Break out the sunscreen and slap on some eye black, because we’re headed down to Fort Meyers, FL where our favorite Red Sox players will soon be gathering to report for spring training. Pitchers and catchers are schedule to report on February 14th with regular position players to follow a few days later.
With a couple new toys to tinker around with, the coach for the Boston Red Sox, Terry Francona, will certainly have his hands full when trying to figure out how to formulate the most productive batting order. In order to save him some trouble, I thought we could lend him a hand and toss a suggestion his way for consideration.
My projected pre-season lineup would look this:
1. Jacoby Ellsbury (CF)
2. Dustin Pedroia (2B)
3. Carl Crawford (LF)
4. Adrian Gonzalez (1B)
5. Kevin Youkilis (3B)
6. David Ortiz (DH)
7. Jed Lowrie (SS)
8. J.D. Drew (RF)
9. Jarrod Saltalamacchia (C)
I think the biggest dilemma in this scenario is who the leadoff hitter should be. With the addition of speedster Carl Crawford, there has been widespread debate about whether he or Ellsbury should take on this duty. Crawford is definitely the wild card in this lineup. His multiple skills as a hitter and base runner allot him with a ton of versatility. However, it is that versatility that should force him to move further down in the order, where his skill set can be better utilized in the offense.
Jacoby Ellsbury’s main weapon is his speed. He’s much less of a power threat than Crawford. Also, patience at the plate has never really been a strong suit for Crawford either; therefore the lead off position doesn’t suit him as well. In his short career, Ellsbury has played 261 games as leadoff. That is 238 more than at any other spot in the order. Comfort should not be underestimated as a non-quantitative factor, especially for a player whose psyche could be a little fragile coming off of a serious injury.
Last year, Carl Crawford’s best season as a pro, he split time between the second and third spot in the lineup and batted .307 with 19 HRs and 90 RBIs. Over his entire career, he has a .312 batting average with runners on base, as opposed to a .286 average with the bases empty (26 points higher). Placing guys like Pedroia and Ellsbury, who have knack for getting on base, ahead of him would create a lot of those situations for Crawford.
The other aspect that might conjure up some contention is the fact that Jed Lowrie is at the short stop position, batting 7th. Another Red Sox player that spent most of last season battling injuries, he came on incredibly strong at the end of the season and was one of the most impressive offensive forces during the last couple months. Marco Scutaro had a decent year, but his value might be better served as a utility infielder.
Lowrie offers a lot more pop and is also a switch hitter. He is much younger and was a highly regarded prospect when Boston drafted him. He has shown flashes of brilliance offensively at certain points when healthy, and as a much younger option, it would be a perfect opportunity for the Sox to evaluate his talent and determine his role for the future with the organization.
Of course, there are always variations that will occur throughout the season. I think this lineup would have an entirely different look against a left handed starting pitcher. If that were the case, I would plug in Jason Varitek at catcher, and have Scutaro give Lowrie a rest on those days. Also, I would swap out Ortiz and J.D. Drew occasionally and insert some sort of combination of Mike Cameron and Darnell MacDonald at the DH and right field positions.
As for an everyday, routine lineup, though, this makes the most sense to me with the current personnel on the roster. But, hey, what do I know? I’m just a voice in the crowd. I do know that whatever the lineup Francona chooses, it will be a very tough, competitive, championship caliber team, and one that Boston fans should be increasingly excited about as the season draws closer.
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