If you couldn’t already tell, I could not disagree more with your statement that he is the “most overrated player in baseball, period.” If anything, I think he is very underrated, which I believe most of these posters would agree with. As someone said above, his skill set is not cater to driving in runs, but scoring them, which is actually the goal in baseball, I’m not sure you know. I wish I could find the actual numbers, but I believe that on a rate basis, J.D. Drew is only behind ARod and Manny this decade in scoring runs (If someone could find the actual numbers it would be great). He can do everything on a baseball field well, and in the small stretches that he gets hot, he is one of the best players in baseball.

Oh and by the way please do not use names like “Julie Drew”, it only cheapens your argument and makes you look like a child.

In the last 4 years Damon has scored more runs than Drew, driven in more runs than Drew, stolen way more bases than Drew, and hit for better average than Drew by a long ways.

There is no way you can put together enough cute numbers to make the case that Drew has even been better than Johnny Damon at the end of his career.

In his 4 years with Boston he has never, not once, driven in 70 runs. That is a pathetic truth that is only more pathetic when you realize he is always batting in the heart of a lineup that constantly has men on base. He is awful in the clutch, just awful, and I watch all of the Sox games. Just because he hit one grand slam in the playoffs doesn’t erase 4 years od futility.

His problem is that he watches sooooo many 3rd strikes in situations that scream DO NOT WATCH A 3RD STRIKE! He rarely moves runners over and he is the king of the solo home run, not that he hits many of those for a rightfielder.

Your system may work overall, but in the case of JD Drew, your system stinks. He does not result in net wins for the Sox. Put an average outfielder in right for Boston, and bat him in the heart of the lineup, and you’ll get 100 rbi per year.

Baseball? Baseball is far more dependent on skill. The slightest problem can cause significant erosion in skills. If your back hurts, you’re better off sitting out 2 games instead of feebly going 0 for 8.

Seriously, I think that many players, when they do play hurt, typically play worse than their own healthier backups would have played, and they also often hurt themselves worse than they were originally hurt, requiring giving even more playing time to more backups. I really do prefer players who admit when they’re hurt and who are willing to take some time off to heal. Baseball isn’t football.

HoF was probably a bridge too far, but I will say that I’d rather go into a season w/ 9 J.D. Drew’s over 9 Jim Rice’s

And how many OF’s have been better in the “given time period”, whatever that is?

Okay:
OPS+ rankings for OF, 2000-09, min 3000 PA:

B. Bonds: 221
M. Ramirez: 160
V. Guerrero: 146
S. Sosa: 142
J. Edmonds: 140
G. Sheffield: 140
B. Giles: 136
M. Holliday: 133
M. Ordonez: 132
B. Abreu: 132
A. Dunn: 131
J. Drew: 131

So he’s been very close to the top 10 offensive OF’s in the last decade. In front of him are mostly sub par to terrible fielders (and the unbelievably underrated Jim Edmonds).

Drew having a Hall case may be an exaggeration, but what numbers does he NOT have? Maybe he should just hack more and play hurt so he can run himself down like Soriano did in 2009. That’s better.

Everyone is focused on Baldelli’s skill set. The real issue isnt Baldelli though – the point is they can afford a good 4th OF.