Author: sean o

 Adam Dunn

The battle between what we see visually and numerically

JD Drew is a lifetime .284 hitter. If Drew only "drew" 30 walks a season then his offensive contributions would diminish greatly. What he "lacks" in batting average, Drew more than makes up for in reaching base via the walk...and of course he hits for power too.

But JD Drew has been an on base machine over his career. People's beliefs on how walks impact the game of baseball may vary. But can anyone argue that a .392 career on base percentage, isn't really, really good? That is how often Drew has reached base in his career.

February 11, 2009 sean o
A.J. Burnett

Why was Josh Beckett “less great” in 2008?

Injury is rumored to be a reason why Beckett backtracked a tad, yet his peripherals were still very impressive to look at. So while his visit to Dr. James Andrews may have been legitimate, Beckett showed flashes of brilliance throughout the year, to have us believe that maybe the injury effected him slightly, but not enough to completely harness his great stuff.

February 7, 2009 sean o
Jacoby Ellsbury

The dream of 9 league-average hitters is dead

Jason Varitek, you ended my dream. It may have been a long shot, but it's over. And although having you back at least fills the backstop, it does crush my desire to have nine league average hitters in the Red Sox lineup.

Was this a longshot? Yes. Having nine hitters be either average or better than average probably isn't likely. Had the Red Sox acquired a catcher via a trade, they would have been counting on three young players to achieve their goal.

February 4, 2009 sean o