For most of the winter, Sox fans heard that there was not enough power in the middle of the lineup. David Ortiz was coming off a season-ending injury. The talk was that newly-signed Mike Napoli would not quite fill the bill. So far, Napoli has proven the experts wrong.
The Townies may have found the Fenway hitter they were looking for in Adrian Gonzales. A piece by Peter Abraham mentions that Gonzales left Boston "muttering about the left field wall being too high for his line drives." But that has not seemed to bother Napoli. As of Friday, he was leading the majors with 25 rbi's. He is also approaching the club record for ribbies in April, set by Manny Ramirez. Napoli has smashed 11 doubles and 4 homers, one a grand slam. After a slow start, his average has risen to .273 He seems to have adapted well to first base in Boston.
The 31-year-old Napoli is in his eighth season in the majors. In five years in LA and two in Texas, he seemed always on the edge of emerging as a slugger. Though his homer totals averaged in the 20's, his other power figures left something to be desired. Only once did he drive in over 70 runs.
Part of the problem might have been his difficulty finding a regular position. Originally a catcher, he often ended up sharing the spot or serving as a part-time DH or first baseman. In only one season-2010- did he appear in 140 or more games. Injuries have also hampered him, going back to his minor league days. However, he is capable of torrid hitting streaks, such as in the 2008 ALDS, when he launched two tremendous homers off the Sox' Josh Beckett and then singled in the 11th to drive in the winning run. In 32 postseason games, he has batted .272 with 5 homers and 19 rbi's.
Napoli appears to have found a home at Fenway, where his uppercut swing should help him put some over the Green Monster. With Ortiz back and hitting well, the team may have solved some of their power issues.
Josh Hamilton, who many said Boston should have pursued, was at last count hitting .222 in LA and has been dropped from the cleanup spot. Mike Napoli has a good chance to vindicate the Sox' decision.
