New Poll Question:
Better of Worse: Jacoby Ellsbury’s 2009 Stolen Base Total?
Early last season it seemed like Jacoby might steal 75 bags, but a mid-season slump hit both his bat and his legs and he ended up with only 50. Can he top 60 in 2009? Vote in the poll to the left and give your community projection for Ellsbury here.
Previous Poll Results:
Better or Worse: Jason Bay’s 2009 Home Run Total?
I thought this poll would be a little closer as the 30 home run mark isn’t easy and Bay just cleared it last season. At the same time, I am as optimistic as you are and my vote went over as well.
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Well, I don’t care how many he steals, as long as he doesn’t get caught…
:)
His rookie year is over. He stole 50 bases on a team that didn’t steal very much. Could it be that in 2007 with Lugo’s 33SB, Coco’s 28, Ellsbury’s 9, Pedroia’s 7, Youk & JD’s 4, memories of Roberts and Harper got the Sox thinking about including SB as a weapon?
The two teams they faced in the postseason, Angels and Rays, tore up the bases, creating runs while creating havoc.
After Ellsbury’s 50, Pedroia’s 20, and Bay resumed stealing, plus the promise of added speed from Lugo, Baldelli, Kotsay, Wilkerson, Carter; the trade discussions of speedy Hairston, Bloomquist and others; and the addition of the Ray’s 1st Base Coach, something tells me the Red Sox intend to perfect their base running and stealing games.
Terry Harper predicts Ellsbury will steal 70 bases. While his young legs are at their strongest, this may be the best time to do that. Can Lugo, Bay and the others steal 70 more? How much will 3 speedsters in a row like Lugo/Lowrie, Ells, Pedroia impact games. Will the rest of the team to record years? Will an aggressive base running Red Sox neutralize some of the impact of the Rays running game, and overpower the Yankees? Can’t see him steal less than 60.
Lowrie is many things, but a speedster is not one of them. He had a whopping one SB last year.
However, the combo of a higher OBP from Jacoby (if he’s lower in the order) and a recovered Lowrie could lead to a number of “Ellsbury scores from first on double by Lowrie”-type plays which will make every Sox fan very happy.