"JD Drew hates baseball."
Yeah, and he obviously HATES his fans, too.Um, no. If Drew HATED baseball, he would have called it a career after the first few million bucks. Is JD the most enthusiastic player in baseball? Of course not, and you could even make the argument that he's not even the most enthusiastic guy in right field (I'm pretty sure the umpires show more passion). It's easy to see why JD has not endeared himself to the vast majority of baseball fans, but he's an extremely skilled player all the same.
JD Drew had the misfortune of replacing an absolute fan favorite in right field, the original Dirt Dog, Trot Nixon. Nixon never had a clean uniform by the third inning, as he dove all over the field, trying for any advantage he could. Not offense to Trot, but Drew doesn't NEED to do that: his physical gifts and superior positioning make diving for balls or bases unnecessary, and why risk injury when you can just as easily get there standing?
There was a fan on Twitter this evening who said Drew should soon be arrested for theft, as he steals his salary every game. This is absurd. Drew, by virtue of having the highest salary on the team, has a great big target on his back. The fans want their money's worth, and that's okay, but what most people don't realize is that Drew is a very valuable commodity.
JD Drew has a career OPS of .896. If you take out 2007, when his young son was ill for most of the season, that number jumps to .949. For a guy who is speedy enough to steal bases and get to most balls (10.5 UZR in 2009, 2nd best in baseball for his position) - in Fenway's vast right field, no less - JD is very good with his bat.
Pedroia has enough passion for the two of them. Is baseball his passion? Of course not, and he'll never be a Dustin Pedroia or Kevin Youkilis in that regard. But a man who hated baseball would never put up the numbers he does. I was disgusted to hear the home town fans booing him on Sunday night: let's keep it classy, Boston. JD Drew earns his keep, and I'd like to see him get the appreciation he deserves.
I am so fed up with the negative comments about JD. It's not that he hates baseball, it's that the fans hate him because the salaries don't seem right. Right now I'm not thrilled with David Ortiz. I feel he's stealing his salary but the fact is I feel that people don't like JD because he's not animated. The fact is if he was the guy who got pissed at every bad play, got angry after a loss or got ejected people would harp on that. JD Drew's coolness is one of the reasons I like him. He's level-headed. Now JD's talking retirement and mark my words,the people who are yakking that he's not passionate, that he's not a guy who goes sliding around wrecklessly and doesn't yell or swear during games are going to miss him when he does depart from the team. It's just a really tragedy that they don't appreciate him now!
ReplyDeleteWell said. Unfortunately for Drew, he's playing with some very interesting characters which contrast with his cool, level-headed demeaner as the person before me so accurately described. I do think that he's being paid too much, but in his defense, if the Red Sox offered me that kind of money there's no way I'd turn them down.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your post. So what if JD doesn't show a lot of emotion/passion? This certainly doesn't mean he HATES baseball! (Whoever said that obviously didn't know what the hell they were talking about.)
ReplyDeleteThe point is that he does his job and does it well. It's so stupid for people to be harping on his personality, anyway. JD is one of those guys who comes to the park, quietly plays the game (quite often well), and then goes home or whatever. I, for one, don't give a damn if he isn't all "rah-rah" like others. Different people have different personalities. I'd rather have a cool-headed, not to mention talented, guy like JD on "my" team than some asshat who, although he's animated, does nothing to benefit said team.