Tito Pulls the Trigger

After a week of deliberation (by his own admission), Sox skipper Terry Francona finally pulled the trigger on shuffling the lineup to better reflect the offensive output on the season thus far. The only question is; what took so long? I was starting to think it might take Julio Lugo dipping under the Mendoza line (.200) to wake ole’ Tito up. The move(s) was necessary on a number of levels, and I for one am rejoicing.

Let me get it out of the way: I LOVE that Pedroia has been shifted in to the leadoff spot. It wasn’t but a week ago that I dedicated an entire article to my man-crush on little Dusty, and Tito is doing his part to make me look good by entrusting Pedroia with the most important spot in the lineup. The only troubling notion here is that the move has been made at a time in which Dustin is on a bit of a slide. I do feel like he will deliver at the top of the order, though. I think a fair comp is Youk’s first full year in the bigs. Plate discipline, good at bats, good OBP numbers, and incredibly streaky all at once. With the production we’ve had to this point in 2007 from that spot in the order, let’s face it, he can’t do much worse. I think he will set the table nicely. His pesky at bats are sure to give pitchers fits when setting the tone for their outing. I am giddy just thinking about the prospect of 10 pitch Pedroia at bats followed by 15 pitch Youk at bats, and then comes the meat of the lineup. Isn’t that a beautiful thing?

The only thing better than having Pedroia in the lead off spot is…having Lugo OUT of the lead off spot. I know most of Sox Nation are focusing their discontent on the likes of Coco Crisp and J.D. Drew, but there are reasons to single out Lugo. First of all; Coco is on the books for very cheap, plays above average center (although his arm is a wet noodle) and his long term replacement is in the pipeline almost ready to supplant him. No one is making a secret of the fact that Coco is not going to finish his contract as the starting middle man in the Sox outfield. At the latest there will be a 2008 arrival for phenom Jacoby Ellsbury. With Drew, there is legit cause for concern, as his general apathy and approach to the game are enough to turn milk sour.

However, one has to suspect that his bat will get going. As long as he stays on the field I have no doubts that he will produce and be a key piece to the lineup. He is never going to be the firecracker in the clubhouse that Trot was, and he’s not going to be confused with Teddy Ballgame any time soon, but he will hit. Fear not.

Why Lugo? Well, did anyone bother to look at his numbers post-trade to LA in 2006? Did Theo and the gang throw the last half of last season out? I really don’t understand what happened here. This was a guy who was playing for a contract. You would think he would have been lighting up the LA night peppering balls every which way to ensure that his great-grandkids would be well provided for. After all, this is baseball we’re talking about. The home of the “contract year”. If you’re not familiar, watch Torii Hunter’s 2007 campaign as it unfolds. Lugo, however, either didn’t get the memo, or just plain can’t hit. In 49 contests after his exodus from Tampa, Lugo managed to put up a paltry .219/.278/.267 line. As a matter of fact, he is the proud owner of a career .732 OPS.

I know what you’re thinking. You must be convinced that some level of defensive wizardry earned Lugo his $36mm deal. Guess again. The little guy committed an astounding 35 errors in his contract year as well. How was none of this a red flag to the front office? A guy who fails so miserably with so much on the line can’t be considered a meaningful addition, can he? It’s debatable. For what it’s worth, he is 18-for-18 in SB attempts, which is pretty impressive for a Sox player. That’s about the only thing he has really brought to the table in the first part of this 2007 season. He does have pretty good range at short but again, has an erratic arm that leads to a mess of errors.

My advice: don’t adjust your screen. Adapt to what Lugo has been so far, and will continue to be for the life of his contract. A base stealer with below average contact skills and an erratic arm. He belongs at the bottom of the order. Sox nation needs to get comfortable with the fact that our club is willing to pay $36mm for a 31 year-old shortstop with diminished skills, just because. It was foolish to think he could handle leading off in Boston. Just because he had varying levels of success in the 4,000 ticket a night Tampa park hitting in that spot, doesn’t mean he’s prepared for the bright lights. He failed in LA and he’s failing here. End of story.