Handing out Sox' midseason hardware
Baseball’s most cherished award is the centerpiece of a champagne-soaked clubhouse in October, and the prestigious individual honors are doled out a few weeks later. With your Red Sox approaching the midpoint, we figured now is a swell time to shell out some far-less-revered hardware of our own:
The “Little People, Big World” Award: To Dustin Pedroia, who entered his first full season with a ballpark full of skeptics after he hit an uninspiring .191 late last year. Pedroia got off to slow start this season, hitting .182 through May 1. But instead of listening to the WEEI nitwits who yowled that his playing time should go to Alex Cora, he did something else: He started hitting ... and he hasn’t stopped. The little guy with the big swing has been a revelation, batting .322 with an .850 OPS, all the while proving the frequent comparisons to ping-hitter David Eckstein had everything to do with his diminutive stature and nothing to do with his superior offensive ability. We won’t underestimate him again.
The “Did You See That Catch Coco Made?” Award: To Wily ... nah, we kid. This one obviously goes to Coco Crisp, who has played center field with uncommon brilliance and athleticism. Andruw Jones and Torii Hunter have the golden reputations, but we challenge you to find anyone playing the position as a well as Crisp. Ellis Burks was the last Sox outfielder to win a Gold Glove — way back in 1990. Crisp deserves to end that drought this season
The “Tangled Up In Blue” Award: To David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis, neither of whom, in their minds, has ever taken a pitch that should be called a strike. Chill out, fellas. The umpires talk amongst themselves, and you’re both getting a reputation in their circles, which means the strike zone may be getting even larger if you don’t start keeping your opinions of their work to yourselves.
The “Upon Further Review” Award: To Josh Beckett, who has emerged as a bonafide ace in his second season in the American League with 11 wins, the most impressive of which was a 3-2 victory over Jake Peavy and the Padres last weekend. Sox fans spent the winter wondering if Beckett, who won 16 games but had a swollen 5.01 ERA in his first Boston season, would ever pitch at a level commensurate with his immense ability. With Hanley Ramirez blossoming into a five-tool star with the Marlins while winning the 2006 NL Rookie of the Year award, it was natural to wonder if we’d long lament swapping him for Beckett. Now it looks like a good deal for both clubs. And, with Mike Lowell still thriving in Boston and Anibal Sanchez ailing in Florida, the scale may even be tilted the Sox’ way.
The “Even Mario Mendoza Mocks You” Award: To Julio Lugo, he of the $36 million contract and .191 batting average, including his ongoing 0-for-31 embarrassment. We’re not saying Lugo has been the worst free-agent signing in Sox history (hi there, Matt Young), but he’s been so atrocious that we’ve caught ourselves thinking that maybe Cesar Crespo wasn’t so bad.
Chad Finn is the founder of Touching All The Bases (touchingallthebases.blogspot.com), a blog that takes a passionate but irreverent look at Boston sports. A sports copy editor at the Boston Globe, he also writes a weekly baseball column for FOXSports.com.
