The state of the Shortstop Position for the RedSox

[southcarolina]

Shortstop was a position of great offensive below averageness all season long for the 2008 RedSox. Jed Lowrie took over for Julio Lugo midseason and improved on Lugo's numbers, but he still didnt set the world on fire. With the dearth of catching options, the liklihood of another season of Jason Varitek slowly dragging his bat through the strikezone while the ball is already in tha catchers glove in the 9 spot is entirely likely. This would seem to indicate that the Sox would need to get even better offensively at SS for 2009.

Here are the teams options:



Already In The Fold

Jed Lowrie

260 at bats

Numbers in () AL rank among SS with at least 250 Plate Appearances - 17 total SS meet these criteria

.258 BA (16)
.339 OBP (8)
.400 SLG (5)
.739 OPS (5)
2 Home Runs(13-tie)
25 doubles (8-tie)
0 errors in 155 total chances

And he apparently did all this with a non displaced fracture in his left wrist,
which he apparently injured just before getting called up from AAA.

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2008/10/lowrie_played_t.html




Julio Lugo

261 At bats


,268 BA (13)
.355 OBP (2)
.330 SLG (17)
1 Home Run (15 - tie)
15 doubles (17)
16 errors in 292 total chances

Lowrie had the better season, outperforming Lugo in every area except On Base Percentage, and number of death threats. That said he is still essentially a rookie, with 80 games or so in his resume. He is neither fast nor powerful, and thus in my mind looks to be a #7 type hitter/utility infielder as his ceiling.. If he is the Opening Day starter at SS next season, i wouldnt kick my television, but i also wouldnt be adverse to trying to upgrade.

On The Horizion

There isnt much on the farm right now that will be any immediate help. Guys like Casey Kelley, Yamaico Navarro and Oscar Tejada are top flight prospects, but none are older than 20 years old yet, or have played above A ball. The one guy who could make a contribution soon is this guy:

Argenis Diaz (from SoxProspects.com)


"Diaz is an elite defensive shortstop, and could compete for a gold glove in the bigs right now. He has plus range, excellent footing, an impressive glove, and an outstanding arm. Makes impossible plays in the field. An inordinate amount of errors in 2008 have largely been attributed to off-the-mark long throws off of grounders that Diaz had no business getting to in the first place. The key for Diaz is how much he will hit. He's a slap hitter with average on base ability and without much power, but he's swung the bat very well during a few prolonged stints here and there. Hits lefties significantly better than righties. Excellent at laying down bunts. Speed on the basepaths isn't much to speak of."He is still only 21, but he had a .753 OPS season at AA Lowell last season. In an emergency he could be a fill in/defensive replacement for the big club. But as far as starting SS goes, Lowrie is it as far as prospects go for the next few seasons.

Whats Out There - Free Agents

Any FA acquisition or trade would most likely have to be preceded by Julio Lugo being dealt.

from Cots http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/


Orlando Cabrera CWS
Alex Cintron BAL
Alex Cora BOS
Craig Counsell * MIL
Adam Everett MIN
Rafael Furcal LAD
Cesar Izturis STL
Ramon Martinez LAD
Edgar Renteria * DET
Juan Uribe CWS
The one name on this list that intrigues me is Rafael Furcal. He has a .350-ish lifetime OBP and is good for 25-30 doubles, 5-10 triples, 10-12 home runs and 25-30 steals a year. He has only struck out over 100 times once in his career (112 in 2002) He is only 30 years old, and while he isnt the greatest fielder in the world, he isnt a butcher either. He made 15 Mil last season, but i cant believe anyone giving him that much again. If he is over his injuries from last season, and isnt too expensive, he would be an upgrade over Lugo and Lowrie.





Whats Out There - Trades

A name that keeps popping up i trade rumors is Khalil Greene. The Cardinals are apparently attempting to grab Greene along with Jake Peavy from the Padres. Greene had a bad season offensively last season, but is only one year removed from hitting 27 HR's. Even if the Sox arent interested in Peavy, Greene could be a possibility. The Padres are apparently suing Greene to recover some of his salary from last season from him, after he punched a wall in frustration after striking out and broke his hand and missed the last 1/3 of the season. He is signed thru 2009 and is owed 6.5 million next season. Greens is 29 years old, and assuming the Sox can deal Lugo, would be a cheaper utility guy than Lugo, if last season was not an anomoly. If it was, and Greene could return to anywhere close to his 2007 form, he could be a cheap power bat playing in his contract year in a lineup where he wouldnt be expected to do any of the heavy lifting.



Another name that i just ran across is JJ Hardy. 26 years old coming off back to back 25+ HR seasons is expendable in Milwaukee because of some prospect whose name i cant think of right now. The Twins are reportedly interested in Hardy as well. Hardy had the 7th highest OPS among SS in the majors last season. He made 15 errors in 647 total chances last season. Hardy probably wont come cheap, but he might be worth it. Hardy only has 3 years of ML service time and as such is still not eligible for FA, which will of course drive his price up even further. He made 2.65 mil this past season which would probably mean he would get 3.5 mil or so in arbitration this offseason.

[tommysgirl]

SS has been awful since OC left (thanks for being a horny bastard). I'm okay with sticking with Lowrie and see how the kid progresses. All I know is I don't ever want to see Julio Lugo step on the field again. Theo needs to man up and admit he was wrong, eat the cash and move on. Lowrie can't be worse than him or Rent-a-wreck.

[southcarolina]

SS has been awful since OC left (thanks for being a horny bastard). I'm okay with sticking with Lowrie and see how the kid progresses. All I know is I don't ever want to see Julio Lugo step on the field again. Theo needs to man up and admit he was wrong, eat the cash and move on. Lowrie can't be worse than him or Rent-a-wreck.

Lowrie is better than Lugo, but the problem is that he isnt really better enough. I mean if the Sox had some stud SS prospect a year or 18 months away in the minors, i'd be all for keeping Lowrie the starter and just waiting until Prospect X was ready. But the Sox really dont have anyone who is less than 3 or 4 years away.


I'll say it this way: If Furcal wants too much money, and if Milwaukee wont trade hardy, and SD wont trade Greene, and no other SS trade becomes evident, then i wouldnt mind if Lowrie goes to ST next season as the starting SS. But i also believe that what ive seen of him offensively is that he is eminantly upgradable. I guess i can give him a pass since he was apparently injured, but having the 2009 RedSox SS position being manned by a Lowrie/Lugo tandem makes me nervous. Thats walking a tightrope with no net. I think if the Sox can sign Furcal, or make a trade for Hardy and make Lowrie their supersub, even if it means giving a heavily subsidized Lugo away for some balls, it makes the team a lot stronger. Lowrie can back up ss, 2b and 3b, and could probably play 1b in a pinch.

[tommysgirl]

I agree about Furcal, just don't know if he's going to be asking too much.

Hardy is intriguing, but Rent-a-wreck has soured me on NL SS's a bit I guess. That particular little experiment didn't work to well. Completely unfair, I know.

[southcarolina]

I agree about Furcal, just don't know if he's going to be asking too much.

Hardy is intriguing, but Rent-a-wreck has soured me on NL SS's a bit I guess. That particular little experiment didn't work to well. Completely unfair, I know.


The difference is that Hardy still has less than 6 years of ML service time, which means he isnt eligible for FA yet. His salary was less than 3 mil this past season, and even if he goes to arbitration and wins this offseason, he probably is looking at making 5 mil tops next season. And if the Sox were to make a trade for him, and he were an unmitigated disaster, they could just walk away after 2009. What made the Renteria debacle a debacle wasnt his poor season in Boston, it was the 3 seasons afterward that the Sox were still paying him to play for another team. The more i think about it, the more i like the idea of acquiring JJ Hardy, as long as the cost in prospects isnt too high. The fact that he is young, productive and cost controlled is going to most likely cause the Brewers price to be high though, and the market may be pretty hot for him, if he is indeed on the block.


I think the more likely scenario is them signing Furcal though, which of course runs the risk of underperformance and/or overpayment. So, who knows?

:shrug_n:

[3 Point Stan]

I think this is a complicated issue for the Sox. I believe the Sox FO is ok with sticking with Lowrie if they have to. But only if they can upgrade the other 2 spots in the 7-9 portion of the order as well (and that would mean bye-bye, Varitek). Regardless, I can't imagine they'd just stand pat on Lowrie at SS.

I wouldn't mind Furcal but he's been banged up the last 2 seasons and I still think he'll get in the $8-9 million range. Is that a direction the Sox would go or are they a year from making this kind of commitment to a SS? Lugo's still on the books for 2 years. I have a hunch that not even the Sox have come to this conclusion yet. One other thing about Furcal is that he has an absolute HOSE. One of the most fun guys to watch make a throw from the hole at the SS position.

But again, while they are different from the Renteria/Lugo issues, there's still risk that this move would not work out and they'd still be scratching their heads on how to adequately fill this position.

[southcarolina]

I think this is a complicated issue for the Sox. I believe the Sox FO is ok with sticking with Lowrie if they have to. But only if they can upgrade the other 2 spots in the 7-9 portion of the order as well (and that would mean bye-bye, Varitek). Regardless, I can't imagine they'd just stand pat on Lowrie at SS.

I wouldn't mind Furcal but he's been banged up the last 2 seasons and I still think he'll get in the $8-9 million range. Is that a direction the Sox would go or are they a year from making this kind of commitment to a SS? Lugo's still on the books for 2 years. I have a hunch that not even the Sox have come to this conclusion yet. One other thing about Furcal is that he has an absolute HOSE. One of the most fun guys to watch make a throw from the hole at the SS position.

But again, while they are different from the Renteria/Lugo issues, there's still risk that this move would not work out and they'd still be scratching their heads on how to adequately fill this position.


Theres risk with every move. Theres risk with standing pat. Maybe Theo can offer to pay Lugos salary next season if some other team picks up the tab in 2010. Its obvious that the answer at SS isnt Julio Lugo. Furcal gives them a legitimate proven player there, and Lowrie is a pretty decent safety net, as well as an awesome switch hitting super sub. Furcal is also a guy who is used to hitting in the leadoff spot, a spot that for whatever reason gives the Sox problems. His .350 career OBP isnt stellar, but its solid enough. Essentially he is the hitter we all hope Jacoby Ellsbury will one day be.

The SS FA market in 2010 is pretty sparse...

Craig Counsell MIL
Bobby Crosby OAK
Alex Gonzalez * CIN
Khalil Greene SD
John McDonald TOR
Edgar Renteria DET
Marco Scutaro TOR
Miguel Tejada HOU
Jack Wilson * PIT

so putting this off for a year really doesnt do the club any thing.

Thats why getting a guy like Hardy would be so great. Young and cost controlled, and the Sox have the financial wherewithal to lock him up if he came to Boston and lit it up. And they could walk away after 2009 if he couldnt handle it.


Either way, Hardy or Furcal would be a win for the club. Using Lowrie there again in 2009 as the starting SS wouldnt be a horrible thing, i just think that: 1) upgrading the SS offense will be a lot easier than upgrading the catcher offense. With Furcal at the top of the lineup, the Sox could afford to have Varitek at the bottom. And 2) A Furcal or Hardy/Lowrie combination would make the team more flexible and injury-proof than a Lowrie/Lugo combo.

Furcal
Pedroia
Youks
Ortiz
Bay
Drew
Lowell
Varitek
Crisp/Ellsbury

Would be a pretty decent lineup.

[3 Point Stan]

Of course this risk in every move. If Jon Lester crapped the bed next year for some inexplicable reason, the nay-sayers would be on sports radio griping that "Theo should've seen this coming."

I don't have an issue with anything you've pitched above. Only thing is I think Lugo at least starts the season in Boston. I think they're best chance to move him next year is if some other team has a disaster at SS and needs to fill a void. Even still, the Sox will be eating a ton of that money.

Assuming Lugo is in Boston come April, do you think they'd keep Lowrie on the big club or send him back to Pawtucket? I'd assume Cora's essentially gone with the given situation.

[Mikiemo83]

I think Cora is gone and Lowrie plays his role as super-sub for the infield with Lugo starting out of spring training

[SamBam39]

If they don't eat salary and find a home for Lugo he may end up one of the most expensive back ups in the Majors. I think the Sox can live with Lowrie if they improve 3-7 next year.

[southcarolina]

If they don't eat salary and find a home for Lugo he may end up one of the most expensive back ups in the Majors. I think the Sox can live with Lowrie if they improve 3-7 next year.

One of the points though is that the Sox may be forced to "live with" Varitek, which would mean that they would almost have to upgrade Lowrie's offense. SS is a much easier position to upgrade than catcher, both through free agency and through a trade.


It was pretty obvious in the playoffs that they need to upgrade the offense in the 7-9 spots, the Lowrie, Varitek, Crisp/Ellsbury spots. I doubt they would go after another CFer (there isnt a decent pure CFer who is a FA anyway, so they would have to make a trade), they already have two, and neither is really suited to being a 4th OFer. Plus the Sox farm is chock full of OFers with CF potential (Josh Reddick, Che-Hsuan Lin, Ryan Kalish) only a couple of years away. It wouldnt surprise me to see them try to sell high on Crisp, and sign a guy like Rocco Baldelli to be the 4th OFer.


The catcher position is a black hole league wide. Upgrading there is going to be very expensive. And any offensive upgrade is most likely either going to be marginal (Gerald Laird) or at the cost of defense (Jarrod Saltalamachia) . The Sox have proven that they value Varitek's skills beyond his bat. IMO, he will be in a RedSox uni next year, unless he is just completely unrealistic with his salary demands, and even in that case i still think they go into next season with a Kotteras/Brown or Cash platoon.

That leaves SS. While i agree that the Sox could "live with" his offense in a vacuum, when you factor in the "live with" offense likely to be present in the C and CF spots, an upgrade needs to come from someplace. I havent read anything anywhere that projects Lowrie to be any better than he has been. That is he will be solid, he wont hurt you, but he wont ever be a prime time player. A guy like Rafael Furcal is a proven player, a guy who can be the leadoff hitter and catalyst that Lowrie never will be. JJ Hardy is a young cost controlled player with 30 HR potential, that Lowrie will never have. Even Khalil Greene, assuming last season was an anomoly, is a power bat Lowrie never will be.

Look Jed Lowrie saved our bacon last season. For that this fan will always have a special place in his heart for him. He came in a as rookie and outperformed a proven vet who was absolutely sucktastic last season. But lets dont overstate what he did. Outperforming Julio Lugo, while nice, isnt saying that much. Its possible that Lowrie will continue to improve, and will outperform every projection made of him. I just think its walking a tightrope without a net to expect a guy with 80 games of ML experience to hold down the SS spot for the team with the second highest payroll in the league.

Jerry Hairston Jr
Ben Zobrist
Mike Aviles
Jhonny Peralta
Clint Barmes
Cristian Guzman
Yunel Escobar
Ryan Theriot

Theres a list of some of the guys who were ML SS last season who had a higher OPS than Jed Lowrie. Jed Lowrie was a respectable 16th in MLB in this stat. But its still middle of the pack. Furcal was putting up a 1.012 OPS when he got hurt 36 games into the season. Hardy put up a .821 OPS over 600 at bats last season. Even Khalil Greene is only a year removed from a 44 double/27 HR season.

Not trying to say Lowrie is a bad player, just trying to show that there are better options out there.

[SamBam39]

One of the points though is that the Sox may be forced to "live with" Varitek, which would mean that they would almost have to upgrade Lowrie's offense. SS is a much easier position to upgrade than catcher, both through free agency and through a trade.


It was pretty obvious in the playoffs that they need to upgrade the offense in the 7-9 spots, the Lowrie, Varitek, Crisp/Ellsbury spots. I doubt they would go after another CFer (there isnt a decent pure CFer who is a FA anyway, so they would have to make a trade), they already have two, and neither is really suited to being a 4th OFer. Plus the Sox farm is chock full of OFers with CF potential (Josh Reddick, Che-Hsuan Lin, Ryan Kalish) only a couple of years away. It wouldnt surprise me to see them try to sell high on Crisp, and sign a guy like Rocco Baldelli to be the 4th OFer.


The catcher position is a black hole league wide. Upgrading there is going to be very expensive. And any offensive upgrade is most likely either going to be marginal (Gerald Laird) or at the cost of defense (Jarrod Saltalamachia) . The Sox have proven that they value Varitek's skills beyond his bat. IMO, he will be in a RedSox uni next year, unless he is just completely unrealistic with his salary demands, and even in that case i still think they go into next season with a Kotteras/Brown or Cash platoon.

That leaves SS. While i agree that the Sox could "live with" his offense in a vacuum, when you factor in the "live with" offense likely to be present in the C and CF spots, an upgrade needs to come from someplace. I havent read anything anywhere that projects Lowrie to be any better than he has been. That is he will be solid, he wont hurt you, but he wont ever be a prime time player. A guy like Rafael Furcal is a proven player, a guy who can be the leadoff hitter and catalyst that Lowrie never will be. JJ Hardy is a young cost controlled player with 30 HR potential, that Lowrie will never have. Even Khalil Greene, assuming last season was an anomoly, is a power bat Lowrie never will be.

Look Jed Lowrie saved our bacon last season. For that this fan will always have a special place in his heart for him. He came in a as rookie and outperformed a proven vet who was absolutely sucktastic last season. But lets dont overstate what he did. Outperforming Julio Lugo, while nice, isnt saying that much. Its possible that Lowrie will continue to improve, and will outperform every projection made of him. I just think its walking a tightrope without a net to expect a guy with 80 games of ML experience to hold down the SS spot for the team with the second highest payroll in the league.

Jerry Hairston Jr
Ben Zobrist
Mike Aviles
Jhonny Peralta
Clint Barmes
Cristian Guzman
Yunel Escobar
Ryan Theriot

Theres a list of some of the guys who were ML SS last season who had a higher OPS than Jed Lowrie. Jed Lowrie was a respectable 16th in MLB in this stat. But its still middle of the pack. Furcal was putting up a 1.012 OPS when he got hurt 36 games into the season. Hardy put up a .821 OPS over 600 at bats last season. Even Khalil Greene is only a year removed from a 44 double/27 HR season.

Not trying to say Lowrie is a bad player, just trying to show that there are better options out there.
I'm thinking they just may end up with Tek and Lowrie at the bottom of the order. Leadoff is going to be Ellsbury or Crisp. Then depending on what they do with trades or free agency they will need to improve 2-7. I think it was Masarotti in the Globe who talked about the possibility of a Teixeira signing with a line up of "Leadoff guy"-Pedey-Tex-Youks-Ortiz-Bay-Drew-Tek-Lowrie. That "should" be productive. But it is all hypothetical.

[southcarolina]

I'm thinking they just may end up with Tek and Lowrie at the bottom of the order. Leadoff is going to be Ellsbury or Crisp. Then depending on what they do with trades or free agency they will need to improve 2-7. I think it was Masarotti in the Globe who talked about the possibility of a Teixeira signing with a line up of "Leadoff guy"-Pedey-Tex-Youks-Ortiz-Bay-Drew-Tek-Lowrie. That "should" be productive. But it is all hypothetical.

2-7 isnt the problem with the offense. Its specifically Lowrie, Varitek and Crisp/Ellsbury that need to be upgraded. Teixiera would almost certainly have to replace Lowell, if he could somehow be moved.


While i would love Teixeira, signing him makes two infielders redundant. Paying Mike Lowell and Julio Lugo a combined 20 mil next season to be backups would not be a good thing. There is no way anyone makes a trade for Mike Lowell until he proves he is back from his surgery. By that time, Teixiera will be long gone. You *might* be able to pawn Julio Lugo off on someone, especially if he is subsidized, but then Mike Lowell isnt flexible enough to be a utility guy. So whatever money you save on Lowrie has to be spent on another infielder to be the SS/2B backup.

And even if you could somehow make Mike Lowell and Julio Lugo some how disappear, you still havent addressed the 3 gaping black holes in the offense.

I would still favor offering Julio Lugo + a few mil to someone, and signing Furcal.

[tommysgirl]

Okay, this thread was fine until you brought up Mike Lowell!!!! THERE WILL BE NO SUCH TALK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Carry on with your SS talk and nothing that has to do with 3rd base.:icon_hang

[southcarolina]

Okay, this thread was fine until you brought up Mike Lowell!!!! THERE WILL BE NO SUCH TALK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Carry on with your SS talk and nothing that has to do with 3rd base.:icon_hang


Fortunately, i can think of no set of circumstances that has Mike Lowell anywhere but in a RedSox uni to start next season, unless he retires.

[tommysgirl]

Bless you. You don't have to make your bed tomorrow morning for that.

[SamBam39]

2-7 isnt the problem with the offense. Its specifically Lowrie, Varitek and Crisp/Ellsbury that need to be upgraded. Teixiera would almost certainly have to replace Lowell, if he could somehow be moved.


While i would love Teixeira, signing him makes two infielders redundant. Paying Mike Lowell and Julio Lugo a combined 20 mil next season to be backups would not be a good thing. There is no way anyone makes a trade for Mike Lowell until he proves he is back from his surgery. By that time, Teixiera will be long gone. You *might* be able to pawn Julio Lugo off on someone, especially if he is subsidized, but then Mike Lowell isnt flexible enough to be a utility guy. So whatever money you save on Lowrie has to be spent on another infielder to be the SS/2B backup.

And even if you could somehow make Mike Lowell and Julio Lugo some how disappear, you still havent addressed the 3 gaping black holes in the offense.

I would still favor offering Julio Lugo + a few mil to someone, and signing Furcal.No idea what they will do. But, obviously they would look to move Lowell if they were going to sign a Teixeira. I still think 2-7 is a problem based more on how the season ended than how it began. Drew played in 109 games, Ortiz played in 109 games, Mike Lowell played in 113. Lowell missed the ALCS with an injury. Ortiz was not Ortiz like batting .154 in the ALCS. Drew hit .250. Drew and Ortiz will be 33 next year. Drew has a bad back, Ortiz a bad wrist. Lowell will be 35 coming off surgery. There are no guarantees any of these 3 will ever be the same again. So it raises the question will the Sox do something to acquire some power in the middle of the line up? It wouldn't surprise me, but it depends on how well the Sox believe Ortiz and Lowell will recover. Based on what they do this offseason should give us all the answer.

[southcarolina]

No idea what they will do. But, obviously they would look to move Lowell if they were going to sign a Teixeira. I still think 2-7 is a problem based more on how the season ended than how it began. Drew played in 109 games, Ortiz played in 109 games, Mike Lowell played in 113. Lowell missed the ALCS with an injury. Ortiz was not Ortiz like batting .154 in the ALCS. Drew hit .250. Drew and Ortiz will be 33 next year. Drew has a bad back, Ortiz a bad wrist. Lowell will be 35 coming off surgery. There are no guarantees any of these 3 will ever be the same again. So it raises the question will the Sox do something to acquire some power in the middle of the line up? It wouldn't surprise me, but it depends on how well the Sox believe Ortiz and Lowell will recover. Based on what they do this offseason should give us all the answer.

Yeah all we can do is pretty mush cross our fingers in regards to Ortiz, Drew's and Lowells health. If any or all of them dont recover well, next season could be a long one. The problem of course is that Lowell is untradable, and the Sox would never get value for Drew or Ortiz. And then the problem would be replacing them. The one of the three that has a very good option to replace him (Teixeira for Lowell) is the one guy that they wont be able to trade.

I wouldnt get too wrapped up in the BA from the ALCS. Its a small sample and the Rays pitching is phenominal. They shut the Sox entire offense down for long stretches. Dustin Pedroia hit .059 in the ALDS and no one is suggesting he needs to be upgraded.

[3 Point Stan]

Interesting note that could possibly promote some 2009 optimism in terms of one Jed Lowrie: Lowrie Played With Mist Injury Since May (http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2008/10/lowrie_played_t.html)

Red Sox infielder Jed Lowrie played since May with a sprain and a small non-displaced fracture in his left wrist, aliments that worsened as the season wore on, general manager Theo Epstein said in an e-mail. The minor injuries were revealed Tuesday when Lowrie underwent an MRI. The wrist has already begun to heal itself, Epstein said, and should be back to full strength with three weeks of rest.

The injuries gave Lowrie occasional pain and affected his grip strength, particularly late in the season, which likely explains his difficulties batting lefthanded. As a righthanded batter, Lowrie hit .338 with a .525 slugging percentage with the Red Sox. Lefthanded, he hit .222 with a .334 slugging percentage.

Lowrie finished the season on an 8-for-51 (.157) slump, but he played in 52 of the Sox’ 53 games in August and September even as the symptoms worsened. He committed only one error in his rookie regular season, none as a shortstop.

Lowrie originally suffered the injuries while playing at Triple A Pawtucket in May.

[SamBam39]

Interesting note that could possibly promote some 2009 optimism in terms of one Jed Lowrie: Lowrie Played With Mist Injury Since May (http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2008/10/lowrie_played_t.html)

Red Sox infielder Jed Lowrie played since May with a sprain and a small non-displaced fracture in his left wrist, aliments that worsened as the season wore on, general manager Theo Epstein said in an e-mail. The minor injuries were revealed Tuesday when Lowrie underwent an MRI. The wrist has already begun to heal itself, Epstein said, and should be back to full strength with three weeks of rest.

The injuries gave Lowrie occasional pain and affected his grip strength, particularly late in the season, which likely explains his difficulties batting lefthanded. As a righthanded batter, Lowrie hit .338 with a .525 slugging percentage with the Red Sox. Lefthanded, he hit .222 with a .334 slugging percentage.

Lowrie finished the season on an 8-for-51 (.157) slump, but he played in 52 of the Sox’ 53 games in August and September even as the symptoms worsened. He committed only one error in his rookie regular season, none as a shortstop.

Lowrie originally suffered the injuries while playing at Triple A Pawtucket in May.
I meant to post on that (great minds). He did at times hit well so if indeed he was bothered with a recurring wrist injury let's hope that some off season rest will get him 100%.

[southcarolina]

Interesting note that could possibly promote some 2009 optimism in terms of one Jed Lowrie: Lowrie Played With Mist Injury Since May (http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2008/10/lowrie_played_t.html)

Red Sox infielder Jed Lowrie played since May with a sprain and a small non-displaced fracture in his left wrist, aliments that worsened as the season wore on, general manager Theo Epstein said in an e-mail. The minor injuries were revealed Tuesday when Lowrie underwent an MRI. The wrist has already begun to heal itself, Epstein said, and should be back to full strength with three weeks of rest.

The injuries gave Lowrie occasional pain and affected his grip strength, particularly late in the season, which likely explains his difficulties batting lefthanded. As a righthanded batter, Lowrie hit .338 with a .525 slugging percentage with the Red Sox. Lefthanded, he hit .222 with a .334 slugging percentage.

Lowrie finished the season on an 8-for-51 (.157) slump, but he played in 52 of the Sox’ 53 games in August and September even as the symptoms worsened. He committed only one error in his rookie regular season, none as a shortstop.

Lowrie originally suffered the injuries while playing at Triple A Pawtucket in May.



Everything i read about this was that it only affected him when he hit lefthanded, which was why Alex Cora got starts against hard throwing righties. I dont doubt that this affected him, but i also dont think that it raises his upside to anything more than "solid major leaguer". And thats not a bad thing. It just worries me when the 2009 RedSox starting SS is going to have 80 games under his belt, and the safety net is Julio Lugo.

Two seasons ago, Jacoby Ellsbury excelled in his first partial season CF looked to be locked up for the next decade. Then 2008 came and Ellsbury dropped off a cliff. Luckily the Sox had Coco Crisp to take up the slack. If Lowrie suffers the same sophomore slump, Julio Lugo is no Coco Crisp. With a guy like Furcal out there who will only cost money (in other words no prospects) it seems to be foolish to not at least kick the tires on him.

[OW Holmes]

Lowrie has been very solid - some would say more than that - defensively, and that was the concern when he came up. His hitting was not the question. Now it is, but before we throw him under the bus, let's get a look at him when he is batting with a sound left wriist. I hope that he comes back to mid season form, when his average was above .300, but if he bats .280 and is as good defensively as he was this last year, I'd be quite happy. We, of course, have no vote, but the way the kid filled in and never once complained about his wrist, or use it as an excuse, says he deserves a really good shot.

[southcarolina]

Lowrie has been very solid - some would say more than that - defensively, and that was the concern when he came up. His hitting was not the question. Now it is, but before we throw him under the bus, let's get a look at him when he is batting with a sound left wriist. I hope that he comes back to mid season form, when his average was above .300, but if he bats .280 and is as good defensively as he was this last year, I'd be quite happy. We, of course, have no vote, but the way the kid filled in and never once complained about his wrist, or use it as an excuse, says he deserves a really good shot.


The issue is this though:

Crisp/Ellsbury
Pedrioa
Youks
Ortiz (coming back from injury)
Bay
Drew (coming back from injury)
Lowell (coming back from injury)
Lowrie (coming back from injury)
Varitek (maybe not coming back, maybe coming back from the dead)

Thats 5/9 of the starting lineup coming back from injury. The Varitek situation is up in the air because he might not be resigned. But the other 4 are signed to be on the Sox roster in 2009.

Ortiz and Drew might have some trade value now, but probably not much. Lowell is all but untradable right now. Upgrading them, or protecting the team against any of these three underperforming next season would be extremely difficult. The Sox cant pay Mike Lowell 12 mil next season to be a backup. They cant pay David Ortiz 12 mil to be a pinch hitter, or platoon DH. They cant pay JD Drew 14 mil to be a 4th OFer. These three, for better or for worse, will be starters next season. All we can do is cross our collective fingers and hope they return to form. If the do, then the 2009 RedSox have a chance of being just as good as the were in 2008.

Ahhh...but theres the rub.

Is being as good as 2008 in 2009 good enough?

I for one dont think so. The Rays are going to be better next season. They will all be a year older, more experienced. They will have a full season of Evan Longoria. They will have a third potential Ace in their starting rotation in David Price. Carl Crawford will be in his contract year.Lets dont fool ourselves. That team is going to be scary good.

Will the 2009 RedSox be good enough to overtake them?

As they are currently constructed, i dont think so. The lack of offense from 3 positions was exposed in the playoffs, and not just by the Rays. I know Mark Kotsay wouldnt normally have been starting, but a Championship team should be able to overcome injuries to their starters. The Rays did, when they lost Longoria and Crawford for a month.

So, where to upgrade? Pedrioa, Ortiz, Drew, Bay, Lowell and Youks are all locks to be on the team next season. That leaves CF, C, and SS to make these upgrades. Catcher will be the hardest to upgrade, and as ive said in other posts, will likely either be a marginal upgrade, or sacrifice defense to get some offense. Mark my words, Jason Varitek will be in a Boston uni next season.

Jacoby Ellsbury had a bad second half, but still has an upside that could potentially make him a star. I wouldnt be completely against trading him, but it would surprise me if the team gave up on him just yet.

That leaves SS. Look i love Jed Lowrie for what he did last season. He very quietly saved the Sox season at the SS position. I think he will be a very useful player for the next decade. Im just not sure that he is or ever will be good enough to be the starting SS for the Boston RedSox . The RedSox have the resources to not have to settle for a guy. He isnt fast. He isnt powerful. He isnt a great defender, 0 errors not withstanding. He *IS* however exactly what you want in a utility infielder. He can play all four IF spots. He is a switch hitter.he is the kind of guy who can step in for a few weeks when a starter is banged up and not kill you. He is exactly the kind of guy who might one day be a cult hero in Boston. But he isnt IMO a starting SS for a top 5 ML franchise.

And that doesnt even factor in Julio Lugo as the safety net if Lowrie gets hurt, or slumps badly.

I know this is all speculation, and again as ive said before, i wont kick my tv if Jed Lowrie is the starter out of ST for the Sox. But i still believe that signing Rafael Furcal (assuming he is healthy) and making Lowrie the utility guy is a better option than making Lowrie the starter and using Lugo as the utility guy.

[3 Point Stan]

I find it hard to believe that C and SS are not the two areas the Sox are most actively looking into upgrading. And of course when I say "upgrading" the C position, I mean offensively.

No way they're content to stand pat with Lowrie. However, I imagine their sentiment is much like SC's in that, they feel they can still compete with him at SS.

[SamBam39]

I think for the most part the Sox are happy with Lowrie and as a number 9 hitter he is fine. Catcher...I don't know what they do. The more I think about it the less I like Tek. But, I'm not sure what direction the Sox would go in.

[southcarolina]

I find it hard to believe that C and SS are not the two areas the Sox are most actively looking into upgrading. And of course when I say "upgrading" the C position, I mean offensively.

No way they're content to stand pat with Lowrie. However, I imagine their sentiment is much like SC's in that, they feel they can still compete with him at SS.



Damn you for saying the exact same thing i did, but in 43,000 less words. Damn you.







:)