Time To Unleash Ellsbury
Nick Cafardo
Globe Staff
April 13, 2008
It's time to give the center-field job to Jacoby Ellsbury.
No disrespect to Coco Crisp, who has started well (he's hitting .296 with three RBIs), and is a good player. But Ellsbury's ceiling is so much higher. Everyone knows that.
He had two hits, a walk, and a stolen base yesterday in the Red Sox' 4-3 victory over the Yankees. The rookie just creates offensive opportunities. He's a constant threat to steal and he has enough pop to hit it out. He ignited the Sox' winning rally in the sixth by stroking a one-out single and scoring on Manny Ramírez's two-run double to right field.
Maybe there's not much of a market for Crisp right now, but at some point soon you have to unleash Ellsbury.
The rotating playing time Terry Francona is giving both is not only a noble gesture but it makes sense. It helps Ellsbury, who is hitting .250, from getting rusty and keeps Crisp on the field to be seen by major league scouts. By now, everyone knows what Crisp is and what he can do for a team.
There are many teams who would love to have Crisp's superb defensive play and base speed in their lineup. In any other situation, the Red Sox would value that, as well. They value it now. But when you have a kid who has "it," how long can you keep him down? It's similar to 1997 when Nomar Garciaparra burst on the scene. As good a player as John Valentin was, everyone, including Valentin, knew the shortstop of the future was Garciaparra. Valentin balked at first, but he realized how special Garciaparra was and that he would have to move. The Sox were able to accommodate Valentin, moving him to second and then to third.
In the case of Crisp, he has nowhere to go with $34 million per year worth of outfield talent in Ramírez in left and J.D. Drew in right.
Accept a backup role? That would be fine, but Crisp probably feels at age 28 he has a lot to add to a starting lineup.
This is what the Yankees went through with Johnny Damon and Melky Cabrera. The Yankees came to the conclusion last season that Cabrera covers more ground and has a better arm in center field, so Damon was moved to left and retained his leadoff role.
At this point, Crisp is a slightly better center fielder, though Ellsbury has better arm strength. Ellsbury can be a leadoff hitter, while Crisp's offensive game appears to be too up and down.
In spring training, scouts were saying the Red Sox were asking way too much for Crisp, probably because the Sox feel they're dealing from a position of strength. It's a positive that Crisp has gotten off to a good start.
The Cubs were interested in him during spring training but they've since picked up Toronto reject Reed Johnson, who is playing well.
The Red Sox (6-6) are missing third baseman Mike Lowell, so it's imperative they create runs with the top of the order. The Sox have alternate the leadoff spot, but at some point Ellsbury will take over the spot for the next 10 years.
The current temporary fix might be to appease the veteran Crisp, but Ellsbury needs to play every day. Not in Pawtucket, but in Boston.
"The biggest thing is to stay focused on the days you're not playing," Ellsbury said after yesterday's game. "You need to prepare every day like you're playing, even though you're not. You have to make the best of the opportunities when you are in there. When you're not out there every day, you definitely want to be on more often than you're not. You have to show them you can go out there and do the job. For me, it's more mental than anything, being ready to go even when your name is not in the lineup. You have to be ready to go in there defensively and then . . . getting that one AB. It's about staying mentally locked in every day."
Ellsbury has blazing speed and nothing gives him a bigger thrill than stealing a base.
"I love stealing bases," he said. "Getting in scoring position and scoring a run is a big rush for me. That's part of my game so I need to be able to do that cleanly. It's important for me to score runs."
He feels it's easier to steal in the majors.
"You have more scouting reports up here and so you have a lot more information about how often they throw to first," he said. "You have the information and then it's all about executing after that. The catchers up here obviously have better arms, the pitchers tend to look off runners a little better."
Right now Ellsbury is in no position to demand anything.
"It's up to them who plays when and it's up to me to stay ready so I can go out there and do the job when I'm called upon," he said. "I have no idea what the future is, I just know it's great to be in the big leagues and contributing. I don't take a day of it for granted. I'm a young player and nothing is etched in stone for me. I've got to prove myself every day and prove that I belong here. Nobody's going to give me anything.
"We have great players here. Every time I play I think it's a gift, really. I love playing, but I've got to show them that I can play every day."
Ellsbury has shown that. He's a catalyst and he's special.
How long can you keep "special" down?