Major League Baseball

TAKING STOCK OF THE SOX;Glass half full due to injuries

Published Oct. 8, 2010 10:23 p.m. ET

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TODAY: INFIELD

The Red Sox' infield was a tale of two halves this year. Look on the left, at third baseman Adrian Beltre and shortstop Marco Scutaro, and you saw a pair of veterans, both newcomers to the Red Sox, who stayed healthy and delivered seasons entirely consistent with what they have done in the past. Look to the right, however, and by early August you would have seen both second baseman Dustin Pedroia and first baseman Kevin Youkilis out for the season with injuries. Their combined loss pushed the Red Sox past the tipping point in terms of reaching the postseason, as an assortment of bench players tried to fill their shoes.

WHAT WENT RIGHT IN 2010

Beltre's season was a revelation, although not to any Dodgers fans who followed the team in 2004 when he led the majors in home runs with 48 and delivered jaw-dropping offensive stats. After a shaky start defensively, Beltre got used to the Fenway infield and the clubhouse and settled into his All-Star season. The fact that the pending free agent could very well be a one-and-done guy for the Sox leaves the position wide open for next year. But the shortstop position may actually be lined up very well. Rest and rehab should resolve the many aches and pains Scutaro played through, even though he still delivered the consistent and reliable defense the Red Sox were praying for after Julio Lugo's stint. Scutaro also filled in nicely for Jacoby Ellsbury atop the Red Sox' batting order. Late in the season, however, another positive development emerged, as Jed Lowrie rounded into shape. Showing nice pop (nine home runs and 24 RBI in 171 at-bats), soft hands and good range as he visibly strengthened from his bout with mono, Lowrie forced his way back onto the scene as a valuable player for next year, and possibly beyond. He started in 45 games split almost evenly between second base and shortstop, while Bill Hall got most of the duty (38 games) at second base in Pedroia's absence. Hall's versatility in the infield and outfield, as well as those 18 home runs, proved invaluable in this season of medical woes.

WHAT WENT WRONG IN 2010

A torn right thumb muscle for Youkilis, on top of a fractured left navicular (foot) bone for Pedroia put the kibosh on any hopes for a well-rounded tale of the 2010 Red Sox' infield. Each player was very much living up to his previous track record of excellence. Youkilis' OPS stood at .975 when he went down, the seventh time in seven major-league seasons he has improved that all-important stat. He was the clean-up hitter, and although the production of the Red Sox' decimated lineup never took the hit that it really should have without all of its key parts, their margin of error fell drastically without Youkilis and Pedroia. The second baseman was just getting hot in late June when he fouled a ball off his foot, hitting .374 and slugging .676 that month. Defensively, Youkilis' and Pedroia's Gold-Gloves were very much missed. Hall is OK defensively and Youkilis' main replacement, Mike Lowell, looked justifiably out of place playing his brand-new position. Scutaro's throws got worse as the season wore on, no doubt reflecting the rotator cuff issue he was going through. Aside from Beltre, the overall production from the other three infield positions declined as the season reached its Youkilis-less and Pedroia-less conclusion.

WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN NEXT

Not to beat a dead horse but since the Red Sox tried and failed to sign first baseman Mark Teixeira after the 2008 season, they have been forced to find stop-gap help in the infield. Youkilis' ability to switch seamlessly between first and third base is a remarkably underappreciated fact of life that has helped them weather the non-acquisition of Teixeira. Re-signing Beltre would be a coup, but it is hard to find anyone who does not believe he wants to play on the West Coast. There are no premier first or third basemen available on the free-agent market, so expect the chatter about trading for a young slugging first or third baseman to increase this winter. That means San Diego's Adrian Gonzalez or Milwaukee's Prince Fielder will be in the discussion. But the temptation, especially with Gonzalez, will seriously test the Red Sox' resolve to hold onto their top prospects in order to complete their ''bridge'' construction. Will the Red Sox consider trading one of their top two first basemen -- Anthony Rizzo or Lars Anderson -- and a proven major-leaguer such as Jacoby Ellsbury in order to get Gonzalez? You can bet it will receive serious consideration.

Lowrie's re-emergence has done a couple of things. It gives the Red Sox a valuable trading chip to be sure, since Scutaro is supposedly holding the shortstop seat warm for prospect Jose Iglesias, but it also gives the Red Sox a very nice insurance policy at that position or even at second base. Lowrie could become a Hall-like infield utility player minus the outfield option, but at the very least he gives the Red Sox interesting options in a couple of positions where it is appreciated.

Of course, at a baseline, what truly needs to happen in 2011 is for Youkilis and Pedroia to not only begin spring training fully healthy but to remain healthy for a full and happy season. The Red Sox cannot expect to field a championship-caliber team without both, not just one, of them. Anything less would be wishful thinking of the worse kind.

(See Boston Herald .pdf or microfilm for complete statistics)

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