Red Sox 2011 Outfield Preview: J.D. Drew

By Mike Carlucci in Featured, Red Sox ⋅ February 9, 2011 at 12:00pm ⋅ Post a comment

J.D. Drew Strolling the Outfield (mlblogs.com)

Sports of Boston is continuing its week-long preview of the Red Sox outfield with right fielder J.D. Drew.

J.D. Drew has had his share of ups and downs with the Red Sox. After a rocky 2007, Drew put up two great seasons in 2008 and 2009, hitting .280/.408/.519 and .279/.392/.522 respectively. However, just as Drew was really settling in, he had a down 2010, falling to a .255/.341/.452 line.

As the veteran of the starting three outfielders with youth not on his side, Drew is entering his age 35 season and may not be a candidate for a rebound, especially considering his hamstring may already be ailing him here in early February.

Drew’s Bill James projection for 2011 is just .255/.341/.452. That doesn’t mean all is lost. Drew’s BABIP was just .282 in 2010 and while James’ predictions show an increase to .305, his BABIP was .307 in 2008, a fine year for the right fielder.

The additions of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, combined with full seasons of Dustin Pedroia Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury, even a continued decline by Drew could be offset somewhat.

Overall Drew has been a stalwart for the Red Sox appearing in 140, 109, 137 and 139 games in his first four years with Boston. As Drew enters what may be his final season in a Red Sox uniform, a lot of the pressure facing Drew when he joined the team – number five hitter, RBI machine, 20 home run expectation – have been lifted.

All Drew needs to do is work his on base magic and be a contributor to the team, not its star.

CRAWFORD | ELLSBURY | DREW | CAMERON | BENCH OF

About Mike Carlucci

Mike Carlucci writes about the Red Sox for Sports of Boston and can be found blogging about baseball and technology. He has a J.D and enjoys palindromes and espresso. You can follow him on Twitter @mikecarlucci or on Google+.

Tags: 2011 Outfield Preview, Boston Red Sox, J.D. Drew

Discussion

4 comments for “Red Sox 2011 Outfield Preview: J.D. Drew”

James projects everyone to suck. Especially pitchers.

Posted by Leo | February 10, 2011, 12:08 am
Yeah, they’re pretty pessimistic. But I figured since James works for the Sox, maybe his system has influenced their internal metrics. Probably not, but maybe.

Posted by Mike Carlucci | February 10, 2011, 6:44 pm
[...] Cameron is still around to provide that guidance like only a veteran can. CRAWFORD | ELLSBURY | DREW | CAMERON | BENCH [...]

Posted by Red Sox 2011 Outfield Preview: Jacoby Ellsbury | Sports of Boston | February 17, 2011, 9:30 pm
[...] could be a full-time player, albeit with age and injury risks of his own. CRAWFORD | ELLSBURY | DREW | CAMERON | BENCH [...]

Posted by Red Sox 2011 Outfield Preview: Mike Cameron | Sports of Boston | February 17, 2011, 9:32 pm