Saved by the Bellsbury? by Jared Carrabis
Ellsbury's return could ignite streaky Sox


Boston.com -- Terry Francona said after the game tonight that Jacoby Ellsbury will join the Red Sox in Philadelphia and "probably" be activated on Saturday.

If you've got 'em in fantasy, it's time to activate him. If you're just a diehard Red Sox fan like myself, it's time to watch this team really take off.

You may be sitting there thinking, "He's not going to make that much of a difference," but that's where you are mistaken.

Since Jacoby Ellsbury collided with Adrian Beltre on April 11, Marco Scutaro, JD Drew and Darnell McDonald have all shared the leadoff spot. The return of Ellsbury brings stability back to the Red Sox' lineup, as the speedy outfielder retains his thrown atop Terry Francona's lineup card.

In his brief six-game start to the 2010 season before finding himself on the disabled list, Ellsbury put together a seven-hit series against the Kansas City Royals to bring his average to .333.

In Ellsbury's absence, Bill Hall (15 games in LF) and Jeremy Hermida (28 games in LF) combined to hit .232, while playing left field.

As the saying goes, every run counts, and the combination of Hall and Hermida just were not getting it done defensively in left field. Ellsbury, named the Defensive Player of the Year by MLB.com, will sure up an otherwise shaky defensive position in his absence.

Batting leadoff for the Portland Sea Dogs on May 20, Ellsbury went 3-for-4 with a double and a stolen base.

-Jared Carrabis

If you can divert your eyes away from how good I look in a sport coat (more studdlier than Zack Morris in his prime) and gaze close enough, you can actually see that Jacoby Ellsbury is, in fact, also in this picture with me.



To order Jared's debut book, One Fan's Story: If This Hat Could Talk, click HERE!





Published on May 21, 2010

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