Are the Red Sox Overrated? 495 Ballplayers Say Yes
According to a recent Sports Illustrated player poll, the Sox have two of the most overrated players in the league in J.D. Drew and Kevin Youkilis.
Sports Illustrated polled 495 Major Leaguers and the results were resounding: 7% of the players polled believe Drew is the most overrated player in baseball (placing him in a tie with Alex Rodriguez for third overall), while 4% believe that dishonor is Youk's alone (tying him for four fourth with David Wright). From the biased standpoint of a Red Sox fan, I must wholeheartedly disagree with the fine folks over at SI and the players they polled. Let's see how they could arrive at the ludicrous conclusion that both of these fine ballplayers are overrated and attempt to correct the errors in their judgment.
Not many ballplayers have come into the game with more hype than that which previously surrounded Drew and Youk. Drafted fifth overall in 1998 by the Cardinals, Drew was heralded as a five-tool star who could possibly become one of the best the game had ever seen. In what was a sign of the air of greatness that encompassed him, J.D. played just 45 minor league games between AA and AAA before getting called up in '98. A decade later, Drew's played in 140+ games in just 3 seasons, he's never eclipsed 100 RBI, he has a total of 9 stolen bases over the past 4 seasons, and the three highest single-season home run totals of his career are 31 (2004), 27 ('01) and 20 ('06). Far from superstar status. In addition, the man's had his desire to succeed and dedication to the game questioned at every stop in his career and was even slapped with the sadly appropriate moniker "Nancy Drew" while with the Dodgers.
Youk's unofficial nickname "The Greek God of Walks" preceded him, creating lofty expectations that even the most skilled player would have trouble living up to. Selected in the eighth round, Youk toiled through the minor leagues for 406 games - honing his pitch-taking ability and basically becoming an on-base specialist - before earning a full-time role in 2006. He's posted respectable - but far from stellar - numbers in his first two full seasons with the big league BoSox, but he's known for having considerably weak second halfs. What's worse is that he's widely considered one of the most whiny players in the game as he frequently overreacts to his own screw ups and strike outs; proving that it's an actual problem and not some media concoction, he was even confronted about it by teammates - namely Manny Ramirez, as you may recall - recently.
So I guess it's not so tough to see how J.D. and Kevin could be viewed as overrated. There have been times (many, many times) and there will be even more times when even we here at Boston Sports Buzz don't like either - or both - of them. However, given the fact that they're both having outstanding seasons (Drew: .327 BA, 13 HR, 43 RBI, 53 R / Youk: .303 BA, 11 HR, 44 RBI, 44 R), I'm a little skeptical to let the claim that either of them is overrated slide (at least in the context of the 2008 season, which, after all, is the season upon which the poll is based, as well as the season during which the poll was conducted). While both players have their own highly publicized shortcomings, it's nothing short of absurd to assert that either of them is overrated due to the fact that they're both absolutely raking at the moment.
All that said, check back with me in 4 to 8 weeks; if J.D.'s average is back down to .260 and Youk's starting to decline for yet another second half, maybe I'll tell you something different. Like many other Sox fans, I may not be so inclined to defend J.D. if he's mired in a 2-35 slump and there's no light at the end of the tunnel. But for now, I think we all can agree that the 9% of the players who said that Barry Zito was the most overrated player in the game were right on the money.
Still, 9% was only good enough to get the struggling surfer to the second overall spot... who could possibly be more overrated than the 2-11, $18 million per year ($126 million total) man?
That'd be New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter, who received 10% of the vote. I guess there's some truth to the views expressed in the poll, after all.
Sports Illustrated polled 495 Major Leaguers and the results were resounding: 7% of the players polled believe Drew is the most overrated player in baseball (placing him in a tie with Alex Rodriguez for third overall), while 4% believe that dishonor is Youk's alone (tying him for four fourth with David Wright). From the biased standpoint of a Red Sox fan, I must wholeheartedly disagree with the fine folks over at SI and the players they polled. Let's see how they could arrive at the ludicrous conclusion that both of these fine ballplayers are overrated and attempt to correct the errors in their judgment.
Not many ballplayers have come into the game with more hype than that which previously surrounded Drew and Youk. Drafted fifth overall in 1998 by the Cardinals, Drew was heralded as a five-tool star who could possibly become one of the best the game had ever seen. In what was a sign of the air of greatness that encompassed him, J.D. played just 45 minor league games between AA and AAA before getting called up in '98. A decade later, Drew's played in 140+ games in just 3 seasons, he's never eclipsed 100 RBI, he has a total of 9 stolen bases over the past 4 seasons, and the three highest single-season home run totals of his career are 31 (2004), 27 ('01) and 20 ('06). Far from superstar status. In addition, the man's had his desire to succeed and dedication to the game questioned at every stop in his career and was even slapped with the sadly appropriate moniker "Nancy Drew" while with the Dodgers.
Youk's unofficial nickname "The Greek God of Walks" preceded him, creating lofty expectations that even the most skilled player would have trouble living up to. Selected in the eighth round, Youk toiled through the minor leagues for 406 games - honing his pitch-taking ability and basically becoming an on-base specialist - before earning a full-time role in 2006. He's posted respectable - but far from stellar - numbers in his first two full seasons with the big league BoSox, but he's known for having considerably weak second halfs. What's worse is that he's widely considered one of the most whiny players in the game as he frequently overreacts to his own screw ups and strike outs; proving that it's an actual problem and not some media concoction, he was even confronted about it by teammates - namely Manny Ramirez, as you may recall - recently.
So I guess it's not so tough to see how J.D. and Kevin could be viewed as overrated. There have been times (many, many times) and there will be even more times when even we here at Boston Sports Buzz don't like either - or both - of them. However, given the fact that they're both having outstanding seasons (Drew: .327 BA, 13 HR, 43 RBI, 53 R / Youk: .303 BA, 11 HR, 44 RBI, 44 R), I'm a little skeptical to let the claim that either of them is overrated slide (at least in the context of the 2008 season, which, after all, is the season upon which the poll is based, as well as the season during which the poll was conducted). While both players have their own highly publicized shortcomings, it's nothing short of absurd to assert that either of them is overrated due to the fact that they're both absolutely raking at the moment.
All that said, check back with me in 4 to 8 weeks; if J.D.'s average is back down to .260 and Youk's starting to decline for yet another second half, maybe I'll tell you something different. Like many other Sox fans, I may not be so inclined to defend J.D. if he's mired in a 2-35 slump and there's no light at the end of the tunnel. But for now, I think we all can agree that the 9% of the players who said that Barry Zito was the most overrated player in the game were right on the money.
Still, 9% was only good enough to get the struggling surfer to the second overall spot... who could possibly be more overrated than the 2-11, $18 million per year ($126 million total) man?
That'd be New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter, who received 10% of the vote. I guess there's some truth to the views expressed in the poll, after all.
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