Shock of the Century: Drew Still Hurt

Grrrr...I know I should have seen this coming, but still...

J.D. Drew, RF, Red Sox — He had some lingering hamstring issues this offseason and may be slowed up a tad to start spring training. The Sox have Ryan Kalish ready to go as Drew’s eventual replacement in right field, as this is the last season of Drew’s five-year, $72 million contract.

I'd like to point out that pitchers and catchers aren't due to report to Spring Training until the end of the week, and already Drew's hurt.  I really don't want to put the anti-Drew vultures into motion, but this kind of news is really annoying.  While he's a tremendous ball player, it never ceases to amaze me that he's always hurt.  The man is a walking infirmary.  It's a good thing the Red Sox have capable outfielders like Mike Cameron and Ryan Kalish ready to step in should he hit the DL with a hang nail injury. 

All joking aside, I love J.D.  I'm one of his biggest fans.  He's so underrated and misunderstood.  Sadly, it's mostly because baseball fans don't understand that getting on base is the most important aspect of run creation.  This isn't a concept that's up for debate.  It's a mathematically proven fact.  Driving in a run (via the RBI) is not a skill.  It's a function of opportunity and luck.  In fact, an RBI can result from a failed plate appearance in which the batter records an out.  (An out, I might add, is the only finite commodity in the game, and is often considered baseball's clock.)  But no, let's congratulate Mr. RBI man.  You failed to meet your primary objectives (get on base and improve your team's run probability), but let's congratulate you anyway, while we ignore the player that was actually successful in his plate appearance. 

Alright, enough with my ranting.  It just irritates me.  We've been watching Drew play for 12-plus seasons, and most don't realize what a great player we've been watching all along.  It's really unfortunate.

One last thing.  Not to nitpick Carfardo who is a tremendous beat writer, but Drew is in the last season of a five year $70M contract, not $72M.  (Per Cot's Baseball Contracts.)