle-infielder. There was a stretch early in the year when he was unstoppable. He was 24 for 76 (.316) in April and May, with 13 RBI.
Cora probably won't get much playing time at second base, especially with the short-leash Julio Lugo will be getting at short-stop.
Hopefully, the Red Sox have found a long-term, productive second baseman. That's something they haven't had in a long, long time.
Sources:
ESPN.com
Baseball-Reference.com
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