Time to Step It Up

The news that David Ortiz has an injured tendon sheath in his wrist and will miss a month is a tough break for the Red Sox and their fans. We keep hearing from manager Terry Francona the different ways the team will seek to replace Big Papi. Things like more playing time for Sean Casey, Coco Crisp and Brandon Moss. The team will need increased contributions from several players to help weather this storm. But the bottom line is you can’t replace Ortiz’ production. It’s just too much of a reach. But one guy who could really help the Red Sox out in terms of increased production is one J.D Drew. Now, I’ve been on this guy since he was signed by the Red Sox and have considered him a waste of money. Except for the grand slam in Game 6 of the ALCS last October, he’s done nothing for the Red Sox. He has little to no power, hits too many ground balls to the right side of the infield and looks to take walks in most situations. If the Red Sox are to survive the Ortiz injury, Drew must be the lead guy to step it up. He’s getting paid $14 million per year, apparently has the ability to produce at a high level yet his production stinks so far. If he wants to win over Red Sox Nation then he needs to go on a hot streak right now to help replace some of Ortiz’ numbers. He needs to become a main cog in the team’s machine, something the Red Sox thought they were getting when they signed him. The team has been winning for the most part since Drew got here so he hasn’t gotten much heat or negative attention. But the guy really has done nothing since signing that big contract. For what they’re paying him, the Red Sox are not getting a good return on their investment. It’s time for J.D. Drew to show why he got all that money. I don’t expect he’ll do it, but his stepping it up right now could go a long way toward saving the Red Sox’ fortunes during this difficult period without Big Papi. It remains to be seen if Drew has the stomach for it.  Red Sox Nation will be watching closely.