According to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, J.D. Drew is "very likely" to retire. It's obvious the Red Sox didn't want him back, and Scott Boras wasn't carting around "the big book" much on J.D.'s behalf. While it's extremely easy to bash J.D. for his career in Boston (constant injuries, lackadaisical attitude, the famous "Statue Of Liberty" play on Jacoby's steal of home), the fact is that he was a pretty productive player. I know, I know—revisionist history through the lens of Theo Epstein. But consider this: In his five years with Boston, he hit .264 with a .370 OBP and an .824 OPS. Nothing dazzling, but certainly not a slug. He averaged 16 home runs and 57 RBI in his time here. All in all, not horrific—but certainly not enough to justify his salary. Moreover, all of these stats are below his career 162-game average. Those career numbers are: 25 HRs, 82 RBIs, .278 AVG, .384 OBP, .873 OPS. So, if he had just performed to his career norm, his legacy in Boston would have been a positive one. But, he fell short. And one heroic ALCS Grand Slam will not outweigh that failure.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
What's The Dissolution With J. D. Drew?
According to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, J.D. Drew is "very likely" to retire. It's obvious the Red Sox didn't want him back, and Scott Boras wasn't carting around "the big book" much on J.D.'s behalf. While it's extremely easy to bash J.D. for his career in Boston (constant injuries, lackadaisical attitude, the famous "Statue Of Liberty" play on Jacoby's steal of home), the fact is that he was a pretty productive player. I know, I know—revisionist history through the lens of Theo Epstein. But consider this: In his five years with Boston, he hit .264 with a .370 OBP and an .824 OPS. Nothing dazzling, but certainly not a slug. He averaged 16 home runs and 57 RBI in his time here. All in all, not horrific—but certainly not enough to justify his salary. Moreover, all of these stats are below his career 162-game average. Those career numbers are: 25 HRs, 82 RBIs, .278 AVG, .384 OBP, .873 OPS. So, if he had just performed to his career norm, his legacy in Boston would have been a positive one. But, he fell short. And one heroic ALCS Grand Slam will not outweigh that failure.