Bobby Valentine playing Adrian Gonzalez in right field is a fireable offense. Will Middlebrooks has been everything Red Sox management and fans could hope for here in his first stint with the big club, but it is time to send him back down to AAA. The Fenway outfield has been taking out Red Sox left and right. I realize the Sox are down to their 6-7-8 outfielders, but Adrian Gonzalez is not the answer. Gonzalez is one of the best defensive first baseman in baseball, there is no reason to risk injury to him in the outfield. What the Sox need to do is put Youk back at third base for as long as it takes to prove he is as healthy as Youk can be, then trade him! Middlebrooks has proved he can man the hot corner, so the future is now. In the meantime, however, Middlebrooks should be at Pawtucket getting regular at-bats. To me, the two obvious moves for the Red Sox would be Youk to the Dodgers for Eovaldi and Guerra and Shoppach to the Nationals for Lannan. That would open up roster spots for the two most big league ready prospects in Lavarnway and Middlebrooks, add instant help to the bullpen, a back of the rotation guy, and a pitching prospect quickly running out of place in his current organization.
All that being said, my real focus here is how terrible an idea it is for Gonzalez to be in right field. Last season, Gonzalez led all first baseman in defensive chances, runs saved, and UZR. His defense alone is worth a minimum of a game or two a season. “Just a game” you say…what if one of those games saved was an interleague game last season when he was in right field? Oh how game 162 would have been different. But more than the runs/games saved by his defense, what happens if he injures himself while playing outfield. Youk is a guarantee to end up on the DL before the season ends, here is to hoping that happens on another team, the Sox cannot afford to risk Gonzalez at a position other than his natural spot. Each day Gonzalez trots into the outfield is one day closer to the end of the Bobby V experiment, and I am not sure the end could come soon enough.
And a thank you to Fenway West for sharing a little of The Stain Sports on their fine Red Sox blog.
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