At the start of the MLB offseason, the Boston Red Sox made it somewhat clear that they will not be bringing back veteran outfielder J.D. Drew for the 2012 season. Now, it appears one of the most revered men in Boston, as some call him may be calling it a career.
According to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, the former Red Sox, Dodgers, Braves and Cardinals outfielder is "very likely" to retire from baseball after fourteen seasons. While some Red Sox fans may call him one of the biggest busts after he was signed to a giant 5-year $70 million contact in 2006, this man was far from a bust.
In his five years with the Red Sox, Drew hit .264/.370/.455 with 80 homers and 286 RBI. When you look beyond that, Drew had a career OPS of .873 with the Sox, which is actually very good for a player his age. Not to mention, Drew's contributions to right field at Fenway Park were very understated. The man knew Fenway like the back of his hand.
While Drew's 2011 campaign was less than spectacular (.222 4HR 22RBI), he consistently hit in the .270-.280 range and averaged about 20-25 homers a season with about 70-80 RBI. Not to mention the Grand Slam he hit in the ALCS against the Cleveland Indians in 2007 that saved the Red Sox from extinction and would eventually propel them to the World Series.
J.D. Drew may not have been worth the $70 mill Theo Epstein and company gave him as a free agent, but the one thing's that for sure is that J.D. Drew played his but off each and every day and gave the Red Sox everything he had. And that's why I call myself a part of the J.D. Drew fan club.
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