’07 Season: You could sum up J.D.’ s season by watching a clip of a weak grounder to second to end a rally over and over again, then watch a clip of the grand slam in the ALCS and you have seen enough. J.D. did not win over Red Sox Nation when he replaced Trot in right. When he was signed fans complained about the big salary for a guy with a history of injury problems, by mid season they were wishing for one of those injuries. J.D. hit .171 in May with no home runs, he started to heat up in June by hitting .325 for the month but quickly went back down in July. In July he hit .213 and failed to hit any home runs. By the time August rolled around most fans were done with him; he needed to have about 3 walk-offs in a row to win them back. He brought his average up but the power numbers were not there. His grand slam in the ALCS was his first real moment where he contributed in a big way and may have set the tone for next season.
’08 Outlook: J.D. was below his career average in almost every stat last season, this can be attributed to switching leagues and the pressure players face in the Hub. With the new lineup for Boston next year he might start towards the bottom of the order taking away some of the pressure he felt last year. He is a good defensive player and does have some speed on the base paths. With the expectation bar set so low for J.D. next season he could win back fans by putting up average numbers. It will be hard for Drew not to improve in ’08 which can only mean good things for a team that won the World Series with him in right.
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