At the beginning of the Red Sox season David Ortiz expressed that he wanted another power bat in the line up. Here in Boston there were mixed emotions about Ortiz's comment.
With Manny Ramirez being in LA, Ortiz was concerned he didn't have a bat behind him to protect him.
There was one person on the Red Sox that took that comment in offense. That person is "The Greek God of Walks" himself, Kevin Youkilis.
He felt like the team had great hitters already in the lineup with the likes of defending MVP Dustin Pedroia and speed demon Jacoby Ellsbury in front of him. With guys like "Everyday" Jason Bay (I just thought of that and if anyone picks it up you heard it here first) and Youkilis backing him up, the team looks stacked.
With all of that said, the two are both right.
In the defense of Ortiz, the Red Sox do need another power bat in the lineup. The Red Sox have had the most feared lineup in the majors the last two years.
Things changed when Ramirez was dealt before the trade deadline last year. The Red Sox still had a potent lineup but it wasn't as feared as maybe the Rays or Yankees. With the first month of the season almost over the Red Sox offense was struggling somewhat early on, but now they are beginning to warm up.
In the defense of Youkilis, the Sox are just fine where they are at. They have five players that could potentially hit over .300. They don't need power to survive in the AL East.
This team has evolved from a team that solely relied on the long ball to win games, to a team that wins on small ball and defense. They don't have to be feared but they just have to be effective.
In the end they are both right. The team could use another power hitter. At the same time, if Ortiz does his job and hits, this lineup could be as good or better as the lineups of years past.
Right now only time will tell how good this offense can be.
- Login to post comments