I Believe in JD

All the Skepticism aside, I truly believe in JD Drew, the new Right fielder and the # 5 hitter in the Red Sox lineup, behind the big boppers Ortiz and Manny and it gives the sawx one of the game's best 3,4 and 5 hitters. JD is coming off a 100 RBI season and has a career On Base Percentage (OBP) of .394 which fits right into the offensive philosophy. He is a 5 tool player and big defensive upgrade over Trot Nixon, especially throwing the ball to the infield. Also, he is great opposite field hitter and would definitely make some dents in the Green Monster. I understand all the concerns of Sawx fans about the inability of JD to remain healthy, but the guy has played an average of 134 games in 2 of the last 3 seasons and the one season he missed 100 games was when he broke his hand with a pitch inside.

Look at the sawx lineup- below. we are going to give some some nightmares to opposing pitchers.

Projected 2007 Lineup: My projections for their 07 OBP:

Total Payroll: $155 Million ( 2nd highest in MLB, to Yankees payroll of $200 Million)

My Projected wins for SOX: 101, winners of AL East by 7 games over the Yanks ;))

07 OBP
1) J. Lugo -- .355 Good hitter, gr8 stolen base threat.
2) K. Youkilles --- .400 Greek God of Walks, what else can u say..Improved power in 07
3) D. Ortiz -- .420 Best hitter in AL. 63 Hr's and 150 RBI. AL MVP in 2007.
4) M. Ramirez -- .410 35 Hr's, 130 RBI's . .300 Avg
5) JD Drew .400 20 Hr's, 110 RBI, .280 Avg
6) M. Lowell .340 20 HR's, 85 RBI ,.290 Avg
7) J. Varitek (C) .338 15 HR's, 70 RBI, .275 Avg, Comeback Player Nominee
8) Coco Crisp .340 15 HR's, 60 RBI, .285 Avg, 20 SB's
9) D. Predoria .330 8 HR's, 45 RBI, .260 Avg


Here's the article on RED SOX finally signing JD Drew:


The Boston Red Sox and J.D. Drew finally resolved their wrangling over the outfielder's five-year, $70 million contract -- more than seven weeks after agreeing to everything except what to do about his surgically repaired right shoulder.

A baseball official involved in the negotiations said Thursday that the language had been agreed to. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because an announcement had not yet been made.

Drew's agent, Scott Boras, did not immediately return a telephone message, and Red Sox spokesman John Blake said the team had no comment.

The Red Sox reached a tentative agreement with Drew on Dec. 5, but the deal was delayed over possible damage lingering from September 2005 shoulder surgery. After wrangling for weeks -- interrupted by the holidays and Boston's pursuit of Japanese ace Daisuke Matsuzaka, another Boras client -- the sides agreed on language that would allow the team to opt out of guaranteed money in 2010 and 2011 if a specified pre-existing injury recurs.

The language is similar to that in Magglio Ordonez's deal with the Detroit Tigers. Boras and the players' association agreed that if the Red Sox exercise their rights under that language, neither Drew nor the union would contend that the language is unenforceable.

Drew takes the place of longtime rightfielder Trot Nixon, who played his entire 11-year career in Boston but agreed to a $3 million, one-year deal with the Cleveland Indians last week. Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said after confirming the tentative agreement on Dec. 5 that Drew fits nicely into right field and the No. 5 spot in the lineup, behind David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez.

"With David and Manny, if they want to walk those guys, we want them to pay a steep price," manager Terry Francona said then.

Drew, 31, has had injuries throughout his career, but he played in 146 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season and hit .283 with 20 homers and a team-high 100 RBIs. He became a free agent when he opted out of the last three years of his five-year, $55 million deal with the Dodgers.

The Red Sox eagerly pursued him.

Drew's deal calls for annual salaries of $14 million.