Biographical

Portrait of J.D. Drew

J.D. Drew RFRed Sox

Red Sox Player Cards | Red Sox Team Audit | Red Sox Depth Chart

Career Summary
Years PA AVG OBP SLG DRC+ WARP
15 6153 .278 .384 .489 119 32.5
Birth Date11-20-1975
Height6' 1"
Weight200 lbs
Age48 years, 4 months, 8 days
BatsL
ThrowsR
WARP Summary

MLB Statistics

YEAR TEAM AGE G PA H 2B 3B HR BB SO HBP SB CS AVG OBP SLG DRC+ DRAA BRR FRAA BWARP
1998 SLN 22 14 41 15 3 1 5 4 10 0 0 0 .417 .463 .972 140 2.1 -0.4 1.4 0.4
1999 SLN 23 104 430 89 16 6 13 50 77 6 19 3 .242 .340 .424 95 -0.7 2.4 6.4 2.0
2000 SLN 24 135 486 120 17 2 18 67 99 6 17 9 .295 .401 .479 112 11.0 1.4 7.4 2.9
2001 SLN 25 109 443 121 18 5 27 57 75 4 13 3 .323 .414 .613 140 24.6 2.3 3.2 3.9
2002 SLN 26 135 496 107 19 1 18 57 104 8 8 2 .252 .349 .429 104 5.0 0.0 1.4 1.6
2003 SLN 27 100 328 83 13 3 15 36 48 3 2 2 .289 .374 .512 121 9.9 0.7 -0.8 1.6
2004 ATL 28 145 645 158 28 8 31 118 116 5 12 3 .305 .436 .569 146 38.8 2.9 2.7 5.6
2005 LAN 29 72 311 72 12 1 15 51 50 5 1 1 .286 .412 .520 125 9.4 -2.6 -1.6 1.3
2006 LAN 30 146 594 140 34 6 20 89 106 4 2 3 .283 .393 .498 110 10.9 0.3 13.5 3.5
2007 BOS 31 140 552 126 30 4 11 79 100 1 4 2 .270 .373 .423 111 9.6 2.1 -6.3 1.6
2008 BOS 32 109 456 103 23 4 19 79 80 4 4 1 .280 .408 .519 135 20.7 2.2 -4.9 2.6
2009 BOS 33 137 539 126 30 4 24 82 109 3 2 6 .279 .392 .522 131 21.8 0.1 1.1 3.3
2010 BOS 34 139 546 122 24 2 22 60 105 4 3 1 .255 .341 .452 113 9.3 1.0 -2.1 1.9
2011 BOS 35 81 286 55 6 1 4 33 58 2 0 1 .222 .315 .302 80 -6.2 0.3 5.8 0.5
Career156661531437273482428621137558737.278.384.489119166.312.727.232.5

Statistics for All Levels

'opp' stats - Quality of opponents faced - have been moved and are available only as OPP_QUAL in the Statistics reports now.
Minor league stats are currently shownClick to hide.
YEAR Team Lg LG G PA oppAVG oppOBP oppSLG BABIP BPF BRAA repLVL POS_ADJ DRC+ DRC+ SD FRAA BRR DRAA BWARP
1997 SPL A NTH 0 200 .000 .000 .000 .263 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
1998 SLN MLB NL 14 41 .256 .321 .398 .455 99 7 1.1 -0.3 140 23 1.4 -0.4 2.1 0.4
1998 SPL A NTH 0 135 .000 .000 .000 .333 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
1998 ARK AA TXS 0 81 .000 .000 .000 .362 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
1998 MEM AAA PCL 0 102 .000 .000 .000 .390 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
1999 SLN MLB NL 104 430 .270 .339 .432 .270 101 1.4 11.7 1.2 95 10 6.4 2.4 -0.7 2.0
1999 MEM AAA PCL 0 97 .000 .000 .000 .369 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
2000 SLN MLB NL 135 486 .271 .345 .437 .351 114 9.8 15.3 -4.2 112 9 7.4 1.4 11.0 2.9
2001 SLN MLB NL 109 443 .266 .332 .437 .339 103 35.4 13.2 -4.1 140 9 3.2 2.3 24.6 3.9
2001 PEO A MDW 3 12 .000 .000 .000 .545 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
2002 SLN MLB NL 135 496 .260 .328 .415 .291 100 8.1 14.3 -5 104 8 1.4 0.0 5.0 1.6
2003 SLN MLB NL 100 328 .261 .331 .415 .304 100 12.4 8.6 -1.9 121 11 -0.8 0.7 9.9 1.6
2003 PMB A+ FSL 8 27 .000 .000 .000 .429 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
2004 ATL MLB NL 145 645 .263 .331 .426 .340 93 65.1 19.2 -6.8 146 10 2.7 2.9 38.8 5.6
2005 LAN MLB NL 72 311 .276 .338 .442 .300 97 23 8.9 -1.8 125 10 -1.6 -2.6 9.4 1.3
2006 LAN MLB NL 146 594 .268 .335 .430 .321 95 29.8 17.9 -6.7 110 9 13.5 0.3 10.9 3.5
2007 BOS MLB AL 140 552 .270 .338 .422 .319 102 15.4 16.4 -5.7 111 9 -6.3 2.1 9.6 1.6
2008 BOS MLB AL 109 456 .264 .331 .414 .307 107 23.8 13.2 -4.9 135 8 -4.9 2.2 20.7 2.6
2009 BOS MLB AL 137 539 .264 .331 .424 .319 111 19.3 15.5 -5.7 131 10 1.1 0.1 21.8 3.3
2010 BOS MLB AL 139 546 .258 .322 .409 .282 113 3.3 15.1 -5.5 113 9 -2.1 1.0 9.3 1.9
2011 BOS MLB AL 81 286 .253 .314 .399 .270 108 -7.4 7.7 -2.7 80 9 5.8 0.3 -6.2 0.5
2011 LOW A- NYP 1 4 .291 .308 .372 .000 99 0.2 0.1 -0.1 63 0 0.0 0.2 -0.2 0.0
2011 PAW AAA INT 1 3 .298 .341 .423 1.000 105 1.4 0.1 0 175 0 -0.2 0.0 0.2 0.0

Statistics For All Levels

Minor league stats are currently shownClick to hide.
Year Team lvl LG PA AB R H 2B 3B HR TB RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG ISO SF SH
1997 SPL A NTH 200 170 0 58 6 1 18 120 0 30 0 5 3 .341 .440 .706 .365 0 0
1998 MEM AAA PCL 102 79 15 25 8 1 2 41 13 22 18 1 3 .316 .471 .519 .203 0 0
1998 SLN MLB NL 41 36 9 15 3 1 5 35 13 4 10 0 0 .417 .463 .972 .556 1 0
1998 ARK AA TXS 81 67 18 22 3 1 5 42 11 13 15 2 1 .328 .444 .627 .299 0 0
1998 SPL A NTH 135 114 0 44 11 2 9 86 0 21 0 8 1 .386 .481 .754 .368 0 0
1999 MEM AAA PCL 97 87 11 26 5 1 2 39 15 8 20 6 1 .299 .371 .448 .149 0 0
1999 SLN MLB NL 430 368 72 89 16 6 13 156 39 50 77 19 3 .242 .340 .424 .182 3 3
2000 SLN MLB NL 486 407 73 120 17 2 18 195 57 67 99 17 9 .295 .401 .479 .184 1 5
2001 PEO A MDW 12 11 3 6 2 0 0 8 0 1 0 0 0 .545 .583 .727 .182 0 0
2001 SLN MLB NL 443 375 80 121 18 5 27 230 73 57 75 13 3 .323 .414 .613 .291 4 3
2002 SLN MLB NL 496 424 61 107 19 1 18 182 56 57 104 8 2 .252 .349 .429 .177 4 3
2003 SLN MLB NL 328 287 60 83 13 3 15 147 42 36 48 2 2 .289 .374 .512 .223 0 2
2003 PMB A+ FSL 27 19 4 7 0 0 1 10 3 7 4 0 0 .368 .556 .526 .158 0 0
2004 ATL MLB NL 645 518 118 158 28 8 31 295 93 118 116 12 3 .305 .436 .569 .264 3 1
2005 LAN MLB NL 311 252 48 72 12 1 15 131 36 51 50 1 1 .286 .412 .520 .234 3 0
2006 LAN MLB NL 594 494 84 140 34 6 20 246 100 89 106 2 3 .283 .393 .498 .215 6 1
2007 BOS MLB AL 552 466 84 126 30 4 11 197 64 79 100 4 2 .270 .373 .423 .152 6 0
2008 BOS MLB AL 456 368 79 103 23 4 19 191 64 79 80 4 1 .280 .408 .519 .239 5 0
2009 BOS MLB AL 539 452 84 126 30 4 24 236 68 82 109 2 6 .279 .392 .522 .243 1 1
2010 BOS MLB AL 546 478 69 122 24 2 22 216 68 60 105 3 1 .255 .341 .452 .197 4 0
2011 LOW A- NYP 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 .000 .500 .000 .000 0 0
2011 BOS MLB AL 286 248 23 55 6 1 4 75 22 33 58 0 1 .222 .315 .302 .081 3 0
2011 PAW AAA INT 3 3 1 3 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 1.000 1.000 .000 0 0

Plate Discipline

YEAR Pits Zone% Swing% Contact% Z-Swing% O-Swing% Z-Contact% O-Contact% SwStr% CSAA
2008 1834 0.4793 0.3719 0.7977 0.5722 0.1874 0.8887 0.5419 0.2023 -0.0032
2009 2194 0.4895 0.3724 0.8078 0.5745 0.1786 0.8801 0.5850 0.1922 -0.0053
2010 2207 0.5279 0.3774 0.8091 0.5442 0.1910 0.8738 0.6030 0.1909 0.0029
2011 1137 0.4978 0.3923 0.7870 0.5636 0.2224 0.8589 0.6063 0.2130 -0.0009
Career73720.49970.37680.80250.56320.19130.87710.58300.1975-0.0016

Injury History  —  No longer being updated

Last Update: 12/31/2014 23:59 ET

Date On Date Off Transaction Days Games Side Body Part Injury Severity Surgery Date Reaggravation
2011-09-17 2011-09-17 On-Alr 0 0 - Neck Soreness - -
2011-08-29 2011-08-29 On-Alr 0 0 Right Fingers Fracture with Loose Sliver Middle Finger - -
2011-07-20 2011-09-25 60-DL 67 62 Left Shoulder Impingement - -
2011-06-27 2011-06-30 DTD 3 2 Left Contusion Batting Practice -
2011-05-25 2011-05-29 DTD 4 3 Right Thigh Strain Hamstring -
2011-05-04 2011-05-05 DTD 1 1 General Medical Vertigo -
2011-03-23 2011-03-25 Camp 2 0 General Medical Illness -
2011-03-04 2011-03-07 Camp 3 0 General Medical Respiratory Flu -
2011-02-06 2011-02-06 Off 0 0 Left Thigh Strain Lingering Proximal Hamstring Tendinosis In Off-season - Sought Out PRP -
2010-09-13 2010-09-18 DTD 5 4 Right Ankle Sprain -
2010-07-27 2010-07-30 DTD 3 2 Thigh Strain Hamstring -
2010-06-30 2010-07-02 DTD 2 1 Neck Stiffness -
2010-06-19 2010-06-24 DTD 5 4 Left Thigh Strain Hamstring -
2010-05-26 2010-05-27 DTD 1 1 General Medical Illness -
2010-05-23 2010-05-23 DTD 0 0 Hip Soreness Hip Flexor -
2010-05-18 2010-05-18 DTD 0 0 Right Thigh Soreness Hamstring -
2010-05-10 2010-05-11 DTD 1 1 General Medical Vertigo -
2010-04-26 2010-04-26 DTD 0 0 General Medical Vertigo -
2010-04-11 2010-04-11 DTD 0 0 Neck Soreness -
2009-11-19 2009-11-19 Off 0 0 Left Shoulder Surgery Bone Spur In AC Joint 2009-11-19
2009-09-30 2009-10-04 DTD 4 4 Left Shoulder Soreness -
2009-08-15 2009-08-18 DTD 3 2 Left Groin Strain -
2009-07-31 2009-08-01 DTD 1 1 Left Groin Strain -
2009-06-14 2009-06-16 DTD 2 1 Right Shoulder Soreness -
2009-06-06 2009-06-09 DTD 3 2 Left Shoulder Inflammation Rotator Cuff Tendinitis -
2009-05-09 2009-05-10 DTD 1 1 Right Thigh Tightness Quadriceps -
2009-04-26 2009-04-27 DTD 1 1 Left Thigh Strain Quadriceps -
2009-03-20 2009-03-25 Camp 5 0 Right Hand Contusion -
2009-03-02 2009-03-02 On-Alr 0 0 - Back Inflammation Facet Joint Injection 2009-03-02 -
2008-08-18 2008-09-08 15-DL 21 18 Low Back Cartilage Injury Herniated Disc -
2008-07-09 2008-07-12 DTD 3 2 Low Back Spasms -
2008-05-29 2008-05-31 DTD 2 1 General Medical Illness Vertigo -
2008-05-14 2008-05-17 DTD 3 1 Left Wrist Sprain -
2008-04-30 2008-05-03 DTD 3 3 Left Thigh Tightness Quadriceps -
2008-03-25 2008-04-02 Camp 8 3 Low Back Spasms -
2007-09-01 2007-09-02 DTD 1 1 Right Foot Contusion Foul Ball -
2007-07-19 2007-07-20 DTD 1 1 Right Thigh Soreness Hamstring -
2007-07-14 2007-07-16 DTD 2 2 Right Thigh Soreness Hamstring -
2007-06-21 2007-06-23 DTD 2 1 Right Thigh Tightness Quadriceps -
2007-06-02 2007-06-04 DTD 2 2 Thigh Soreness Hamstring -
2007-05-16 2007-05-19 DTD 3 2 Low Back Contusion Wall -
2007-04-30 2007-05-01 DTD 1 0 General Medical Illness -
2006-07-21 2006-07-21 DTD 0 0 Right Knee Contusion Patella -
2006-06-11 2006-06-13 DTD 2 1 Right Thigh Contusion Quadriceps -
2006-06-08 2006-06-09 DTD 1 0 Right Thigh Soreness Hamstring -
2006-05-27 2006-05-29 DTD 2 2 Right Shoulder Soreness -
2005-09-20 2005-09-20 On-Alr 0 0 Right Wrist Surgery 2005-09-20 -
2005-09-20 2005-09-20 On-Alr 0 0 Right Shoulder Surgery 2005-09-20
2005-07-04 2005-10-03 60-DL 91 81 Left Wrist Fracture Ulnar Styloid Process 2005-09-20
2005-06-22 2005-06-27 DTD 5 5 Left Knee Soreness -
2005-05-23 2005-05-24 DTD 1 0 Right Wrist Soreness -
2005-05-08 2005-05-10 DTD 2 2 General Medical Gastrointestinal GI -
2004-09-19 2004-09-21 DTD 2 1 General Medical Illness -
2004-08-24 2004-08-25 DTD 1 1 Head Laceration Hit Head on Dugout Roof -
2004-08-15 2004-08-16 DTD 1 1 Right Thigh Soreness -
2004-08-08 2004-08-08 DTD 0 0 Right Elbow Contusion HBP -
2004-08-02 2004-08-03 DTD 1 0 Right Wrist Soreness -
2004-05-03 2004-05-07 DTD 4 3 Neck Stiffness -
2004-04-13 2004-04-20 DTD 7 5 Left Thigh Strain Hamstring -
2003-08-09 2003-09-01 15-DL 23 21 Right Abdomen Strain Oblique -
2003-07-06 2003-07-08 DTD 2 2 Right Knee Soreness -
2003-06-27 2003-06-27 DTD 0 0 Left Ankle Soreness -
2003-06-25 2003-06-25 DTD 0 0 Thigh Soreness Quadriceps -
2003-06-04 2003-06-06 DTD 2 2 Ankle Sprain -
2003-05-14 2003-05-16 DTD 2 2 Low Back Spasms -
2003-03-30 2003-04-20 15-DL 21 16 Right Knee Recovery From Surgery Patellar Tendon Debridement 2002-10-17
2003-01-31 2003-01-31 Off 0 0 Left Foot Surgery Cyst 2003-01-31 -
2002-10-17 2002-10-17 Off 0 0 Right Knee Surgery Patellar Tendon Debridement 2002-10-17
2002-06-28 2002-07-13 15-DL 15 11 Right Knee Inflammation -
2001-08-08 2001-08-20 DTD 12 12 - Low Back Strain - -
2001-06-18 2001-07-31 15-DL 43 35 Right Hand Fracture 5th Metacarpal -
2000-07-08 2000-07-27 15-DL 19 15 Left Ankle Sprain - -
1999-05-16 1999-06-30 15-DL 45 41 - Thigh Strain Quadriceps - -

Compensation

Year Team Salary
2012 $
2011 BOS $14,000,000
2010 BOS $14,000,000
2009 BOS $14,000,000
2008 BOS $14,000,000
2007 BOS $14,000,000
2006 LAN $11,000,000
2005 LAN $9,000,000
2004 ATL $4,200,000
2003 SLN $3,700,000
2002 SLN $3,100,000
2001 SLN $2,750,000
2000 SLN $2,750,000
YearsDescriptionSalary
12 yrPrevious$106,500,000
12 yrTotal$106,500,000

 

Service TimeAgentContract Status
13 y 20 dScott Boras5 years/$70M (2007-11)

Details
  • 5 years/$70M (2007-11). Signed by Boston as a free agent 12/06. 07-11: $14M/year. $9M of 2011 salary deferred @ 1% interest unless Drew plays 500 games 2007-10 or 375 games 2008-10. Limited no-trade protection: Boston may name 28 clubs where Drew may be traded, Drew may block deals to two clubs.
  • 5 years/$55M (2005-09). Signed by LA Dodgers as a free agent 12/04. $2M signing bonus. 05:$9M, 06-09:$11M/year. Drew may void remainder of contract after 2006 season. Drew opted out of contract 11/06.
  • 1 year/$4.2M (2004). Signed by Atlanta 1/04 (avoided arbitration).
  • 1 year/$3.7M (2003). Re-signed by St. Louis 1/03 (avoided arbitration). Acquired by Atlanta in trade from St. Louis 12/03.
  • 1 year/$3.1M (2002). Re-signed by St. Louis 1/02.
  • 4 years/$7M (1998-2001). Signed Major League contract with St. Louis. $2M in performance bonuses.
  • Drafted by St. Louis 1998 (1-5).
  • Drafted by Philadelphia 1997 (1-2) (did not sign).

2019 Preseason Forecast

Last Update: 1/27/2017 12:35 ET

PCT PA R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG DRC+ VORP FRAA WARP
Weighted Mean???????00??.000.000.00000.0?0.0

Comparable Players (Similarity Index )

Rank Score Name Year DRC+ Trend

BP Annual Player Comments

YearComment
2012 Isn't it odd that the last season of Drew's five-year deal was the campaign where he caught the least amount of flak from the pulpits? Maybe playing with a busted shoulder stirred sympathy. Or maybe everyone finally understood just how good he was from 2007-2010, when he had a combined TAv of .295 and played quality defense in a very difficult right-field corner. For all the complaints about Drew, he performed as well as Mike Lowell did over his own five years in Boston (for similar money), but for some reason Lowell is a hero, while Drew is a representation of all that was “wrong” with Theo Epstein's regime.
2011 Following two consecutive seasons as one of the most productive outfielders in the game, Drew's offense slipped in 2010. Righties presented no problem (.277/.358/.517), but left-handers tore him to pieces (.208/.302/.309); he's shown pronounced splits throughout his time in Boston, though he hadn't to that degree since 2007. Drew had not walked in fewer than 14.3 percent of his plate appearances since 2003, when free passes came 11 percent of the time, but he turned his walk rate to 11 again last season. Part of the problem was his own patience: opponents took advantage of his passive approach by throwing more first-pitch strikes. His flailing after falling behind led to twice as many double plays, a drop in his fly-ball production, and a failure to hit liners at his normal rates. Drew is in the last year of his deal; Boston is hoping he adjusts or holds steady one more time.
2010 Drew reliably misses 20-plus games a year, but he’s also reliably productive when he plays. The only seasons in which his production dipped in the just-completed decade were 2002, when, like Bay in ’07, he had problems with both knees, and 2007, when he was understandably distracted by the medical problems of his infant son. In the other eight seasons, he hit .293/.404/.530, which (again like Bay) resembles what he did in 2009. Still, as Drew enters his mid-thirties, one wonders how long he can prevent those annual aches and pains, such as the inflammation in his left shoulder which sent him under the knife for a minor clean-up in November, from becoming chronic. Fortunately for the Red Sox, his contract expires after 2011, and Josh Reddick or Ryan Kalish should be ready to replace him.
2009 Despite accumulating nearly 100 fewer plate appearances than in 2007, Drew hit for more power, doubling of his HR/FB rate. While his fly-ball rate itself only jumped up slightly, the distance he hit them increased dramatically, which allowed him to surpass even his 90th-percentile PECOTA forecast last year. He missed time to various back maladies, a knee and a quadriceps, but his back injury was the most serious; after the All-Star break, Drew hit all of .211/.395/.356 thanks to the back issues. That still made him more productive than his sometime replacement, Kotsay. Though the back problem is not supposed to be chronic, there always seems to be one injury or another hampering Drew, which could be more of a problem with Manny gone and Papi declining.
2008 The value of drawing walks is that, even when you don't do much else at the plate, just not making outs means that you won't be that big a drag on the offense. Drew's .373 on-base percentage kept the line moving last year. Cut him some slack; he spent much of the summer worried about his year-old son, who required surgery on both his collarbone and hip in July. Drew is a strong bounceback candidate.
2007 After an injury-marred inaugural season as a Dodger, not to mention a pair of offseason surgeries (wrist and knee), Drew put the lie to his critics in 2006. Despite aches and pains, he avoided the DL all season and reached a career high in games played; ten pinch-hit appearances padded the total, but credit Grady Little with successfully managing his workload. Though a midsummer power outage saw him go eight weeks without a homer, Drew rediscovered his stroke in September and helped key the Wild Card run, hitting .317/.462/.683 with six home runs for the month. As the season wound down, Drew spoke of declining to exercise an opt-out clause in his five-year, $55-million contract, noting he liked living in L.A., but boom times signaled by the early resolution of labor negotiations changed the landscape enough for the Scott Boras client to reconsider. Ned Colletti`s hurt feelings aside, that should have generated sighs of relief; Drew`s propensity for injury would have inevitably bitten the Dodgers. As if to underscore the point, the five-year, $70-million deal Boras hammered out with the Red Sox required restructuring after Drew failed his physical because of a bum shoulder.
2006 Despite an 0-for-25 start, Drew was easily on pace to justify both his salary and his status as the lineup`s centerpiece before getting hurt. But as DePodesta`s critics were quick to note, Drew came with a manufacturer`s warning about his fragility. His 2004 featured a career-high 145 games, 28 above his average over the previous five years. Still, the latest injury came on a hit-by-pitch; Cal Ripken would have gone on the DL with a broken wrist, too. Bashing DePo is a bit more justified regarding the contractual provision allowing Drew to either leave after 2006, or stay and soak up another $33 million of Dodger green while playing in less-than-mint condition. When healthy, he`s one of the top hitters in baseball, but whether he can keep it together for 140-plus games in any one season remains the issue.
2005 Health and performance finally intersected for the erstwhile wunderkind. Even so, because of his chronic, degenerative knee condition, he's no less of a risk for the future. There's a chance this past season was his final full one. With 116 unintentional walks, 67 extra-base hits and the fourth-best OBP in either league, Drew exceeded expectations, but he's a high-risk proposition for the rest of his career. Signed a five-year, $55 million deal with the Dodgers, who are poised to move him back to center. It's somewhat counterintuitive, but that may be the best thing for his knee; it's the quick stopping and starting that hurts him the most, and there'll be less of that in center.
2004 Drew's chronic patellar tendinitis was and remains serious. It's the same injury that, in tandem with advanced age, ended Mark McGwire's career. In Drew's case, the condition was so advanced that surgeons had to remove a significant portion of dead tissue. He's as healed as he's ever going to be, and a nearly full season is possible, though something less than that is just about a historical imperative. In 2003, when he was able to play, he was effective. That's been the story almost his entire career. He'll replace Gary Sheffield in the Braves' lineup, forced to painfully chase more balls into the corners since Andruw Jones is a fixture in center.
2003 This year’s breakdown? Tendonitis in both knees. He’s already having significant joint trouble before 30? Is he going to break out, or did he already do it in 2001? It looks like PECOTA doesn’t care for his odds, and at this point, I can’t say I disagree. Drew’s a very useful player, but let’s not bring up Fred Lynn. Fred Lynn was great first and hurt early. Drew has only been very good and pretty much hurt all along. If this winter’s relatively new microsurgery procedure rejuvenates the dead tendon in his left knee, chalk it up to another modern medical miracle. Hope for it, because Cardinals fans deserve to see Drew play a full season, and it’s pretty certain that he’d enjoy himself.
2002 Lower back sprain, bruised chest, wrenched ankle, strep throat, broken hand. No, it's not Les Nessman's winter itinerary, it's a brief overview of J.D.'s 2001 Medical Mystery Tour. When Drew was in the lineup, he was in a very select group of performers in a cluster behind Barry Bonds, and every bit as good as advertised. Hopefully, he won't take the Fred Lynn career path into several immovable objects. If he can find his way to 650 plate appearances, he'll be a good bet for the NL MVP Award.
2001 He'll completely obliterate that forecast if LaRussa lets him. J.D. Drew is probably eight years away from being old enough for Tony LaRussa to take him seriously, something TLR made more than clear during the 2000 season. The idea that Shawon Dunston or Craig Paquette ever played while Drew was still breathing boggles the mind. Drew can play any outfield spot well, which makes him a valuable guy to have when your other outfielders are notoriously injury-prone. He's still not the most loved guy in Philadelphia, but can you imagine a 3-4-5-6 of him, Pat Burrell, Bobby Abreu, and Scott Rolen?
2000 Though Drew struggled relative to the expectations of instant greatness (promoted by us, among others), once he was healthy he showed power, patience, a great arm and good speed. Because of his limited pro experience, he made a lot of mental mistakes, especially throwing to the wrong base. LaRussa spent the last few months of the season harping on Drew's shortcomings and threatening that he'll have to improve or play in Memphis. For whose benefit does an established manager say that stuff in public? Scott Boras’s? To show everyone that Tony LaRussa's famed communication skills are as dead as Elvis? Drew is going to draw fire just for being Drew, so the Cardinals need to end this sort of grandstanding, pronto. It doesn't pay to run down an extremely talented young player just because the manager is cranky that the kid wasn't Instant Cup-o-Mantle.
1999 Is that all? Call me greedy, but I wanted more from his projection. His few weeks in the Texas League were enough to get him named its #3 prospect. I’m sure that’s got a hundred kids wondering how they can get Scott Boras on their side, rather than cave in and take $10,000 to skip college or something. Drew is the complete package: strong arm, good range, and a compact, vicious swing that generates tremendous power. He’s good enough in the field to push Lankford out of center right now, but it looks like he’ll be in right.

BP Articles

Click here to see articles tagged with J.D. Drew

BP Chats

DateQuestionAnswer
2010-10-14 13:00:00 (link to chat)Rumor is the Red Sox open up the vault for Crawford. Does that make sense, as the Monster means he has that much less room to cover LF, with his top-flight defense thus being less valuable in Boston than elsewhere?
(DrManhattan from NYC)
The Red Sox won't sign him for seven years, which seems to be the number everyone is repeating. They will be in on Jayson Werth though, since he can be signed for five years in what will probably turn out out to be the 2011 equivalent of a J.D. Drew contract.

It is an easy left field to play in the sense that there is less room to cover, but you still have 81 road games to play, and just as important as his speed and range are his defensive instincts. I would expect him to be able to cut off a lot of shallow outfield singles and turn them into outs if he played in Fenway. There are ways to use the lack of area to cover to your advantage with his skillset--even Manny Ramirez used to be able to rob people of singles or hold them to them. (Marc Normandin)
2009-12-15 14:00:00 (link to chat)Why no talk of the Red Sox installing Mike Cameron in Fenway's spacious RF and moving JD Drew to LF? Cameron's arm too weak?
(TheGreenMiles from Arlington, VA)
I guess this is where I put on Kevin Goldstein's kangol for a moment and remind people that players aren't Strat cards. Cameron's a tremendous center fielder; you can bet he expects to play center. And you want to ask J.D. Drew, the Meissen man, to go play under the Monster? It's neat to ponder, but I just don't see anyone making this pitch, let alone this sale. (Christina Kahrl)
2009-10-02 14:00:00 (link to chat)The Red Sox are a pretty smart organization. I would expect a smart organization to not play Jason Varitek at all when they have Victor Martinez. Will I be disappointed?
(akachazz from DC)
I think the lineup they started last night is what we'll see next week, with J.D. Drew in right field instead of...Gathright or Reddick, I forget who started. Martinez catches and bats third. (Joe Sheehan)
2009-09-14 16:30:00 (link to chat)Scott Boras: good for baseball or bad for baseball?
(Vic from West Chester, PA)
It's tough to say whether he is good for baseball or bad for baseball. I don't think he's necessarily all that good for his clients though. He has a lot of money, and can afford to be much riskier with other people's money. By giving himself the credibility as a tough negotiator, he puts his current clients at risk of getting little money so that he can extract more money from teams down the line. Take the J.D. Drew thing as an example. J.D. Drew was major-league ready when the Phillies drafted him, but he waited a year without signing with Phillies to sign with the Cardinals for only a small amount more the following year. That extra money cost Drew a year of free agent salaries because he was major league ready and he probably lost him ten times what he gained in the process. Drew probably didn't want to play with the Phillies, but there are plenty of examples (Kyle Lohse, I think Jason Varitek) where Boras takes a hard stance that works a lot and fails occasionally, and it's not necessarily wise to be that risky if you're not already rich. (Matt Swartz)
2009-03-03 13:00:00 (link to chat)Easy question, Marc: Sox or Yanks in '09?
(mattymatty from Philly, PA)
Easy answer for an easy question: Red Sox. Well, unless J.D. Drew misses too much time with his back, and none of the Red Sox veteran signings pan out like they were supposed to...okay, so maybe the answer isn't that easy. (Marc Normandin)
2009-02-10 14:00:00 (link to chat)Is Boston ever going to get off their Varitek addiction? Is it worth trading Buchholz to get an adequate solution for the next few years?
(kingofstyle from NY)
Given that Buchholz has some very real talent despite his case of the Ruffcorns as far as sticking, that's one of the choices the Red Sox are very sensibly trying to avoid until they absolutely have to live with it. I talked about it in today's TA in my coverage of the Varitek signing... I guess I don't see why you have to burn $5 million, just because Teixeira said "no thank you." As Steven Goldman noted earlier today in his bit, this isn't a club with perfect solutions across 1B/3B/DH should any of the first-rank guys falter, and they're counting on J.D. Drew to boot? I see a thicket of potentially overlapping offensive problems. (Christina Kahrl)
2008-12-15 13:00:00 (link to chat)Do you have any reservations about Joba's ability to stick as a starter? About Hughes ability to stay healthy?
(Rob from Brighton)
I think Joba Chamberlain will be a solid starter, but I'm not sure about being a #1. Since they signed Sabathia, he doesn't have to be. 2? 3? Not sure, but they've handled him well. Hughes - well, he hasn't stayed healthy yet, so I don't have any reason to think that will change. It could, since he's young, and he's been good when healthy so you have to keep hoping. Hughes is the guy I usually cite, along with Rocco Baldelli and J.D. Drew, when I say that genetics will be the next revolution in baseball. (Will Carroll)
2008-03-06 13:00:00 (link to chat)How good can Fukodome be this year? Where would he rank among all OFs?
(jedmonds15 from St. Louis)
The line I've heard about Fukudome is that he's a J.D. Drew-type hitter, capable of .300/.400/.500. PECOTA has him at .289/.401/.504 with 30 VORP, which looks pretty good to me. That would have run 8th among MLB RFs last year - upper 25% basically. (Jay Jaffe)


BP Roundtables

DateRoundtable NameComment
2009-10-12 15:00:00Phillies/Rockies Playoffs RoundtableBatting David Ortiz a couple of spots ahead of J.D. Drew, and treating him as a two-way player, was delusional. That wasn't the only mistake, but it didn't help.

It's a three-game losing streak at the wrong time. The Angels outplayed the Sox, flat beat them, same as the Dodgers did the Cardinals for the most part. It happens. The mistake is overreaction to three games.

(Joe Sheehan)
 

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