JD Drew discusses retiring after 2011
by mmmmm on Feb 26, 2010 7:07 PM EST
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I hadn't seen any discussion on OTM about this:
http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/mlb/columns/story?columnist=mcdonald_joe&id=4943324
So I thought I'd create a fanpost for it. I'll steal the banner quote from the above:
"My calling is to play this game, but now that I have two small kids there are things I look forward to do outside of baseball that you can't do because of the eight-month season. Do I stick around for a year or two more? Do I finish up strong and see where I'm at? That'll be an on-going battle during the last year of my contract, for sure." - Drew
Most folks here know I'm a big Drew fan - he does everything in the game I want out of a player. Gets on base. Creates outs. Rocket arm. Cool under pressure. I loved the way he looked so professional both in the field and at the plate. I'm a results oriented sorta guy and never got the hate that certain media jerks kept heaping on Drew.
I especially grew disgusted at the many misconceptions that folks perpetuate about Drew. His first season with the Red Sox his numbers were down a bit. Coming right off the big contract signing, folks screamed he was dogging it and didn't care. Most folks don't realize that his child was ill and that was clearly a distraction. A lot of ignorant fans think he's "soft" and injury prone. They call him "Nancy Drew" and think he doesn't try harder to stay on the field. Even fans who like Drew often make comments to the extent that they don't think he stays healthy.
Well, he's no Cal Ripken, Jr. But since Drew has been a Red Sox player, only Ortiz, Youkilis & Pedroia have played more games. He's played 386 games over these last three years. And note that Ortiz is a DH and Youk is a first baseman. That kind of puts the lie to Drew being unable to get on the field and earn his money.
I won't go into all the many stats that show how Drew has been one of the top 2 or 3 Right Fielders in the game in overall value for us. Those have been plastered all over many discussions on this board these last few months.
I'm hoping that Drew will put up those same sorts of numbers to close out his career.
Finally, I also respect Drew for placing family at the top of his priority list. I'll miss seeing him in RF in Fenway. But if this means he retires a Red Sox, (just in time for Westmoreland, Kalish & Co.) that's okay. He'll be 36 so that should be just about the right time to go out walking tall.
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no, we'd get nothing
only get compensation if they sign to another team. Let’s all do our best to convince Drew to play out one more year after the Sox!
we'd still have to offer him arbitration if he continues to play
which is atleast 80% of his last salary if i’m not mistaken. Thats 11.2 M. I’d say that is highly unlikely we do that.
by German Red Sox Fan on Mar 3, 2010 11:24 AM EST up reply actions
no the 80% thing is pre-free agency
once they’ve hit FA, we can offer whatever we want in arb (of course if we really lowballed him, he’d win the case if it got to that point).
wasnt that why everybody said Wagner would make 8M if he accepted?
by German Red Sox Fan on Mar 5, 2010 7:14 AM EST up reply actions
yes it is
but that was just a misunderstanding of the rules. All those rules are very complicated and there’s probably about 4 people that actually understand them all fully, and a lot of people that misunderstand them. In fairness though, Wagner probably would have made about $8 million, because that’s about what he’s worth.
Also, if Drew is still producing 2 years from now
A 1-year big-dollar offer will not be something they’d have a problem with, I expect.
USG
I, for one, am outraged.
How dare Drew put his children before the team? He should be ashamed of himself. Who would prize their own spawn above the passions of thousands of fans and the feelings of 24 other players that chance and money have brought together?
We have lingered in the chambers of the sea /
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown /
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.
Drew is a classy guy.
And I shall give a toast to him the moment he retires, no matter when it is.
If I was your math homework I'd be really hard and you'd be doing me on your desk.
I'm a 7 WAR player in bed.
And his post-season grand salamis.
Apparently that game was past Steelers bed-time.
Manny ain't the only bad man.
But since Drew has been a Red Sox player, only Ortiz, Youkilis & Pedroia have played more games.
That’s not really impressive since the only other regular he had more games than is Varitek. And he lost his starting gig last year. Manny played more games in the last 3 years, and he had a 50-game suspension mixed in. Drew is great when he’s on the field, but the guy is definitely injury prone.
He only missed significant time one year.
The occasional back spasms, sure, but Tito is also just a very cautious manager.
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Feb 27, 2010 10:25 PM EST up reply actions
Varitek:
2007: sore right thumb
2008: flu, strep throat
2009: tight neck, neck spasms
Drew:
2007: illness, lower back contusion, sore hamstring, tight right quad, tight right hamstring, sore right hamstring, right foot contusion
2008: lower back spasms, tight left quad, sprained left wrist, illness, lower back spasms, herniated disk
2009: right hand contusion, strained left quad, tight right quad, left shoulder tendonitis, sore right shoulder, strained left groin, strained left groin, sore left shoulder, left shoulder surgery
Also, being “injury prone” doesn’t necessarily mean you must miss significant time. If somebody tears an ACL one year and then gets hit by a pitch and breaks his wrist the next year, I wouldn’t call him injury prone. The number of injuries that Drew gets makes him injury prone. I agree, Francona is extremely cautious. But, he needs to be if he doesn’t want Drew to end up missing significant time because of all his injuries. If Drew isn’t injury prone, then who is?
But if being injury prone doesn't lead to missing significant time, why on Earth do we care?
“That guy has a horrible looking jumpshot!”
“Yeah, but he shoots 50% from 15-feet, so why do we care?”
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Feb 28, 2010 12:18 AM EST up reply actions
Because all of these injuries could lead to missing significant time
Drew’s first full season was 1999. Since then, he has landed on the disabled list in 7 out 11 seasons. He played 137 games last year and that was considered one of his “healthy” years. He had injuries to his right hand, left quad, right quad, left shoulder, right shoulder, and left groin. He was lucky none of those injuries led to significant missed time. Any game that Drew isn’t in the lineup, the Red Sox are worse. He doesn’t miss 20+ games every year because he needs the rest. He misses them because he’s hurt. If he ends up on the DL next year, would anyone be surprised? Of course not, because he is injury prone. If you had to pick one person next year to end up on the DL, who would you pick? I really can’t believe this is an argument. Again, if Drew isn’t injury prone, then who is?
But so what?
Yes, he’s hardly the picture of health, and always seems to have some nagging ailment. But even playing 80% of the games over the last three years, he has still provided plus production and defense and at times carried the offense for significant periods.
Manny ain't the only bad man.
Sure it does
I mean, you raise a valid point that the Ortiz/Youk/Pedroia comp isn’t entirely elucidating, as those are three of the four guys who have been regulars since he got here.
But that one point was raised in the broader discussion of whether he’s earned his money, based on his production when he has played. And he has.
Manny ain't the only bad man.
A lot of ignorant fans think he’s “soft” and injury prone.
That’s all I was referring to. I wasn’t talking about him earning his money. I actually agree, he has earned his money. But, he’s definitely injury prone.
That kind of puts the lie to Drew being unable to get on the field and earn his money.
That’s what I was referring to, that even if he only plays 80%, he’s still earning his dough.
Manny ain't the only bad man.
I don't think he's not somewhat injury prone.
I just think it’s drastically overblown.
“He’s good when he can stay on the field!” is BS to me. The guy is on the field plenty.
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Feb 28, 2010 3:17 PM EST up reply actions
Compared to who?
He’s averaged 121.1 games per year for his career and 128.7 games per year with the Red Sox. Who has missed more games or had more injuries than Drew in the last 11 years? Maybe Griffey? Maybe Nomar?
Nomar and Griffey are perfect examples.
Because that’s the point where I really think you can start using that “When he can stay on the field” attack. When you can’t go into your season counting on Drew to be a major part of it, that’s a problem. Injuries happen during a season—for some more than others. It’s the guys who are constantly having their seasons cut short that are the problems. You might lose Drew for a month, but it’s just going to be a month for the most part. I never go into a season wondering if I can pencil in JD Drew beyond May.
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Feb 28, 2010 7:53 PM EST up reply actions
That's a good point
For the most part, Drew isn’t going to go down for the season. But, if he does go down for a month, and a few days here and there, those days add up. You can pretty much pencil in at least 15-20 days every year. To me, that means he’s injury prone. I just wish he could play 150+ games every year.
Sure, he's injury prone.
I just think it’s not the problem it’s made out to be. The 20 games here-and-there add up, but they don’t kill any individual seasons, which is what matters to me. If you could give up 20 games of Youk every year for the rest of his contract in order to avoid losing him from June on this year, would you? I would. Because the former just leads to some short-term difficulties. The latter means our season is practically over.
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Feb 28, 2010 9:34 PM EST up reply actions
Compared to who?
You act like getting on the field for 120+ games a year in the MLB is an easy feat! :-)
Baseball is a grind.
Its also important to note that its not JUST about injuries. Its also about being productive enough that your manager even wants you on the field.
In the last 10 years there have been 6864 non-pitcher player seasons of 1 game or more. Of those, less than half (2927) have been over 100 games. Only 2176 have made it to 120 games (1746 if you exclude DH & 1B). Only 1783 have made it to 130 games (only 1454 if you exclude DH & 1B).
So, on average about 7 non pitcher players per team make it to 120 games and 6 make it to 130. If you exclude DH & 1B, those numbers drop to just under 6 and just under 5, respectively.
Drew has been in that latter group of less than 5 non-pitcher, non-DH/1B players to break 130 games for his team six times in the last 10 years. And he’s played in over 100 all but one of those years.
Certainly he is not one of the elites for durability (typically only 2 non-pitcher/non DH1B guys per team make it to 150 games). But as Ben noted, his ‘injury prone’ nature seems somewhat over-blown.
I understand it’s not just about injuries and Drew has been extremely productive. I agree, his injury prone status is a little over-blown since his injuries usually don’t knock him out for entended periods of time. However, the number of injuries he gets puts him in the “injury prone” category (likely to be injured). Maybe we have different definitions of being “injury prone”. But, calling fans on one side of the argument “ignorant” is a little harsh.
"harsh"?
Well, maybe, from a civil discussion viewpoint. But using the ‘compared to’ standard, the harshness charge rightfully should be pointed at many of Drew’s critics who, imho are guilty of ‘harsh’ exaggerations. If we don’t consider those exaggerations “ignorant” then what do we consider them?
You provide a laundry list of reported ailments for Drew. Some (not all) resulted in Drew missing a day off or two here or there. You posted Varitek’s reported ailments as a comparison point. Comparatively – who was more productive? Was Varitek being completely honest with his injury/health status? Is Drew being penalized for being truthful to management? Would he have helped the team by playing sub-par while not healthy? Would Varitek have been more productive if he took more games off to rest/heal instead of ‘toughing things out’?
The fact is you and I do not KNOW just how truly ‘injury prone’ or ‘soft’ or ‘tough’ any of these players are. All I do KNOW is when they get on the playing field and produce.
T-mac
…
Whoever said it doesn't matter whether you win or lose, probably lost.
by David Harnden on Mar 2, 2010 6:51 PM EST up reply actions
~135 games is probably best anyway.
The player stays healthy and gets to contribute for pretty much all of the season, but he doesn’t suffer crashes due to fatigue. Guys who go out and play 150-160 games put their bodies at a greater risk of injury because they haven’t taken the time to rest, their body fatigues and can’t do the things it can when rested.
If I was your math homework I'd be really hard and you'd be doing me on your desk.
I'm a 7 WAR player in bed.
by TheLoneDavid on Feb 27, 2010 11:34 PM EST up reply actions
: (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eocCPDxKq1o
Whoever said it doesn't matter whether you win or lose, probably lost.
Silverman (Another decent journalist) has a nice piece on Drew today
"I try to run smoothly because, if you’re flying around and your head is bouncing, that makes it a hard play to make," said Drew.
You hear that Taco?
"That was a lot of fun… You just keep pounding balls into the gap. The one thing you don’t want to do is hit a home run. That’s a rally-killer." Jeff Francoeur
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