Nancy

I was going to write something up a couple of weeks ago on JD Drew, but got lazy. Then he went apeshit on AL pitching last week, and the process was expedited. No, he's not my whipping boy like most Red Sox fans, Dodgers fans, Cardinals fans, and (most especially) Phillies fans view him as.

Quite the opposite, actually. I've been an unabashed Drew fan for quite some time.

He's always gotten a bum rap when it came to injuries: Last year it was his back, but he played in 140 games. In Los Angeles, it was a wrist injury from being HBP, which is also what sidelined him once in St. Louis--that time on his hand. He also made the DL a couple of other times for an oblique muscle, a muscle which is only known to the public because of baseball*. The other complaint with David Jonathan is his lack of passion. The effervescent Buzz Bissinger covered this in his book, Three Nights in August**:

As for Drew, capable of launching the ball as far as anyone in both leagues, he went on the disabled list nine days ago. He's injured again, as he was at the beginning of the season. It's the sixth time he's been on the disabled list since coming into the league in 1998, surrounded by more anticipation than any other rookie since Mickey Mantle.

Clichéd, but there's some truth there. Drew was "highly-touted," but the Mantle comparison is sensationalist.

But like many young players, Drew came in with the advantages that only plot against you if your goal is the realization of what God gave you: a long-term contract, too many early millions, a billboard mystique about him before he had taken a single road trip.

I'm not a beat writer, of course, but I do know that Drew has come off as a droll, but pleasant, person to the Boston media. The insinuation that he was too focused on the money and fame seems to contradict the man's demeanor.

"A lot of young players fall into this trap where it's uncomfortable to push youself on a daily basis," says La Russa. "They settle for some percent under their max. If you have the chance to be a two-million-dollar-a-year player, they might settle for 75 percent of that. In the case of J.D., if you have the chance to be a twelve-million-to-fifteen-million-dollar-a-year player, you settle for 75 percent of that."

I've never understood the concept that a player purposely plays at 75 percent of his ability, just as I don't get how David Ortiz is more clutch and plays at 100 percent of his ability in the 9th inning of close ball games. This must mean that David Ortiz doesn't play at 100 percent during other innings sometimes, right?

Also, what constitutes a player maxing out in La Russa's eyes, or anyone's? Sure, busting your hump in the cage or in the weight room is important; but not every player needs to workout before and after the game to reach their max potential.

The purpose of this post was a critique on La Russa's unfair views on JD, which have branded him as a waste. I'm glad that Theo Epstein is immune to player's reputations, and bases his decision making on conventional scouting and statistical analysis, not anecdotes on the quiet, highly drafted guy. He has rewarded Theo with a monster 2008, and, of course, the biggest hit in last year's postseason.

His 2008 is so monster that an at-large spot on the American League All-Star team roster is a possibility. Sure, it helps that Terry Francona is the manager, but his numbers thus far would back up an all-star bid:

320-425-539-965 with an OPS+ 155, higher than Josh Hamilton and Manny. He has 9 HRs, 43 runs, and continues to play very good defense in the cavernous right field at the Fens.

Nancy Drew no more.

*When Trot Nixon had an oblique injury that he couldn't overcome, it was because he was a "dirt dog" who played too hard and never let it heal. When Pedro had the same injury, it was because of his diminutive size. When JD Drew had it and made subsequent trips to the DL, it was because he was soft.

**pages 32-33