A Year Removed from the Shortstop Logjam

Twelve months ago, I was eagerly looking forward to today because it would be then that the logjam at the shortstop position in the low-minors could be resolved. There were five guys: Oscar Tejeda, Yamaico Navarro, Kris Negron, Will Middlebrooks, and Ryan Dent; that could potentially play the position down the road. Luckily, not all five guys were on the same team, but it sure was something to worry about had they all progressed at the same rate. There were certainly plenty of variables that typically unscrew these logjams, such as injuries, lack of production, etc. To quote Sox Director of Player Development Mike Hazen, “things like these will work themselves out, we just have to make sure to get everybody equal opportunity”.



Well, Mike was right. Oscar spent the first few weeks in Extended Spring Training with arm issues and is more suited for third base. Navarro played very well and is now a top ten prospect. Negron struggled to make consistent contact in Greenville before becoming a product of Clear Channel Stadium in Lancaster. Middlebrooks was never really given a shot at shortstop and is handling third base well. And finally, Dent has failed to make much contact and is more than likely going to switch to either second base or center field. That leaves Navarro as the only one who will be playing the majority of his time at the shortstop position.

My favorite Red Sox players

Pedro – drgandy

On Friday, the Boston Globe ran down the worst breakups in Red Sox history going around the diamond by position. It’s a nice (and sobering) read.

It made me ask myself “who would be on my personal ‘favorite Red Sox’ team?” My list is here and includes famous names such as Pedro Martinez and obscure names such as Jeff Frye

Mike Lowell ‘Upset’

And who can blame him?

“I
think it’s only human nature (to be upset) when you’re given the choice
(to sign) in more than one place and you end up signing in a place
where you proclaim to enjoy the baseball and everything and you look
forward to being there for at least three more years,” said Lowell,
referring to the three-year, $37.5 million deal he inked with the Red
Sox after the 2007 season. “Then after one year, for there to be all
this talk … the writing was on the wall.



“I think Teixeira would have been fine, and I would have been the one
traded. And that’s the business of baseball,” he continued. “But it’s
only human nature, and the natural reaction is to feel hurt, and I
definitely was. But that doesn’t mean I’m not prepared to play, that
I’m not excited to be part of this team with the guys on the field I
see day to day. But that’s the totally normal reaction and that’s
definitely what I had.



“I think I always try to use anything I see as a negative as
motivation. Every negative I think should be turned into a positive.” (WEEI)

Thank you, Mike, for being willing to move forward. Other players would not be as kind.