[情報] Ellsbury to LF, Cameron to CF

[mohicans (Last Of The Mohicans)]

Posted by Amalie Benjamin, Globe Staff January 5, 2010 03:46 PM

As soon as the Red Sox signed Mike Cameron, manager Terry Francona said he
knew what he would do. It was obvious to him that Jacoby Ellsbury belonged in
left field, and that he'd prefer Cameron to man center. He just needed to
check with general manager Theo Epstein and bench coach DeMarlo Hale.

That done, it took just a call to Ellsbury to let him in on the switch.

"The way we're constituted with [Cameron's] long strides and Jacoby's
first-step quickness, it seems that we're set up better that way," Francona
said.

He could hear in Ellsbury's voice that it wasn't his first choice, that he
would probably have remained in center field. But, with the Sox working
toward the best defense they've had in the tenure of the current management,
he'll instead be replacing Jason Bay in left.

"I think he was a little disappointed, a little concerned that it was like a
demotion," said Francona, who made the call with Hale from Florida about a
week before Christmas. "We explained that it's not. Again, we've got a guy
with longer strides. Jacoby can be a force in left, kind of like Carl
Crawford in Tampa. We're going to have an outfield where not a lot of balls
hit too much ground."

Francona said that Cameron, despite playing only three games in left in his
career, had offered to play either spot for the Red Sox when he signed. But
Cameron, who turns 37 on Friday, also has three Gold Gloves, and is regarded
as an outstanding center fielder.

"It came down to the fact that Cameron's experience is almost exclusively in
center and Jacoby demonstrated in 2007 and 2008 that he can be an impact
corner outfielder defensively," Epstein wrote in an e-mail. "We are more than
comfortable with Jacoby in center. We just feel that -- for now -- this
alignment puts us in the best position to win games.

"Both Mike and Jacoby were great about it and said they would do whatever was
best for the team.  Jacoby knows he'll still be a centerfielder in the long
run, and Mike looks forward to helping Jacoby any way he can."

With the additions of Cameron, Marco Scutaro, and Adrian Beltre, the Sox are
shaping up to have an outstanding defensive club. Their rotation, bolstered
by the signing of John Lackey, should also be superior to the staff they used
in 2009.

"This is going to be our best defensive team we've ever had," Francona said.
"Every time we've played good, we've caught the ball very well. You won't see
too many sloppy games. Those runs we put together when we're catching the
ball, we've got a chance to be really good defensively. You've got to score,
things like that, but this gives us a chance to be a solid team. That's what
we're trying to accomplish.

"If you're scoring 10 runs, but you're giving up 11, that's a tough way to
play. This is going to make a tough pitching staff better. That's the idea."

The idea, too, is that the move for Ellsbury won't be permanent. It's
unlikely that Ellsbury will remain in left field for the rest of his career.

"I know there will be a day in Jacoby's career where he goes back to center,"
Francona said. "Just for the way we're built now, this makes us a better
team."

http://is.gd/5NbLU

--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) 
◆ From: 122.116.47.94
推 highmimi:隊史有史以來最強的防守陣容喔 ...
→ highmimi:那我們還需要三振型的投手嗎？ Lester <--> A-Gon
推 alex710707:但是捕手...
推 spko:果然不出所料，中外野守備墊底的Ells將去怪獸前面發飆了....
→ spko:他守左外野的成績真的不是普通的好﹝大材小用嘛﹞....
→ spko:所以新球季紅襪的八個守備位置中將有六個守備是強大等級的...
→ spko:比起上季基本上只帶了一半的野手上去防守好上太多了....XD
推 MingXDD:有史以來最弱的綠色怪物管理人...
推 maikxz: lol
推 TKWdEmoN:這是近年來最帥的綠怪管理者
推 spko:推樓上....XDDD  臉與棒子不可兼得啊....囧
→ DWoods:我學得普神就很帥啊~
推 jack020835:去RF拉  不然我紅襪AS都沒得補= =   XD
推 GJIRO:明年先發輪值可以放心把球投給打者打了!
推 brillanmela:對方的先發輪值也可以放心的丟球....?
推 redsoxlover:推樓上  XDD