On Tuesday, the MLB announced the AL Gold Glove winners for this past season and once again, n0 Red Sox players appeared on that list. That’s not exactly a surprise for most, given the revolving door of players for the Sox this season, but it does emphasize the lack of defensive strength on the Sox roster. The Sox finished tied for 7th in fielding percentage in the AL (.982) in a year in which they focused on defense and pitching in the off-season. Injuries were a portion of the reason the defense struggled, but when you factor in that 35% of the 111 errors were committed by the 2 players the Sox brought in for defensive reasons, Adrian Beltre and Marco Scutaro, the problem can’t be completely blamed on injuries. Yes, Scutaro had a rotator cuff injury, but it is still pathetic to see the Sox commit the 3rd highest number of errors in the AL, behind only the Kansas City Royals and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Putting last season behind us, it appears Theo is focusing on a big piece or 2 to solidify the Sox strength in 2011, focusing on beefing up the pitching staff and adding an outfielder. According to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox have been in contact with the 3 large-name and top tier free agents available: Cliff Lee, Jayson Werth and Carl Crawford. Much has been made of the Cliff Lee to New York probable move, but don’t think the Sox aren’t going to at least press the Yankees buttons by throwing an offer or 2 at the talented lefty. The focus for the Sox is likely either on Werth or Crawford. I’m not going to go into my feelings on the 2 guys, because my love for Carl Crawford has already been stated and we have a special guest post coming the end of this week from Justin over at That Balls Outta Here, the best Phillies blog on the net, about our friend Werth. Now, let’s get back to the topic at hand: defense.
Since the 1992 season, the Red Sox have had just 3 Gold Glove winners. From the 1992 to 2004, no Sox player won the coveted award, but Jason Varitek broke the trend in 2005, followed by Kevin Youkilis in 2007 and Dustin Pedroia in 2008. Now I understand the system for selecting Gold Glove winners is far from perfect and frankly can be downright ridiculous, just look at Derek Jeter‘s award this year, but the lack of a defensive identity is concerning going forward for the Sox. In that same span of time (1992-present), the Yankees won 18 Gold Gloves. Putting aside the vanity and bias in the system, that’s 6 times the amount of awards the Red Sox have won, which is pathetic. Although Theo’s defensive approach last season didn’t work, it was the right direction to go in given the Sox struggles in that category over the past few decades.
The good news? If the Red Sox are able to bring in highly coveted outfielder Carl Crawford this off-season, they immediately inherit a 2010 Gold Glove and arguably a guy who should have a few more of those trophies on his shelf by now. The Sox front office can add offense, defense and speed in 1 fell swoop, but it will cost them a pretty penny. Looking at the historic numbers however, spending more on a top notch player like Crawford could help the Sox in such a huge number of ways, that it is worth stretching their budget a bit if needed. In the back of Theo’s mind, he is still thinking pitching and defense along with adding a big bat, so why not Crawford? Either way, if the Sox hope to contend for a title next season, 111 errors is not going to get the job done. Period.
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