How Will Carl Crawford’s Setback Impact the Red Sox?
When the games start to mean something on April 5th, Bobby Valentine won’t have his regular left-fielder available and according to Valentine, it could be well into April before Carl Crawford is ready to return to the lineup.
Crawford cannot yet swing a bat thanks to wrist surgery in early January and when camp opens in Fort Myers, Crawford will report but will be held to just conditioning drills.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Carl’s a few weeks into the season before he’s really ready to go, I wouldn’t be surprised, nor disappointed, if that’s what nature dictates as the healing process.” Bobby Valentine on Crawford, courtesy of the Boston Herald.
So how will this impact the Red Sox when they open up the 2012 season in Detroit against the new look Princed out Tigers. Considering that the lineup card is very seldom set when Bobby V is managing it’s hard to say. Many thought Crawford should bat second in the lineup, a slot where he is most comfortable from his days in Tampa Bay. Others feel that leadoff is where he’s best suited and move Ellsbury to third.
Regardless of where Crawford ends up in the batting order, this team is not as strong without him. He’s still a force to be reckoned with at the plate whether he’s batting sixth, second or leadoff. He struggled last season and his numbers reflected that but I would have to believe that he will bounce back this season, he just has too much raw talent not to. Valentine has made it a priority to get Carl comfortable and when Bobby sets his mind to something he does it.
Bobby V has said that he will use the speed of Crawford and Ellsbury more and stealing bases and getting into scoring position will be critical to winning games in Detroit. Without the threat of Crawford on the basepaths, this club looks considerably different.
The other side where the Sox are now weaker at is the defensive side of the ball. Crawford’s speed in the outfield and his ability to track down balls that most would let drop is a huge bonus. Well hit fly balls late in the game can pose a threat but when Carl is in left most balls find the glove and not the grass.
With Crawford out for likely a couple of weeks into April, the Red Sox starting outfield will likely look like this. Jacoby Ellsbury in center field, Cody Ross in right field and likely Ryan Sweeney in left field. Darnell McDonald is an option to fill in on the corners when needed. Suddenly the outfield is a lot weaker without the former all-star in left.
A good start for the Red Sox is pivotal this season and they can certainly achieve that without Carl Crawford. Someone will have to step up their game and provide some heroics early on this season, someone like Cody Ross.
You can’t win the division in April but as we all know from last year, you can put yourself in a pretty big hole if you’re not playing good baseball in the first few weeks of the season. With an eager fan base chomping at the bit for a postseason berth, Carl Crawford will play a huge role in accomplishing that. Let’s just hope it’s sooner than later that he’s ready to start contributing.
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