Monday, November 20, 2017

Looking Back On J.D. Drew's Five-Year Red Sox Career

(Getty Images)
J.D. Drew turns 42 years old today—just a few days younger than David Ortiz. Of course, Drew hasn't played an MLB game since September of 2011. But, on his birthday, it might be an opportune time to take a more objective look at Drew's five seasons in Carmine Hose. Things probably started off on the wrong foot—with the February 2007 signing of a 5-year, $70 million free-agent contract. Expectations were sky high. His first year in Boston produced a .270 average with just 11 HRs and 64 RBI—hardly $70 million territory. And yet, the Red Sox won the World Series that year—and Drew hit .360 in the ALCS and .333 in the Fall Classic. His first-inning grand slam in Game Six of the ALCS was an epic moment on the way to that championship. Part of the problem was Drew's perceived fragility—he never once in his tenure here played more than 140 games in a season. And yet, in 2008, he made the All-Star team—and ended up hitting .280 with 19 HRs and 64 RBIs. But, for some reason, Drew never quite caught on with the fanbase. His five-year totals weren't all that bad: .264, 80 HRs, 286 RBIs, .370 OBP, .824 OPS. Somehow, it was never good enough. Happy birthday, J.D.!