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Red Sox Win Series, Lose LowellApril 11th, 2008
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The Red Sox may have won the home opening series against the Tigers, but they did so at a cost.
That’s because before Boston doubled up Detroit in a 12-6 slugfest Thursday night, the team found out it would be minus the services of third baseman and five-hole hitter Mike Lowell until at least April 25 as a result of a sprained left thumb suffered on a diving stop in the top of the first inning of Wednesday’s contest.
With Lowell, last year’s World Series’ MVP, landing on the 15-day disabled list, the team purchased the contract of 23-year-old Jed Lowrie from Triple-A Pawtucket. The switch-hitting Lowrie, rated by Baseball America as the organization’s fifth best prospect, has so far been groomed as Boston’s shortstop of the future or even trade bait in the right deal. Yet he does have experience all over the infield from the minors.
Although off to a cold start with zero runs batted in over nine games, the loss of Lowell will present the Red Sox with their first real challenge on the young season while also testing the team’s depth as they head into a weekend series against the Yankees.
For now, manager Terry Francona will shift Kevin Youkilis, a Gold Glover who has not committed an error at first base in a Major League record for 197 straight games, to the hot corner and insert Sean Casey, inked to a one-year deal by general manager Theo Epstein this past off-season, in his place across the way.
Defensively, the Sox don’t lose much because Casey classifies as a solid defender around the first base bag, although he certainly lacks in range. And Youkilis’ play at third has always been more than serviceable, perhaps even on par with Lowell’s, according to The Hardball Times’ aptly titled Revised Zone Rating (RZR).
But the larger shakeup likely will be seen in the lineup as Francona, without Lowell for the first time this season, moves Youkilis from the two-hole to the five-spot behind Manny Ramirez. This will leave lead-off duties to Julio Lugo, as Dustin Pedroia dropped from the top of order to Youk’s former spot.
Got it? Good … because I don’t.
With J.D. Drew off to a blistering hot start (1.200+ OPS, small sample size be damned), bumping his left-handed bat up a tick in the order while leaving Youkilis’ high on-base prowess in front of the big-boppers would seem to make a bit more sense if you’re trying to optimize the lineup.
Now, in Lowell’s absence, it remains to be seen if this will be a permanent solution going forward, and Lugo does happen to be off to an OK start. But I believe last year proved that even the good version of Julio Lugo, outside of thoroughbred speed, lacks the necessary tools (plate discipline and drawing walks) of a suitable every-day lead-off man.
Even full-time center fielder-in-waiting Jacoby Ellsbury, currently splitting time with Coco Crisp (an article for another day), would be, at this point in his young career, the less-than-optimal choice, although a better one given his minor league walk rates.
For now, it’s a wait-and-see affair, and the Sox new-look lineup did bust out for a season-high 12 runs in their first Lowell-less game.
Meanwhile, Lowrie’s call-up doesn’t appear to fit much into the lineup equation at hand, as he’ll seemingly be limited to off-the-bench duties for the most part. But the name is one fans could be seeing a lot of in the foreseeable future, even if it’s only in rumor mills later this season, as was the case during a winter jam-packed with Johan Santana trade talks.
But staying put for now, Lowrie, a sandwich round selection (45th overall) out of Stanford in the 2005 amateur draft, has quickly shot up the prospect ranks by demonstrating excellent on-base skills and gap-to-gap power from both sides of the plate throughout all levels in the Sox system. In true Epstein-approved form, Lowrie’s best attribute may be observed in his ability to work pitchers and drive up pitch counts from one at-bat to the next.
While a majority of his playing time has come at short, Lowrie is versatile enough to play second (perhaps his best suited position down the road because of an occasionally erratic throwing arm) and third base. However, considering that Lugo is now in year two of a four-year pact, that Lowell has re-signed for three more seasons, and that Pedroia is a mainstay on the big club, Lowrie’s best bet to find a major league starting role in the near future may have to occur with another team.
Unless, of course, Lugo, plus a wad of cash, goes the way of Edgar Renteria.
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