Things To Keep An Eye On In Fort Myers
Friday, February 18, 2011
Hail, hail the gang’s all here!
With Red Sox pitchers, catchers and all position players now in camp, let’s take a look at some of the players to keep an eye on in Fort Myers.
Jacoby Ellsbury – 2010 was a tumultuous season for the speedy outfielder. He played in only 18 games due to injured ribs and made it clear that he was unhappy with the original diagnosis by team doctors. Ellsbury was roundly criticized by the local media, fans and even some of his teammates last season. Some thought that he could have played through the injury, which is absurd. Only Ellsbury knows his own body and how much pain he was in and if you’ve ever had rib injuries, you know how painful it can be. He was also criticized for rehabbing at home in Arizona as opposed to staying in Boston with his teammates. That criticism is justified.
There was also lots of speculation that Red Sox brass would move him at some point during the offseason which didn’t happen. The man deserves a clean slate heading into the 2011 campaign. Let’s see how he does.
John Lackey & Josh Beckett – The common theme amongst analysts when looking at the 2011 Red Sox is that these two guys have to improve on their subpar 2010 campaigns. I would agree.
Lackey was (14-11) with a 4.40 ERA in his first season with the Sox but performed better after the All-Star break. He showed up to camp this spring some 10-15 pounds lighter than a year ago.
Beckett went (6-6) with a 5.78 ERA in an injury-plagued 2010 season. Assuming there are no back woes to deal with this season, it would be nearly impossible for him not to improve on those numbers.
Better seasons by Lackey and Beckett are a must because it might be unrealistic to expect Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz to repeat their dominance of 2010.
Lester seems better equipped to approach last year’s numbers (19-9) 3.25 ERA. But can Buchholz (17-7, 2.33 ERA) do what he did a year ago? That seems unlikely.
Adrian Gonzalez & Carl Crawford – All eyes will be on the two high-profile newcomers this spring. Gonzalez is expected to be that middle of the line-up big bat Boston has lacked since Manny Ramirez left town. Following offseason shoulder surgery, there are some health questions with Gonzalez even though he has declared himself physically fit and ready to go.
Crawford gives Boston another terrific defensive outfielder who can hit for average with some power. Along with Ellsbury, he can also be a terror for opponents on the base paths.
There will be many other things to watch as the season approaches like Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia both returning from injury. Will David Ortiz get off to another slow start? How will J.D. Drew play in a contract year? And will Jonathan Papelbon return to his old dominant self or have we already seen his best?
It all should make for an interesting spring in Fort Myers.
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