My main point to this post is to discuss the Red Sox signing of shortstop Stephen Drew. But first I would like to compose a rant of a naive sports fan/Boston fan. HOW DOES CLEVELAND WIN LAST NIGHT'S LOTTERY!? They had 17 ping pong balls out of 1,001 and they win. How? There is no way that this happens without rigging the lottery! The NBA is just trying to compensate the Cavaliers for allowing Lebron James to leave and hand pick what team he plays for. The lottery system is definitely rigged.
Now, the real objective of this post is to analyze the signing of Stephen Drew. It raises a good point: Are the Red Sox now in panic mode? They have now lost five straight games, their young talent is disappointing, and the veterans are complaining about playing time.
During the offseason, the Red Sox went with young talent over proven talent. They went with minimal free agent signings in order to give Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr, and Will Middlebrooks opportunities. So far, they are all disappointing. Bogaerts has been sub-par defensively and has produced very little offense. Bradley Jr. started off strong and now he does not even come close to hitting major league pitchers. Middlebrooks has hit .190 and now faces a second disable list stint. Was this the right choice? They have forgone moving Bogaerts to third, giving up on him at short in the meantime, and brought back Stephen Drew, a guy they would not sign during the offseason because they believed in their young talent. This move shows they misjudged their talent. They reek of desperation with the resigning of Stephen Drew.
However, it is a mistake if they completely give up on these players. Bogaerts will be a force a couple of years down the road. Signing Stephen Drew has just shattered his confidence. He had two errors last night, a shear sign of distraught. But to give up on him? Why? Moving Bogaerts to third is a risk. It could destroy him. What if he then thinks he is not good enough for short or the majors? It seems the same as Middlebrooks. Last year they sent Middlebrooks to triple A, which I think destroyed his confidence. And Bradley Jr., I am unsure about him. Maybe he is a fourth outfielder at best. I was never that high on him, but I just assumed that the Red Sox saw something I never saw myself. Signing Sizemore and also winning the starting job could have had the same affect as what happened to Bogaerts and Middlebrooks...
If the Red Sox give up on Middlebrooks entirely, I would be shocked. He does have a good bat, as he showed two seasons ago when he hit 15 home runs and batted .280 before breaking his hand. I have always been an advocate of moving Middlebrooks to first. It would be like Kevin Youkilis. He had minimum power at third, moved to first, and became an offensive threat. I see that in Middlebrooks as well.
The Red Sox need to fix this team. They cannot go on with no middle of the order production and Bradley Jr. in center field. I suggest cutting ties with Grady Sizemore. He was good to start and now he has zero production. They need to bring in an actual center fielder and make it clear that Bradley Jr. is just a fourth outfielder. Next, move Bogaerts to batting leadoff. He still gets on base and gets some hits, but he has no production (two home runs and seven RBI). Put him in a spot were he doesn't have to knock in runs. Lastly, send Middlebrooks to triple A and turn him into a designated hitter/first baseman. He will have the best production at first base or DH.
The Red Sox have a potential crisis at hand, and they need to fix it ASAP.
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