Bye, Youk

I hate seeing cornerstone guys from the World Series wins of the Sox move on. Schilling, Varitek, Damon, Wakefield, Pedro, and yes, even Manny being Manny.

 

Add Youkilis to the list. We'll still get to see him, now that he's in the AL central, which will be nice. Except I think he's got plenty in the tank, and the White Sox are going to be wondering why they just didn't do this about a month ago.

 

I often felt that Youkilis was overlooked even by Red Sox fans. He was often in someone's shadow, be it Ortiz or Manny, but his usefulness to play both corners and have a .900+ OPS made him perhaps the single most important player on the Red Sox for most of the last 10 years. Hyperbole? Maybe. But I know this: I dreaded the stretches when Youkilis was on the DL. The lineup really wasn't the same. He was a hitter who hit for average, on base, and power, and seemed was very difficult to replace when he was out. There's a long list of sub-standard bats that filled in for Youkilis at either first or third. There was no one who even got hot enough where you ever said, well I hope Youk takes his time coming back - the Sox will be fine.

 

Until Middlebrooks.

 

Middlebrooks Impresses

 

If I was a ballplayer and I got replace by a younger player, I think I would want it to be someone like Will Middlebrooks. I actually saw him play in Pawtucket before he got called up this year. I went down excited to see Lavarnway - and instead watched Middlebrooks spray the ball all over the field (and off of it). He was so hot, it was a given he'd get called up. And when he started hitting, it was impressive. First, because he was so hot. But the POWER. There were no cheap hits for this guy.

 

But I've seen lots of prospects get called up. Pedroia, who started cold. Jacoby, who started hot. They all go through some rough patches. I was excited - but I figured with the way he was pounding the ball, pitchers would soon find his weakness and start to exploit it. So I waited for him to come back to earth. To struggle with off speed pitches. To slump. They all do. That's what rookies do. Sooner or later, they can't get out of their own way. Pitchers find holes. Rookies can't make adjustments. Slumps start. Rookie panics, either doesn't change or changes too much. Slump gets deeper. Rookie learns.

 

Here's hoping Youkilis hits like a champ

for the White Sox

Except, that's not happening. It's still early - he has only 140 AB's - but it's been long enough for there to be plenty of tape on this guy. Opposing pitchers should start making him look more human. And it's not happening. I supposed they have reasons for throwing the rookie a strike. But they are going to stop soon giving him good pitches to hit. Make no mistake, if he doesn't get those strikeouts down, and his walks up, he'll likely be a talented and very useful part of the Red Sox team. But if he does control the strike zone better as he gets older, and continues to improve....

 

Really, there's no limit here. He could be as good as Ortiz, Youkilis, Manny. I mean, we're talking freakishly good. I'm no professional scout, but I can't remember a Red Sox farmhand with his power since Mo Vaughn. You combine that with the fact that two years ago he was INVISIBLE. That's right, in 2010 he was a nothing in Single A ball with a ho-hum .439 slugging and over 120 K's in a 141 games. Even last year he was striking out once a game in double A. And now he's in the show, and his slugging at .583 is second only to - Ortiz.

 

You can hear the collective breath being held when Middlebrooks is at the plate. you can sense it. He could be - special. Not an everyday player. Not an All-Star. Special. He's got that vibe. And the fans know it. He's not just hitting, he's hitting timely shots, keeping him near the top in RBI's per plate appearance on the team. The end result? The Sox are 18-1 when Will has an RBI.

 

That last stat of course, can't continue.  His hitting can't continue.  Something has to give, because if he keeps averaging an RBI a game, and they win almost all the games where he has an RBI.....

 

It can't happen.  Can it?