Speed racer

Ellsbury staying positive through his slump

 Jacoby Ellsbury had the tag of “can’t miss rookie” slapped on him before this season even started.

That kind of thing can happen when you electrify a big league team with a .361 batting average in September and continue right on with the clutch performances during the postseason.

Ellsbury hasn’t maintained a steady .300 batting average during his rookie season and has stolen only one base in the last 23 games leading up to the All-Star break, but the 24-year-old is maintaining the right attitude amidst adversity.

“It’s not like you wake up one morning and you can’t remember how to hit any more, so it’s always important to just stick with your approach and expect that the hits are going to come,” said the speedy outfielder.

Some had speculated that the right wrist Ellsbury injured while making a diving catch has affected him at the plate and sapped him of his gap-to-gap power, as he’s hitting for a .206 batting average since rolling the wrist on June 5.

The rookie assured that the wrist feels fine, and Ellsbury is instead adjusting to a group of American League pitchers that have taken notice of his dangerous leadoff skills.

“When you look at how we play, a lot of that is directly correlated to if Jacoby is getting on base,” said Sox manager Terry Francona, who clearly understands what the lightning-legged leadoff guys means to Boston’s run-scoring machine.

“When he’s hot and he’s on base, we’re a different team because they have to recognize his speed and his ability to run the bases. It makes [Pedroia] a better hitter and it makes our whole lineup different.”

The peaks and valleys of a big leaguer’s rookie campaign have already clearly manifested themselves with the highs of hitting over .280 in both April and May and scoring runs in bunches — but he’s also now experienced the lows of a .245 June while showing the ability to bounce back from it.

“Obviously you want to go out there and get hits every single day, but it’s all about putting good [at-bats] together,” said Ellsbury. “Once you get frustrated, it starts becoming a domino effect. That’s what you need to avoid.”