Another Day, Another Shortstop by Jared Carrabis
Theo still can't shake the Curse of Nomar


Since being named the Red Sox general manager in 2003, taking the place of Mike Port, Theo Epstein has brought his team to postseason play all but once, winning two World Series titles in that time.

Of his six seasons as general manager, the teams that he has assembled have made it to the American League Championship Series four times and have gone unbeaten in their two World Series appearances. The boy wonder hasn't given Red Sox Nation much to complain about. He's turned other teams' trash into a Red Sox treasure, for example, by signing David Ortiz to a 1-year, $1.25 million deal. But, the chinks in Theo's armor are shown vividly when you take a look at his track record at the shortstop position.

Since the monumental trade that sent Nomar Garciaparra to the Chicago Cubs and sent shockwaves throughout New England, the Red Sox have fielded an eye-popping eighteen shortstops since number five's departure.

With the exception of maybe two of those eighteen, none of the men that took the field between second and third base have brought satisfaction to the fans of this franchise. Orlando Cabrera, with his slick fielding and fun-loving attitude, helped solidify an otherwise shaky defense for Boston in 2004, and thus, helped contribute in a big way to the Sox' World Series title.

Epstein, however, did not re-sign Cabrera after his '04 campaign, and received two compensation picks in June's 2005 draft. Thanks to O-Cab's departure, the crafty GM hand-picked two Pac 10 studs by the name of Jacoby Ellsbury and Jed Lowrie. Thanks, Orlando!

The other shortstop that was undoubtedly the furthest from a failed experiment was another diamond in the dirt found by Epstein, Alex Gonzalez. In 2001, Gonzalez led all Major League shortstops with 26 errors for the Florida Marlins. In 2006, he set the Red Sox record for most consecutive games without an error, going 52 straight contests of perfection. Gonzo would become the first Boston shortstop to accumulate an AL leading fielding percentage (.985) since Rick "The Rooster" Burleson put together a .980 fielding percentage in 1979.

Gonzalez, of course, was brought on board to replace the defensively-challenged, Edgar Renteria. He had won consecutive Gold Glove Awards back in '02-'03, but when he came to Boston, all of those credentials went out the window. Epstein committed $40 million over four years to man who bounced into the final out of the 2004 World Series, but Red Sox Nation would only need to see one of those for years before the vote was unanimous, "Get him out of here!"

Renteria's 30 errors led all of Major League Baseball and were a career high for the Colombian-born shortstop. He blamed the infield dirt at Fenway for his poor defensive play, and before we could hear any more excuses, Theo shipped him off to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Andy Marte. Marte, of course, was a trading chip used along with Guillermo Mota and Kelly Shoppach that were sent to the Cleveland Indians in order to acquire Johnny Damon's replacement, Coco Crisp.

After ridding the Red Sox infield of Edgar Renteria and foolishly letting Alex Gonzalez walk, Theo Epstein then set his sights on inking Julio Lugo. Epstein, a man obsessed with on base percentage, inked Lugo to a 4-year, $36 million deal with a vesting option for a fifth year if the shortstop could accumulate 2,400 plate appearances from 2007-10 or 600 plate appearances in 2010.

In his four years with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Lugo averaged a .350 on base percentage, which the Red Sox took account of, as they were frequently opposing Tampa Bay while playing in the same division. Lugo's .287 batting average and 88 stolen bases while playing at the Trop also may have appealed to Epstein, but $36 million worth? Not likely.

Regardless of his price tag, Epstein brought him on board for his bat, not his defense. Little did the Sox general manager know that his offense would dip significantly and his defense would increase Advil sales all across New England. While in Boston, his on base percentage dipped 31 points and his slugging percentage took a nosedive by dropping 30 points as well.

The Red Sox have since cut their ties with Lugo and have experienced the most frustrating of times concerning the health of Jed Lowrie, and his production when he is "healthy." With a lot of the shortstop weight being put on the shoulders of journeyman, Nick Green, at first he flourished. Green was batting as high as .309 on May 5, and was hitting an unexpected .293 on June 21. However, Green's production has sank faster than Titanic herself.

Green is third in the American League with 14 errors and his batting average has dipped to .233 after hitting .233 in June, .143 in July and .190 thus far in the month of August. Green's drastic drop in production has caused Epstein to frantically search for a shortstop who can play every day with consistent production.

Before the trade deadline, names like Jack Wilson were thrown around, and since the deadline, the Red Sox have heard names such as JJ Hardy and Christian Guzman as potential replacements at shortstop. Which brings us to today, when the Boston Globe reported the return of Alex Gonzalez to Boston.

He may not be having that great of a year at the plate (.210, 3 HR, 26 RBI, .258 OBP, .554 OPS), but A-Gon has committed just six errors on the season for a .977 fielding percentage. In his spectacular 2006 season with Boston, Gonzalez made just seven errors in 475 total chances to accumulate a .985 fielding percentage. In 388 at bats for the Sox, Gonzalez hit .255 with 9 HR and 50 RBI.

Is Alex Gonzalez the long-term solution at shortstop that will get the monkey off of Theo's back? Absolutely not. But as the 2004 Red Sox proved to the baseball world, pitching and defense wins championships. Mr. Beckett, Mr. Lester, I'd like you to get reacquainted with Mr. Gonzalez. I have a feeling you guys are going to get along really well.

-Jared Carrabis





Published on August 14, 2009

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